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FrontierPost.pk: Mulla Omar, two Osama sons arrested (here we go again)
The Frontier Post ^ | March 8, 2003 | Naveed Miraj

Posted on 03/08/2003 1:44:41 PM PST by mikegi

ISLAMABAD: The Taliban supreme leader Mulla Omar and two sons of Osama bin Laden were arrested in southeastern Afghanistan while intensified search continues for the most sought after man Osama Bin Laden in a joint operation involving US forces sources informed. The news of arrest of Osama’s two sons Saad, 23 years old and also bin Laden’s eldest son is also on the American most-wanted list and Hamza was disclosed by the Balochistan Home Minister Sanaullah Zehri in Quetta on Friday.

The al-Qaeda leader is believed to have up to 23 sons by several wives. The brothers were captured in the Rabat region in the extreme southwest of Afghanistan’s Nimroz province where the borders of Pakistan, Iran and Afghanistan meet, they added. Sources said that the joint forces were sure that they have captured an important Taliban figure Mulla Omar but his identity was yet to ascertained by the top intelligence high command in Pentagon.

The US forces were intensely searching for the bin Laden after the capture of his two sons and killing of his close confidants in the recent raid. The intensified search for Osama Bin Laden is focusing on areas bordering Pakistan and Afghanistan, where joint special forces are reported to have poured into the area bordering Afghanistan following fresh leads obtained from Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, the alleged al-Qaeda chief of operations who was arrested in Pakistan on Saturday.

Sources claimed that two US military aircraft with special forces on board were dropping leaflets reminding locals of the $ 25 million reward on Bin Laden’s head. American troops were also said to have stepped up patrols on the Afghan-Pakistan border. Bin Laden is believed to have escaped from Afghanistan’s mountain region of Tora Bora in December 2001, after surviving a massive US bombing campaign. The areas form a pro-Taliban heartland that holds great animosity towards the United States for ousting the regime in Afghanistan. The allied forces were quite active in search operations for the last two days sources said suggesting that the operation could well be the follow up of interrogations of Al-Qaeda suspect Sheikh Khalid Mohammed who may have leaked information about the whereabouts of the Bin Laden’s.


TOPICS: Foreign Affairs; Front Page News; News/Current Events; War on Terror
KEYWORDS: alqaeda; binladen; oblsons
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Even though the Frontier Post aspires to debka.com's level of credibility (/sarcarsm), I thought I'd post this story. They are well known for exaggerating and this appears to be more of the same. They've spiced up yesterday's news with the claim that Mullah Omar was captured, too.
1 posted on 03/08/2003 1:44:41 PM PST by mikegi
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To: mikegi
Actually, the Frontier Post is the most credible of all Pakistan's rags.
2 posted on 03/08/2003 2:03:22 PM PST by John Valentine (Writing from downtown Seoul, keeping an eye on the hills to the north.)
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To: mikegi
Mike don't totally discount this article. I have been on some Pakistani news sites today and there are raids taking place all over the NWFP.

Mansoor Ijez was on Fox earlier saying he has a source in Pakistan who say's that we got Saad Laden..

3 posted on 03/08/2003 2:04:34 PM PST by Dog (Courage is being scared to death... and saddling up anyway. ~John Wayne)
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To: mikegi
March 8, 2003 issue of PakToday.com - PAKISTAN TODAY:

"Two of Osama bin Laden's Sons Reportedly Captured in Afghanistan


By: Kathy Gannon
ISLAMABAD: (AP) A top Pakistani provincial police official said Friday that a U.S.-led raid in southwestern Afghanistan killed seven al-Qaida men and wounded eight others — including two sons of Osama bin Laden. U.S. officials disputed the report. Sanaullah Zehri, home minister of Baluchistan province and the region's top security official, said the allied raid occurred near Rabat, an area where the borders of Iran, Pakistan and Afghanistan converge.

He said on Pakistani television and told The Associated Press that bin Laden's sons Saad and Hamza were captured and were in the hospital in Rabat being treated for wounds. After reports of the raid were challenged by U.S., Afghan and Pakistani officials, Zehri told AP, "I am getting my information from my sources and this is what I have heard." Zehri, who spoke by telephone from Quetta, the Baluchistan provincial capital, said no Pakistani forces were involved in the raid.

