BBC News Online: Sci/Tech

Geologist's clue to Bin Laden location

Western intelligence fears Bin Laden has moved on

Jack Shroder, from the University of Nebraska at Omaha, reported his conclusions to US security agencies after assessing a cave that featured in a Bin Laden video released after the first US bombs fell on the Afghanistan on 7 October.

Dr Shroder added, however, that the quality of the video was too poor to be absolutely certain.

"I turned to my wife and told her 'I know where he is'," the geologist said after watching the video, which was released after the US began its military campaign to bring to Bin Laden to justice for the 11 September attacks in New York and Washington.

Unique experience

The kind of sedimentary rock shown can only be found in Paktia or Paktika, an unidentified British geologist has confirmed.

It comes from the Katawaz basin, which features hundreds of valleys and ridges, and the rock's natural weakness makes it vulnerable to bombing.

Dr Shroder said he was the only American geologist to have worked in Afghanistan in the 1970s. He was in charge of developing a national atlas for the country until his expulsion in 1978 amid allegations of espionage.

He said he had a knack for identifying rock formations on film, often querying backgrounds used by Hollywood.

US officials have discussed the information with Dr Shroder but point out that Bin Laden is unlikely to have stayed in the same place since the video was made.