With a name and face that is probably the world's most recognisable and reports that Osama bin Laden has gone missing, a guessing game has begun as to his whereabouts.

Apart from reports attributed to some Taliban officials that he may have left Afghanistan and others from the opposition saying he is in southern Urozgan, there is feverish speculation about his location.

Bin Laden's lieutenants once described Afghanistan as the safest place for him on the earth.

That is still the case because Afghanistan's Taliban rulers, anxious to uphold their time-honoured traditions of hospitality and chivalry, haven't ordered him to leave. But it is also true that they will be relieved and would have saved Afghanistan from a U.S. attack if bin Laden were to leave voluntarily.

Where can bin Laden go if he were to leave Afghanistan? No country is willing to offer him refuge, primarily out of fear of the U.S. and also on account of bin Laden's reputation.

The means required to secretly fly a man as notorious as bin Laden are also not available. There are no flights out of landlocked Afghanistan, under UN sanctions for harbouring bin Laden.

A journey on the war-ravaged country's broken roads could be long, tiresome and unsafe. All of Afghanistan's six neighbours, including Pakistan, would surely nab bin Laden the moment he sets foot there.

Which country would bin Laden consider as his next abode if he leaves Afghanistan? First on the list may be Pakistan.

The Pakistan government, more so after a recent policy change concerning Afghanistan under U.S. pressure, would be only too glad to arrest bin Laden and deliver him to Washington in the hope of getting something in return.

Like a group of Arabs before him, Bin Laden could try and seek refuge with the independent-minded Afridi tribes in the remote Tirah valley in Pakistan's Khyber Agency.

But he would surely know that those Arabs were unable to live in peace in Tirah for long because most Afridi tribesmen objected to their presence and their religious beliefs and threw them out of the valley.

Sudan, bin Laden's last abode before he was compelled in May 1996 by the Sudanese government to leave, would be a low priority choice due to his bitter previous experience.

Seeking refuge in Sudan would be all the more difficult for him because the country is now firmly under the control of President General Omar Al Bashir. The Islamist politician, Hasan Al Turabi, having close ties with bin Laden, is no longer part of the ruling coalition.

Yemen is often mentioned as a possible destination for Saudi dissident Bin Laden due to two factors. One, his family originally came from Yemen and later settled in Saudi Arabia. Two, Yemen is home to certain radical Islamic groups that share Bin Laden's thoughts and would be ready to host him even if it meant risking their own future.

As Yemen borders Saudi Arabia, Bin Laden's arrival there could trigger unrest in the border areas and destabilise the region. Therefore, the Yemeni government along with the Saudis would do everything within their means to keep bin Laden out.

Iraq has long been considered a likely destination for bin Laden largely due to the fact that President Saddam Hussain would be happy to host someone who shares his own hatred for the U.S. But there is no love lost between the two strong-willed men.

Bin Laden, in an interview with this correspondent in December 1998, criticised Saddam for bringing disunity in Muslim ranks by invading Kuwait and enabling the U.S. and its Western allies to station troops in these areas.

Reference is also made to Somalia as a country where bin Laden has many friends among some of its armed militias. But would these militias be able to protect Bin Laden once they come under pressure from their rivals or from neighbouring countries acting on U.S. orders?

Iran on account of its anti-U.S. policy is also mentioned as a likely sanctuary for people on Washington's hit-list.

It would also be easy for bin Laden to cross over to neighbouring Iran from Afghanistan. But Tehran's deep distrust of the Taliban could mean that any of their friends, including bin Laden, would be unable to win Iranian trust. Iran would also be wary of annoying the U.S. by harbouring bin Laden at a time when relations between the two countries are showing signs of a thaw.

Lebanon, more so its Hezbollah commandos, were said to be ready to harbour Bin Laden. It is doubtful if the Iranian and Syrian backers of Hezbollah would approve the move because it would focus unwanted attention on that region and further strengthen U.S. support for Israel.

It has also been said that the Abu Sayyaf, whose Moro Muslim members have defied the Philippines government for long, could protect bin Laden. The Saudi-born Islamist himself would not want to identify with a group that has earned notoriety for kidnappings for ransom and killings of innocent civilians.

Last, but not the least, is Chechnya where guerrilla commanders Shamil Basayev and Khattab extended invitations to bin Laden in the past.

In fact, a plan was devised last year to smuggle bin Laden through the Russian military lines to Chechnya, but it was not attempted.

According to his aides, bin Laden would even now want to go to Chechnya and preferably seek martyrdom fighting the Russians. He fought once against the Soviet occupation troops in Afghanistan and is now waging his "jihad" against the U.S.