Pakistani officials say bin Laden is isolated

[Ani_Ibi]

Pakistani officials say bin Laden is isolated

“For a very long time there are no intercepts about Osama bin Laden giving instructions to his regional commanders, either through radio, telephone, satellite phone or the Internet,” a senior security official said on condition of anonymity because of the sensitive nature of the subject.

“If he is unable to give orders physically or otherwise, it clearly indicates that his communication has been severed.”

In the past, bin Laden would be surrounded by up to 500 people, the Peshawar-based intelligence official said, adding that his communications network has been reduced to human couriers, where a message “changes several hands” between its point of origin and final destination.

“This is a very slow and exposed way of communicating,” the official said.