The Pakistani newspaper 'Ausaf' which is based in the city of Multan in the Punjab Province is reporting that Osama bin Laden died last June in a village near Kandahar in Afghanistan.

According to the newspaper report, Bin Laden was campaigning at Bamiyan, fell very ill, returned to Kandahar where he died and was buried in the Shada graveyard in the shadow of a mountain.

The controversy continues to surround Osama bin Laden and while the United States and Pakistan officials have often been quoted by the media as saying that his mortal status was just a matter of detail, the hunt is still on and the issue remains a topic of great interest for the media and governments alike. The $25 million reward for the capture of bin Laden remains in effect.

Rumours of bin Laden's death have been circulating for years but have never been substantiated. The Al-Qaeda leader suffers from kidney disease which requires dialysis treatment several times each week. Without dialysis, bin Laden would die within a few days.