A federal grand jury in New York returned an indictment against bin Laden and his top military commander Muhammed Atef on Wednesday, alleging among other things that they forged alliances with Iran and Sudan, supported extremists in more than 20 nations, and tried to procure chemical and nuclear weapons.

The omnibus 238-count indictment elicited doubts because of the sweeping and unspecific nature of the charges but prosecutors said they were not showing all their cards. The $ 5 million reward is ostensibly aimed at flushing out bin Laden through betrayal or tip offs by those connected to him in Afghanistan, where he is being sheltered by the Taliban.

Experts say that given the long odds, it is highly unlikely that theUS would risk an open-ended covert operation in the country to bring him to trial, although the administration is believed to have cleared such an operation if it is feasible.

A more likely scenario is a swift operation based on a tip-off, as in the case of Mir Aimal Kansi, who was sold out by intermediaries for a $ 2 million booty. Washington also hopes that the Taliban regime in Kabul, which has expressed interest in building bridges with the US, would force him out of the mountains possibly into a third country where it would be easier to nail him.