White House spokesman Ari Fleischer played down the claims, saying: "We have no information to substantiate that report." Col. Roger King, a U.S. military spokesman at Bagram Air Base, said he could not confirm reports about bin Laden's sons and denied U.S. and other coalition forces were involved in any operation in Rabat. "As far as I know there is no involvement of any forces belonging to CJTF-180," King told AP. "As far as I know we don't have anybody operating in that vicinity." CJTF-180 is the military acronym for coalition joint forces in Afghanistan.

In Washington, U.S. counterterrorism officials strongly disputed the reports. They said they had no information to suggest the sons had been detained. Afghanistan's Interior Ministry spokesman, Mohammed Daoud, said he was unaware of a Rabat operation. "We have no information on this," he said in the Afghan capital, Kabul.

However, Nafaas Khan, deputy inspector of police in Afghanistan's Nimroz province where Rabat is located, said U.S. helicopters were seen over the town Friday. He said he had no information about bin Laden's sons. Pakistani journalists who tried to get to Rabat on Friday were stopped by Pakistani security officers at Noshgi, about 240 miles from Rabat. One Pakistani journalist quoted an Afghan security official just returned from Rabat as confirming that Saad bin Laden had been caught up in the operation, but said he had no information about a second son.

Zehri said the Baluchistan provincial government sealed its borders with Afghanistan to prevent al-Qaida members escaping into Pakistan. Searches for Osama bin Laden and other al-Qaida operatives have intensified since the capture last weekend of Khalid Shaikh Mohammed, the suspected No. 3 man in al-Qaida and planner of the Sept. 11 attacks. Pakistani intelligence and security officials say joint U.S. and Pakistani forces have been scouring Baluchistan province, chasing down leads from Mohammed. There were also reports of search missions being conducted in northwestern Pakistan on the border with Afghanistan to flush out al-Qaida.

Saad bin Laden, believed to be 23 years old and Osama bin Laden's eldest son, is also on the American most-wanted list and has been called a rising star in the terror network. Osama bin Laden is believed to have as many as 23 sons by several wives."

http://www.paktoday.com


4 posted on 03/08/2003 2:04:54 PM PST by Cindy
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To: Ernest_at_the_Beach; blam; Angelus Errare; Oldeconomybuyer; Grampa Dave; Miss Marple; ...
fyi....
5 posted on 03/08/2003 2:08:17 PM PST by Dog (Courage is being scared to death... and saddling up anyway. ~John Wayne)
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To: Dog
I saw the always-credible Ijaz too, on Fox this afternoon. Ya gotta think we have Saad or someone way up there. Really odd that this story won't die, despite all the denials.

Is Saad the one who is married to the daughter of scumbag Mohommed Atef?

6 posted on 03/08/2003 2:09:04 PM PST by Land_of_Lincoln_John
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To: mikegi
The al-Qaeda leader is believed to have up to 23 sons by several wives.

Which is another reason he is known as "f***ing Usama."

7 posted on 03/08/2003 2:11:53 PM PST by TruthShallSetYouFree
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To: Land_of_Lincoln_John
I think he is...

But the funny thing is .......no one is denying the story.....they just can't confirm it.

This all comes down to Mushraeff(sp) said Bin Laden isn't in Pakistan..... will one of his General's make him into a liar..

8 posted on 03/08/2003 2:12:31 PM PST by Dog (Courage is being scared to death... and saddling up anyway. ~John Wayne)
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To: John Valentine

I always thought that the Frontier Post was one of Pakistan's less reputable dailies.

Be Seeing You,

Chris

9 posted on 03/08/2003 2:14:15 PM PST by section9 (The girl in the picture is Major Motoko Kusanagi from "Ghost In the Shell".)
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To: Land_of_Lincoln_John
odd that the story won't die

My read is that we have some folks captured who may be or probably are some "big fish" but their identity has not been confirmed with DNA tests or other definitive evidence.

