News

DATE=2/13/99 TYPE=CORRESPONDENT REPORT NUMBER=2-245503 TITLE=AFGHAN / BIN LADEN (L-ONLY) BYLINE=ALI ZAIDI DATELINE=ISLAMABAD CONTENT= VOICED AT: INTRO: REPORTS FROM AFGHANISTAN SAY THAT THE MAN SUSPECTED OF MASTERMINDING THE AMERICAN EMBASSY BOMBINGS IN AFRICA IS "MISSING." THE REPORT COMES A DAY AFTER THE TALEBAN ANNOUNCED NEW RESTRICTIONS ON THE MILITANT SAUDI NATIONAL. ALI ZAIDI REPORTS FROM ISLAMABAD. TEXT: TALEBAN OFFICIALS IN KANDIHAR SAY THAT OSAMA BIN LADEN HAS DISAPPEARED, AND THERE ARE SOME SUGGESTIONS THAT HE MAY ALREADY HAVE LEFT AFGHANISTAN. THERE WAS NO INDICATION WHERE MR. BIN LADEN MAY HAVE GONE. TALEBAN OFFICIALS SAY THEY HAVE NOT ASKED OSAMA BIN LADEN TO LEAVE AFGHANISTAN, BUT EARLIER THIS WEEK TALEBAN AUTHORITIES HAD IMPOSED RESTRICTIONS ON MR. BIN LADEN'S MOVEMENT AND COMMUNICATION WITH THE OUTSIDE WORLD, AMID GROWING PRESSURE FROM THE UNITED STATES AND BRITAIN FOR HIS EXTRADITION. THE UNITED STATES ACCUSES OSAMA BIN LADEN OF ORDERING THE BOMBING OF AMERICAN EMBASSIES IN KENYA AND TANZANIA LAST YEAR, WHICH KILLED MORE THAN 200 PEOPLE. THE U-S GOVERNMENT HAS ANNOUNCED A 5-MILLION DOLLAR AWARD FOR THE CAPTURE OF MR. BIN LADEN. AMERICAN AND BRITISH OFFICIALS MET TALEBAN REPRESENTATIVES RECENTLY AND PRESSED FOR THE CAPTURE OF MR. BIN LADEN, AND HAS BOMBED SUSPECTED TRAINING CAMPS IN AFGHANISTAN FOR MR. BIN LADEN'S FOLLOWERS. A U-S EMBASSY SPOKESMAN IN ISLAMABAD SAYS THE AMERICAN GOVERNMENT HAS NO INFORMATION AS YET REGARDING THE APPARENT DISAPPEARANCE OF OSAMA BIN LADEN. AMERICAN AND BRITISH OFFICIALS MET TALEBAN OFFICIALS RECENTLY AND PRESSED FOR MR. BIN LADEN'S EXPULSION FROM AFGHANISTAN. THE TALEBAN HAS REFUSED THUS FAR TO HAND OVER MR. BIN LADEN, SAYING THERE IS NO PROOF OF HIS INVOLVEMENT IN TERRORISM. TALEBAN OFFICIALS SAY MR. BIN LADEN IS A GUEST IN THEIR COUNTRY. THE MILLIONAIRE SAUDI NATIONAL FOUGHT ALONGSIDE THE AFGHAN MUJAHIDEEN AGAINST SOVIET OCCUPATION, A STRUGGLE THAT HE ALSO HELPED TO FINANCE. IN RECENT YEARS, MR. BIN LADEN HAS CALLED FOR ATTACKS ON AMERICAN AND BRITISH INTERESTS TO FORCE WESTERN FORCES TO LEAVE SAUDI ARABIA, WHERE THEY HAVE BEEN STATIONED SINCE THE GULF WAR. MR. BIN LADEN DENIES BEING RESPONSIBLE FOR THE BOMBINGS IN AFRICA, BUT SUPPORTS ATTACKS ON WESTERN CIVILIANS AS PART OF HIS HOLY WAR. TALEBAN OFFICIALS SAY THEY WILL NOT ALLOW MR. BIN LADEN TO USE AFGHANISTAN AS A BASE FOR HIS EXPLOITS. TALEBAN AUTHORITIES ARE KEEN TO ACHIEVE INTERNATIONAL RECOGNITION OF THEIR GOVERNMENT, SOMETHING THAT HAS BEEN HAMPERED BY THE PRESENCE OF MR. BIN LADEN IN THEIR MIDST. (SIGNED) NEB/AZ/GE 13-Feb-99 12:57 PM EST (1757 UTC) NNNN Source: Voice of America .