Iran in contact with al-Qaeda, says Cofer Black

Hi Pakistan ^ | Feb 29,2004 | NA

[Dog]

Iran in contact with al-Qaeda, says Black

ISLAMABAD: US State Department’s ambassador-at-large J Cofer Black has claimed that the Iranian government is in contact with al-Qaeda and that it must expel or extradite all members of the network to the countries of their origin.

In an exclusive interview with Geo TV, Black said that our intelligence agencies are aware of the presence of some senior al-Qaeda leaders in Iran who are dangerous. He said that "these al-Qaeda operators are not only a threat to the US but they are also a threat to Pakistan".

Black appreciated the role of Pakistan in the war against terrorism and said that "two-thirds of al-Qaeda has been neutralised and more than 3,500 supporters have been arrested all over the world after 9/11".

He was not sure that Osama bin Laden would be captured alive but he said one thing with full confidence: "We will capture him very soon, if he does not surrender, then I don’t know what will happen?"

Black categorically denied the report of Radio Tehran that Osama was captured in South Waziristan. He said that the radio made the same claim last year, which was not true.

Black served for 28 years in the CIA but he was not ready to answer some questions related to intelligence. He neither confirmed nor contradicted the recent secret visit of CIA chief George Tenet to Pakistan. He was not ready to comment on a reported meeting between Tenet and Dr Abdul Qadeer Khan in Islamabad but he said that Dr Qadeer is definitely providing vital information about proliferation.

While responding to a question, Black confirmed that coalition troops in Afghanistan are preparing for a major "hunt Osama operation" but he refused to comment on the reports that Osama’s deputy Dr Ayman al-Zawahri was spotted by US spy planes recently in the Waziristan region. Black also spoke on the threat of nuclear terrorism.

The detailed interview will be telecast on Geo TV on Sunday at 12:30 pm with a repeat telecast at 5:30 pm.

[Dog]

Black'c comments had to cleared at the highest levels...he doesn't speak from the cuff...Iran better watch out they are playing with fire.

[Dog]

fyi..

[Cap Huff]

Big news!!!

[leadpenny]

he doesn't speak from the cuff

Twenty eight years in the agency, that is probably true.

[Cap Huff]

"if he does not surrender"

This is an interesting choice of words. It makes it sound like someone is telling him to surrender. "Come out with your hands up, or we're coming in to get you!" Maybe it is just the Pakistani rendering of what really was said, but I can't think of any other time when his surrendering was ever talked about in public.

[leadpenny]

U.S. Search for Bin Laden Gathers Steam
15 minutes ago

By KATHERINE PFLEGER SHRADER, Associated Press Writer

WASHINGTON - The United States is rounding up and questioning the relatives of fugitive al-Qaida leaders to generate information on the possible whereabouts of Osama bin Laden (news - web sites) and his top deputies. This tactic helped lead to Saddam Hussein (news - web sites)'s capture.

On Saturday, Pentagon (news - web sites) and Pakistani officials denied an Iranian state radio report that bin Laden had been captured "a long time ago" in Pakistan's border region with Afghanistan (news - web sites).

But some U.S. officials do say they have been able to extract useful information from Afghan and Pakistani relatives and friends of al-Qaida fugitives, providing hints on the possible whereabouts of the organization's leaders.

So far, the information the U.S. has received is unconfirmed and does not mean the terrorist leader's location has been pinned down or his capture is imminent. U.S. officials caution that rumors of significant progress are overstated.

With the weather improving in Afghanistan, the U.S. military has sent troops and technology to the country to aid the search and to give forces on the ground more opportunity to track down bin Laden. He is the United States' most wanted terrorist for his leadership in planning the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.

Rounding up relatives for questioning helped bring about the Dec. 13 capture of Saddam, the former Iraqi leader. U.S. officials hope the tactic could lead to information on the whereabouts of bin Laden and his top deputies, especially when combined with information from spy satellites, communication intercepts and prisoner interrogations.