Presumably our team dosen't want to claim victory until they are sure they have the right guys.
10 posted on 03/08/2003 2:14:41 PM PST by cgbg (Omar should not be questioned. He should be tortured just to hear him scream.)
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To: Dog
One of two things dog,either we don't want three dead martyrs or we don't want to pay 75 M $ to someone that might funnel that money right back to quida.Something is going on alright,we will just have to wait and see./
11 posted on 03/08/2003 2:15:47 PM PST by eastforker
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To: mikegi
If there is confirmation on any of these arrests let me know, I would love to update the scorecard with these guys.

Updated 03/08/03:
 

Its the Terrorist Scumbag Scorecard
Name Function Status
 
SHURA MAJLIS     
These are the first-tier guys and the actual members of al-Qaeda's board of directors. Any one of them is a possible successor to Osama bin Laden. 
Osama bin Laden Emir-General  Possibly killed at Tora Bora in Dec. 2001, now believed to be at large 
Ayman al-Zawahiri  Second-in-Command/Egyptian Islamic Jihad Emir  At Large
Mohammed Atef  Supreme Military Commander  Dead
Abu Zubaydah  Global Operations Chief  Apprehended 
Rifa Ahmed Taha  Gamaa al-Islamiyyah Secretary-General  At Large
Thirwat Salah Shirhata  Egyptian Islamic Jihad Deputy Emir  At Large
Abd al-Rahim al-Nashiri  Middle East Operations Chief  Apprehended 
Abu Musab Zarqawi  Former Southeast Asian Operations Chief, currently Global Operations Chief  At Large
Abu Zubair al-Haili  North African Operations Chief  Apprehended
Tawfiq Attash Khallad  Leader of USS Cole Operation At Large
Omar Al-Farouq South Asian Operations Chief  Apprehended
Abu Mohammed al-Masri * East African Operations Chief  At Large
Zaid Khayr  Operations Chief At Large
Mohammed Salah  Senior Explosive Expert, Central African Operations Chief  Dead
Tariq Anwar al-Sayyid Ahmad  Balkans Operations Chief  Dead 
Saif al-Adel  Former second-in-command of al-Qaeda's military, currently Supreme Military Commander At Large
Amin al-Haq  Shura Majlis Security Chief  At Large
Abu Hafs the Mauritanian (aka "Mr. Mauritania")  Theologian Formerly believed dead, now believed to be at large 
 
TERRORIST TRAINING CAMP COMMANDERS  
These are the guys who supervise the training, indoctrination, and assignment of al-Qaeda operatives worldwide. They also seperate all recruits into four categories: mujahideen (foot soldiers), shahideen (suicide bombers), takfiri (sleepers), and ansar (support personnel). Each category has its own version of the "Afghan Guide to Jihad," al-Qaeda's training manual (all four versions combined are roughly 3,000 pages in length) that provides instruction to recruits for just about any situation imaginable. 
Sheikh Ibn al-Liby  Terrorist Training Camp Commander  Apprehended
Abd al-Hadi al-Iraqi  Terrorist Training Camp Commander  Apprehended 
Omar Bandon Terrorist Training Camp Commander  At Large
 
THE FINANCIAL COMMITTEE    
This is the committee that oversees al-Qaeda's legitimate and illegitimate businesses, charities, drug smuggling, ect. The top ten al-Qaeda donors have all been named by both the UN and the families of 9/11 victims as being the major financiers of al-Qaeda and remain at large
Sheikh Saeed (Mustafa Ahmed al-Hisawi?)  Head of the Financial Committee  Apprehended 
Mohammed Jamal Khalifa  Financier and envoy to the Saudi Bin Laden Group At Large
Abu Jafar al-Jaziri  Financier Dead 
Abu Salah al-Yemeni  Financier Dead 
Abdul Rahim Riyadh  Financier Apprehended 
Ahmed Saeed al-Kadr  Financier  At Large
Saad al-Sharif  Financier / OBL's Brother in Law At Large
Hamza al-Qatari  Financier  Dead 
 
