Paris ? A leaked French intelligence document raises the possibility that Osama bin Laden died of typhoid, but President Jacques Chirac said Saturday the report was “in no way whatsoever confirmed” and officials from Kabul to Washington expressed skepticism about its accuracy.

There have been numerous reports over the years that bin Laden had been killed or that he was dangerously ill, but the al-Qaida leader has periodically released audiotapes appealing to followers and commenting on current news events.

The French newspaper l’Est Republicain printed what it described as a copy of a confidential document from the DGSE intelligence service citing an uncorroborated report from a “usually reliable source” who said Saudi secret services were convinced that bin Laden had died.

The document, dated Thursday, was sent to Chirac and other top French officials, the newspaper said.

“This information is in no way whatsoever confirmed,” Chirac said when asked about the document. “I have no comment.”

Saudi Arabia’s U.S. embassy said it had no evidence to support the reports.

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said she had “no comment and no knowledge” about the report, while presidential spokesman Blair Jones said the White House could not confirm the report’s accuracy. But two U.S. intelligence officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the issue, said U.S. agencies had no information to suggest bin Laden was dead or dying.

One of the U.S. intelligence officials said the report came from an unverified, unconfirmed source. If bin Laden were dead or dying, U.S. officials would expect to see telltale indicators that they are not seeing, the official said. The official did not explain what those indicators are, but such an event would probably trigger increased discussion among known extremists.