U.S. military officials have said they are planning a spring offensive in Afghanistan in the hopes of capturing bin Laden, former Taliban leader Mullah Omar and their associates.

Meanwhile, American commanders in Afghanistan have expressed new optimism about finding bin Laden. Late last month, U.S. military spokesman Lt. Col. Bryan Hilferty said the military believes it could seize bin Laden this year, perhaps within months.

Other U.S. officials try to temper such optimism.

In a sign of an increased focus on the Afghan-Pakistani border, Pakistani rapid reaction forces have been deployed to selected areas in the region, a mountainous landscape that runs 2,000 miles from the Himalayas in Pakistan's northern territories to the desert of southwestern Baluchistan.

Pakistani officials told The Associated Press on Friday that satellite telephone intercepts from last year indicated al-Qaida members were hiding near the border. Two intelligence officials said participants discussed a man called "Shaikh" — a code name for bin Laden.

"Some people who were speaking in Arabic have been heard saying Shaikh is in good health," one of the intelligence officials said.

A U.S. defense official, also speaking on the condition of anonymity, said that Pakistani forces have killed or captured more al-Qaida members than any other U.S. ally. "We continue to aggressively pursue the remnants of al-Qaida and the Taliban," the official said.

[Dog]

fyi..

[Quilla]

In an exclusive interview with Geo TV, Black said that our intelligence agencies are aware of the presence of some senior al-Qaeda leaders in Iran who are dangerous.

Hmmm. About six weeks ago, Mansoor Ijaz told Brit Hume that bin Laden was in Iran. Yet, after I found out that Ijaz was a big Clinton donor, his status as a reliable source dropped considerably.

[F14 Pilot]

Been posted in DoctorZIn's thread before, but thanks for attention.
http://www.freerepublic.com/~doctorzin

[Delmarksman]

He also was one of the folks who talked a lot about Saddams WMD and where they where.

[Semper Paratus]

About six weeks ago, Mansoor Ijaz told Brit Hume that bin Laden was in Iran.

A year ago he said when were close to intercepting him in a SUV caravan in western Afghanistan.

[InvisibleChurch]

i want to know how earl bin laden is travelling over all the mountains of pakistan and afghanistan with a dialysis machine ...

[tessalu]

I have wanted someone to tell me about this dialysis machine too.

[Stultis]

Twenty eight years in the agency, that is probably true.

...and former head of the CIA's Khartoum office (when UBL was there), former Task Force Chief in the Near East and South Asia Division, promoted by Tenet to head the CIA's Counterterrorism Center when Tenet was expanding it from a bureaucratic backwater to one of the CIA's central foci (moving from there to this new State Dept Counterterrorism position in Dec 2002). Black's entire CIA career was in the Directorate of Operations, and all of his later assignments were important ones (Near East, South Asia, South America). This guy is very much "in the loop".

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

Thanks for the good info!

[freeangel]

I misread the title of Iran having a contract with aq. Then,again, there might not be much of a difference with the talk that iran is threatening libya to not reveal any nuke secrets that flew between them.

[swarthyguy]

TV Interview PIC. www.geo.tv

[Persephone Kore]

"Iran in contact with al-Qaeda"

no kidding. does this surprise anybody?

the news is the us demand that iran "expel or extradite all members of" al-q.

with all the internal and now external stress, and the increasing rigidity of the ayatollahs, let's hope that the iranian government cracks under the strain.

[Stultis]

LIES! Bush is lying. Black lies for Bush. There is no connection between Iran and al-Qaeda. Al-Qaeda sunnis are killing shia's all the time. They hate each other. There is no way they could cooperate. There is no connection between al-Qaeda and anyone. We should indict the remaining al-Qaeda members, turn it over to the World Court, cut our military budget by 80 precent and spend it on funding the U.N. and single payer health care. The "war on terror" is nothing but hype, and should be declared over.</'RAT MODE>

[Persephone Kore]

lol.

i'm glad to see bush facing down the ayatollahs.