＂The Local People of the Bin Laden`s Hiding Place Treat Him Like a Hero＂

＇Where is Osama Bin Laden? What is the reason why America cannot arrest him although she puts every effort into it?＇

It has been the rising question after a satellite broadcasting station in Qatar, Al Jajir aired Bin Laden`s message on the 12th. The Internet edition of the weekly news magazine Time reported quoting a US intelligence office on the 18th that Bin Laden ran away from his last hiding place of Torabora Mountains in Afghanistan on last December and moved to the territory of the Pashutun tribe in Pakistan.

The reason why the US intelligence organizations picked the Pashutun territory as Bin Laden`s hiding place was that they confirmed same pattern of phones calls as Bin Laden used to communicate with his men many times in the secret path of the local drug dealers. Bin Laden, however, is assumed not to use telephone and to send messages outside through his men who used motor cycles or bus.

The FBI found out that the members of the Taliban and Al Qaeda gathered in the residence of the drug dealers inside the Wajiristan area, and made a base camp of the chase. The Time reported that however, this camp was attacked by 2 rockets of Al Qaeda, so the FBI agents became the ＂quarry.＂

The reason why the US intelligence organizations know Bin Laden is hiding there but cannot catch him is although this area is the Pakistani territory; the Pakistani judicial power cannot reach there.

And people there consider Bin Laden a hero.

The Time reported that on top of that, Pakistan could not help America easily because there was formidable pro-Taliban power in Pakistan. America can fly the unmanned scout plane Predator, find Bin Laden`s hiding place, and attack him, but there is almost no chance for Pakistan to allow it.

And the Pakistani Intelligence Organization, ISI agents are known not to help America but even to collect donation for the Al Qaida. Although America put a prize money of 27 million dollars to an information provider of Bin Laden`s hiding place, the local people believed that they will be killed if they speak about the hiding place.

The tribal chief of the neighboring Queta said, ＂Although I have information about the Al Qaeda, there is no safe route to send it to America.＂

What is worse, the pro-Taliban and pro-Al Qaeda parties won the Pakistani general election in this area on October10th, the operation of the US intelligence agents is even more being withered.

Ki-Tae Kwon kkt@donga.com