Reports from western media that Al-Qaida leader Osama Bin Laden is hiding in Central Asia are groundless, says Vyacheslav Kasymov, Director of the Executive Committee of the Regional Anti-terrorist Structure, Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO).

Kasymov made these remarks during his recent visit to Bishkek, the capital of Kyrgyzstan. He said that these reports were circulated with the intention of disrupting the efforts and achievements SCO anti-terror agencies have made in fighting terrorism and safeguarding regional security. He stressed that any person making remarks and assumptions about Central Asian security must first directly obtain proof from organizations committed to fighting terror in this region, he stressed.

Earlier this month, former US White House Anti-terror Coordinator Richard Clarke announced that Bin Laden was still at large, and was almost certainly hiding somewhere in Central Asia.

By People's Daily Online