Debunking the "Death" of Usama Bin Laden

By Evan Kohlmann

Various terrorism analysts and political commentators have recently made a series of outlandish claims in international media outlets concerning the would-be "death" of Al-Qaida leader Usama Bin Laden.  On January 9, Michael Ledeen announced to the world, "according to Iranians I trust, Osama bin Laden finally departed this world in mid-December.  The al Qaeda leader died of kidney failure and was buried in Iran, where he had spent most of his time since the destruction of al Qaeda in Afghanistan."  Similarly, on January 16, Dr. Clive Williams told the Sydney Morning Herald that he had been shown evidence proving that Bin Laden had suffered from "major organ failure" and passed away in Pakistan last April: "It does seem reasonably convincing based on the evidence that I've been provided with that he's certainly either severely incapacitated or dead at this stage."

What is somewhat amusing about these two erroneous claims is that they are apparently both based upon the same faulty premise--that Usama Bin Laden suffers from a serious kidney or liver ailment.  This is not say that Bin Laden is in perfect shape--indeed, he has his own share of long-term medical problems.  However, there is virtually no evidence to suggest that his ongoing condition has been critical enough to fundamentally disrupt or incapacitate him from participating in the planning of military operations, nor the coordination of terrorist financing.  The former Al-Qaida publishing house in London known as Azzam Publications has produced a fascinating book known as "The Lofty Mountain", featuring firsthand accounts of the early struggles of Usama Bin Laden in Afghanistan during the 1980s.  One chapter, titled "Impressions of an Arab Journalist in Afghanistan", contains the following revealing excerpt:

"Usama Bin Laden (Abu Abdullah)... used to suffer from very low blood pressure which would sometimes render him unable to move and he would thus remain lying on the floor for many hours on end.  He also needed to be given intravenous (I.V.) infusions, such as glucose... Abu Abdullah was in a lot of pain and extremely fatigued, and was lying on the floor.  This was after he had exerted his efforts to follow through the establishment of new locations for the Arab brothers, on top of buying weapons and establishing plans for surveillance and attack."

In short, Usama Bin Laden may not be entirely comfortable hiding in his remote mountain lair along the Afghan-Pakistani border, but it would be a rash mistake to count him out just yet.  Only three months ago during a videotaped interview, Bin Laden's top deputy Dr. Ayman al-Zawahiri smugly proclaimed, "With the grace of Allah, Al-Qaida Al-Jihad remains a base for jihad.  And due to the grace of Allah and no one else, its commander, Shaykh Usama Bin Laden, may Allah protect him, still leads the jihad."  On this last point, it may be well worth taking Zawahiri at his word.

An addendum for researchers: according to "The Lofty Mountain", an unnamed "Egyptian doctor [from Peshawar, Pakistan] known for efficiency and piety" was responsible for overseeing Usama's "medical state" and giving him intravenous injections during the formation of Al-Qaida in Afghanistan.  Presumably, the mysterious "Egyptian doctor" at Bin Laden's side was none other than Ayman al-Zawahiri.

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