Posted on 10/16/2002 5:04:39 AM PDT by xzins
HOMELAND INSECURITY
New al-Qaida training tape shows another side of terror Captured video reveals plans for home break-ins, killing police, drive-bys, golf course assassinations
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Posted: September 4, 2002 1:00 a.m. Eastern
By Joseph Farah © 2002 WorldNetDaily.com
An al-Qaida training videotape, captured in Afghanistan, shows Osama bin Laden's terrorists are not only planning attacks with weapons of mass destruction but are preparing to kill Americans with drive-by shootings and home break-ins, through ambushes of law-enforcement officers and targeted assassinations on golf courses, WorldNetDaily has learned.
The videotape was produced, U.S. analysts believe, for al-Qaida's internal use and did not appear to be an external propaganda device.
U.S. intelligence considers the tape much more significant in what it reveals about al-Qaida's modus operandi than the highly publicized video purchased and broadcast last month by CNN. U.S. forces found a cache of 64 al-Qaida tapes while combing caves and hideouts in Afghanistan. Analysts were surprised by some of what they saw in the latest video and believe they employ terrorist tactics and techniques meant for export to America and other nations.
"None of these training scenarios depicts the type of fighting that al-Qaida engages in within Afghanistan," noted John Holschen of Insights Training Center, who produced a report on the tape for military and law enforcement officials.
The training video shows al-Qaida operatives practicing the following kinds of assaults:
using pickup trucks with shooters concealed in the bed of the trucks; using motorcycles as a shooting platform for drive-bys and assassinations; execution of prisoners; ambushes of law-enforcement officers; residential assassinations; assassination on a golf course using a rocket-propelled grenade and rifle fire; drive-up kidnapping of target walking on a street; use of tunnels, storm drains and sewers for infiltration during urban raids; rappelling from rooftops of buildings to make entry on upper floors; use of motorcycles for grenade attacks; and raids on buildings with large numbers of occupants – perhaps schools or office buildings. Analysts point out that all scenarios involving prisoners and hostages ended in execution. None included plans for negotiated settlements for escape by terrorists.
"They plan to kill the prisoners and die in place," wrote Holschen.
The "perfect day" as seen by al-Qaida would combine attacks designed to produce a maximum number of casualties with attacks that would give them the opportunity to get "face time" on the news channels to deliver their rhetoric, explained Holschen.
"The major take-home lesson here is that although the enemy is known to be seeking the ability and opportunity to use weapons of mass destruction and of an unconventional nature, such as hijacked airliners, they are also spending a lot of time training to carry out attacks the old-fashioned way – attacks executed by small groups of dedicated personnel equipped with little more than small arms," explained Holschen.
Hostages, prisoners and anyone else identified as a target or problem by al-Qaida terrorist operatives will be killed, say those who viewed the tape. There is no point in complying with orders, they say. Those who do not resist ultimately will be rewarded with ritual execution in front of television cameras, according to the tactics and techniques captured on this video.
In one scenario on the video, terrorists pretend to be stranded on a six-lane highway, their vehicle disabled. When a police officer stops to assist, the driver blows his horn. Another occupant of the vehicle opens fire on the police officer with a rifle. In other scenarios, shooters were concealed in the trunk of the car. When the terrorists were picked up by accomplices in a getaway car, the original vehicle was blown up, apparently to destroy evidence.
In another scenario, an innocuous-looking terrorist knocks on the door of a residence, standing in view of the resident and answering questions through a closed door. When the resident opens the door, the terrorist immediately draws his weapon and fires, emptying his weapon into the victim.
In the golf course assassination, the target was on the green, near the hole. A rocket-propelled grenade is fired at a vehicle adjacent to the green, perhaps a security detail. Then the target of the assassination is killed with rifle fire.
When asked if these techniques are intended for use in the U.S., one military intelligence operative said without hesitation, "Yes."
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Joseph Farah is editor and chief executive officer of WorldNetDaily.com.
Darn Straight!
When will the Police Authorities in the DC Area Tell the People The Truth?
Yes, have you noticed they pick areas with the strictest gun laws to terrorize?
They're too busy being Politically Correct!
If it really were a ME terrorist, wouldn't sniping a cop instill the most fear? Yes, it would....
It may or may not be a ME terrorist, but I am not going to jump to conclusions like most of this board has....just because there is a mosque nearby does not mean the sniper is a ME terrorist......
Moreover, this pattern does not fit anything that al Q has done....they are in for shock value and big head counts....
The jury is still out on this one, but sometimes the most obvious answer is the answer.
Also, based on where he was, he could very well have never seen the cop.
That is wrong. The mark of al-Q is the willingness to use NEW methodology so long as it WORKS. Our media was so kind as to carry the recent message that al-Q's leadership wants them to decentralize and focus on disruption, particularly of key economic areas.
They are not announcing their identity because to do so helps make the case for large-scale reprisal against ME supporting nations easier to sell to the American public.
It is clear that this guy is quite capable of head shots...
are armed,
Moot when there is a slug in your head...
have radio support,
Ditto
and perhaps because he didn't have a shot that he liked.
perhaps....
Can anyone imagine why law enforcement would "play down" the terrorist connection? Fear of mass hysteria? Political reasons?
Of course, you have "for sure" Islamic terrorists killing people at random in places like VA and pretty soon Mosques are going to start spontaneously combusting...
That's interesting. I'm thinking the Republicans are trying to keep i toff the pages as terrorism because it makes any action in Iraq absolutely idiotic if the U.S. government can't even contend with terrorists that are trained, financed, and operating within the United States.
Or maybe the shooter would have had to crawl over the passenger seat or go around to the passenger side to make the shot. I don't see any "respect" for anyone -- man, woman, or child.
The poor guy at the gas station was probably just an easier target.
You don't know how independent fighting cells operate, either. People are living in a state of denial -- These terrorists can operate within the United States with little or no support from the outside. Everything they need in terms of weapons, cash, intellilgence, etc. can be obtained right here in the U.S. without any assistance from the outside.
This, by the way, is exactly why groups that operate in Israel (Hamas, Hezbollah, etc.) have been very reluctant to do anything here in the U.S. They see this place as the Great Satan, but they also raise a sh!tload of money here. The Irish Republican Army is no different.
Was thinking along the same lines as you in regards to why he didn't take the policeman out.
I also like your last comments about not excluding the Al Qaeda.
For some, that may be true, and I don't think it constitutes firm proof that this is something planned by Al Qaeda. But, this type of evidence certainly is relevant to the issue of whether or not this may be terrorism, particularly because some have argued that the random killing of individual civilians isn't Al Qaeda's "style". This tape shows that it is one of their tactics, so they should not be excluded from consideration.
Has this video tape been posted here? Does anyone have a link?
Yes I do. I am a 20 year military retiree. Independent small unit operation has been US military policy for years.
Why do you think the Al-Q's clandestinely send some of their people into our military for training?
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