U.S. Officials: Afghan Massood Believed Dead

Sept. 10 -- The main opposition leader standing in the way of the Taliban's total control of Afghanistan is believed dead, U.S. intelligence sources tell ABCNEWS.

Ahmad Shah Massood died in a Russian-made helicopter en route to the hospital after a suicide bomber set himself off in his office on Sunday, the sources say.

The assassins are said to have gained access to Massood by posing as television reporters, and their bomb was either hidden in a video camera or wrapped around the cameraman's body.

However, State Department spokesman Philip Reeker told reporters today he was still unable to confirm if the guerrilla leader had been killed, and Massood's spokesmen said today the 48-year-old commander was merely being treated for minor wounds.

"He is in treatment in the hospital," said Ahmad Shayeq, an opposition spokesman in London. "His condition is improving."

Shaqyeq said Massood suffered shrapnel wounds to his leg and hand.

Mehrabodin Masstan, Massood's spokesman in France, told Reuters news service that sources in Afghanistan told him the commander would reappear on Tuesday and give an interview.

"However, the doctor has told him not to move today," Masstan said.

The Taliban has denied any involvement in the assassination attempt.

Beware Journalists

The attack is believed to have taken place while Massood was giving interviews to two Arab journalists in his office in the far north of Afghanistan.

The cameraman carried the bomb, while his partner reportedly got cold feet seconds before the bomb blast and tried to bolt. He was shot and killed.

The cameraman died in the blast. A close aide to Massood was also said to have been killed.

The nationalities and affiliation of the attackers remain unclear.

Ahmed Wali, Massood's brother and the opposition's ambassador in Britain, told The Associated Press the pair was traveling on Belgian passports, with multiple-entry Pakistani visas issued by the Pakistani Embassy in London.