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. The Iranians who reported this note that this year’s message in conjunction with the Muslim Haj came from his number two, Ayman al-Zawahiri, for the first time.
Does that mean Iran is “harbouring” him?
Does this really *mean* anything?
I don’t think so. AQ will continue to operate. The US lost it’s focus on Osama many moons ago… so it certainly doesn’t matter in that sense, though this will call into question the utility of the foreign military presence in Afghanistan.