Pakistan Claims to Kill al-Qaida Official(intelligence chief)

AP via Yahoo! News ^ | 03/29/04 | AHSANULLAH WAZIR

[TigerLikesRooster]

Pakistan Claims to Kill al-Qaida Official

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By AHSANULLAH WAZIR, Associated Press Writer

WANA, Pakistan - An al-Qaida intelligence chief was killed in Pakistan's massive military sweep through western tribal areas to root out members of Osama bin Laden (news - web sites)'s terror network and the Taliban, a military official said Sunday.

Army spokesman Maj. Gen. Shaukat Sultan identified the intelligence chief only as Abdullah. When pressed for details, including Abdullah's full name and nationality, Sultan said he had no more information.

The military declared the operation in South Waziristan province over on Sunday, and claimed it was a success. Some 167 suspects were arrested, but hundreds of other militants are still at large. Uzbek terrorist leader Tahir Yuldash was reportedly wounded in the assault but escaped.

Sultan said the army had confirmed Abdullah's death through "independent intelligence sources" but would not say if it had his body. Abdullah is a common name in the Islamic world, and it was impossible to know which of many al-Qaida and other terror suspects Sultan might be referring to.

Sultan said that 63 militants were killed in the operation, and 167 arrested, including 73 foreigners. Security officials had said Uzbeks, Chechens and Arabs were among them.

He said 46 troops were killed and 26 injured.

Villagers have begun returning to their homes after seeking shelter in Wana and other villages during the operation, when thousands of Pakistani forces battled hundreds of foreign and local militants.

Some tribesmen demanded compensation Monday for property they said had been damaged and looted in the operation, Pakistan's biggest and bloodiest to flush out al-Qaida fugitives.

"I do not know whose rocket hit my house. I do not know who looted my home during the military operation, but I think the government is responsible for it," said Mohammed Alam, 43, a resident in the Azam Warsak area, which was a focus of the military operation.

Sultan said troops had only demolished the homes of tribesmen who sheltered terrorists, but conceded that some other houses could have come under attack. He denied the claims of looting.

While Pakistani troops have withdrawn from the target area of the operation, they have not pulled out of South Waziristan, which sits along the Afghan border. Sultan said some of the militants had "dispersed into smaller groups" and would not be allowed to regroup.

President Gen. Pervez Musharraf, a key ally of the United States, has sent 70,000 troops to the border with Afghanistan (news - web sites) since the Sept. 11 attacks to prevent cross-border attacks.

U.S. and Afghan forces have been deployed on the other side of the border as part of a new offensive against al-Qaida and Taliban forces there.

[jocko12]

AND 167 ARE STILL ALIVE.REMEMBER THEY WERE TRYING TO KILL YOU!!!!

[Velveeta]

Army spokesman Maj. Gen. Shaukat Sultan identified the intelligence chief only as Abdullah

Well, that narrows it down. /sarcasm

[EQAndyBuzz]

You live in Karachi? Hey, do you know Abdullah?

[Velveeta]

Sure I know Abdullah!

I also know his older brother Abdullah and his other brother Abdullah.

[Guillermo]

Do you think he could have a cousin named Mohammed?

[highlander_UW]

Sultan said troops had only demolished the homes of tribesmen who sheltered terrorists, but conceded that some other houses could have come under attack.

Are they following the Israeli model of destroying terrorist houses, or did they just happen to get destroyed because of the fighting I wonder?

[Cap Huff]

OK, I have seen that al-Qaeda financial expert Abdullah Ahmed Abdullah is supposed to be in Iran, but I wonder whether there is much chance that this is the "Mr. Abdullah" in question. If it were him, then this would indeed be a pretty big deal.

[Dog]

You just read my mind Cap.......if I had to guess it would be Abdullah Ahmed Abdullah.

[txhurl]

Sometimes it cracks me up to visualize AQ field thugs having to submit expense reports/justifications/requests for equipment to the AQ accountants. I imagine expense reports being returned for incorrect GL coding.

[Dog]

The Wana Operation is turning out to have been a pretty big deal.

[Cap Huff]

One of the top five or ten in the leadership! Hope it is the one.

[Dog]

Hey Cap.....remember the sixth man......the decomposed body....I guess they got the DNA back on it.

[Cap Huff]

Maybe that is the sixth man. Yes, despite the apparent flubs and miscalculations, it may be that quite a bit was accomplished. I cannot help but speculate that the bombings in Uzbekistan are linked to the possible serious wounding of Tahir Yuldashev.

In its own way, the Wana operation may be a sort of "Tet Offensive" in that the reality of the results are totally at odds with the perceived results. Two vastly different events, but the role of the media turning a victory into a defeat may be the key link.

[Mad_Tom_Rackham]

He meant to say "Abdullah Abdullah Achmed bin Abdullah al-binshilbesh Mohammad". I hope this clears things up.

[Dog]

I found out his name!!!!!!!!!

Afghan and Arab sources believe Mr. Abdullah's real name was Abdul Wahab, an Iraqi national. They say he was heading the network's operations in northern Afghanistan until the Taleban government in Kabul fell in 2001

The sources say the al-Qaida militant also participated in a major battle against the U.S.-led anti-terrorism forces two years ago in southeastern Afghanistan's Shahi Kot region.

There is no independent information immediately available about the al-Qaida spy and his name does not appear on a U.S. government list of top terror suspects.

[Dog]

You are not going to believe what I found......if this checks out it is a stunner.

Abdul Wahab

Habbush is one of 13Iraqis on the US most wanted list who have not been killed or captured. Finding him seems unlikely. It appears just as daunting to try to locate the science director, Abdul Wahab; as a senior Iraqi intelligence official he is probably also in hiding.

[Iberian]

Pajama patrol again?? The three stooges of Pakis intelligence are at it again. I don't believe anything those idiots say.

[Cap Huff]

The only thing I can say is that Abdul Wahab seems to be a fairly common Iraqi name. I did a search on the name and "Iraq" and came up with at least a few people with Iraq connections and that name. Nevertheless, the "intelligence" connection as well gives a name, nationality, and "profession" all as common. I hope it pans out.

[Cap Huff]

On more careful reading of the information, it would be nice to see this particular Abdul Wahab out of action, but the thought that the former science director of Saddam's Intelligence agency might have been hunkering down with AQ in Pakistan could lead to some horrible possibilities.