MEDIA COMMITTEE    
This the group that manages and updates the websites, oversees the E-Jihad, and is responsible for all statements by the al-Qaeda leadership. Not a lot of declassified info on this one as far as names go.
Suleiman Abu Ghaith Spokesman  At Large
Sheikh Abu Hamza al-Masri  Spokesman/Recruiter  At Large
Sheikh Omar al-Bakri  Spokesman  At Large
Sheikh Abu Qatada al-Philisteeni  Spokesman Apprehended 
 
WMD COMMITTEE     
Al-Qaeda employs a number of Muslim scientists of various nationalities to assist it in procuring as well as manufacturing the necessary materials to create chemical, biological, radiological, or nuclear weapons. 
Midhat Mursi  Top scientist for nuclear weapons research  At Large
Abu Khabab  Biological and chemical weapons expert  At Large
Assadalah Abdul Rahman  Weapons of Mass Destruction Chief  At Large
Abu Bashir al-Yemeni  Unknown At Large
 
MILITARY COMMITTEE     
These are the definite guys to watch out for. Most have a great deal of combat experience either from serving in Arab militaries or else from fighting in Sudan, Bosnia, Kosovo, Chechnya, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Azerbaijan, Indonesia, or the Philippines. 
Khalid Sheikh Mohammed Martyrdom Battalion Commander-in-Chief  Apprehended 
Abd al-Aziz al-Jamal  Unknown - Thought to be Atef's Successor At Large 
Bilal bin Marwan  Arabian Sea Commander-in-Chief  At Large 
Qaed Salim Sinan al-Harethi  Yemen Commander-in-Chief  Dead 
Mohsen al-Fadli  Kuwait Commander-in-Chief  Apprehended 
Essid Sami ben Khemais Southern Europe Commander-in-Chief  Apprehended 
Saqar al-Jadawi  Unknown At Large
Mohammed Omar Abdel Rahman Military Commander  Apprehended 
Ahmed Omar Abdel Rahman  Military Commander  Apprehended 
Abu Walid  Military Commander  At Large 
Abdel Hari al-Iraqi  Afghanistan Commander-in-Chief  At Large 
Abu Leith al-Lybi  Algeria/Libya Commander-in-Chief  At Large 
Shamil Basayev  Chechnya Commander-in-Chief  At Large
Amir ibn al-Khattab  Dagestan Commander-in-Chief  Dead 
Hanbali  Indonesia Commander-in-Chief  At Large
Imam Samudra  Java Commander-in-Chief  Apprehended 
Mas Selamat Kastari  Singapore Commander-in-Chief  Apprehended
Others    
 These are non-leader Al Qaeda members who are on the FBI most wanted list or have, in some way, come to attention.. 
Mullah Omar Supreme Leader of the Taliban At Large 
Abdullah Ahmed Abdullah  African Embassy Bomber At Large
Sheik Mohammed Al Hasan Al-Moayad Financier / Cleric Apprehended
Mohammed Mohsen Yahya Zayed Financier / Cleric Apprehended
Abdelkarim Hussein Mohamed Al-Nasser Khobar Towers Bomber At Large
Muhsin Musa Matwalli Atwah African Embassy Bomber At Large
Ali Atwa Flight 847 (Lebanon) Hijacker At Large
Hasan Izz-Al-Din Flight 847 (Lebanon) Hijacker At Large
Anas Al-Liby African Embassy Bomber At Large
Ahmed Khalfan Ghailani African Embassy Bomber At Large
Ahmed Mohammed Hamed Ali African Embassy Bomber At Large
Fazul Abdullah Mohammed African Embassy Bomber At Large
Imad Fayez Mugniyah Flight 847 (Lebanon) Hijacker At Large
Mustafa Mohamed Fadhil African Embassy Bomber At Large
Sheikh Ahmed Salim Swedan African Embassy Bomber At Large
Abdul Rahman Yasin** 1993 WTC Bombing At Large
Fahid Mohammed Ally Msalam African Embassy Bomber At Large
Ahmad Ibrahim Al-Mughassil Khobar Towers Bomber At Large
Muhammad Atef African Embassy Bomber At Large
Ali Saed Bin Ali El-Hoorie Khobar Towers Bomber At Large
Saif Al-Adel African Embassy Bomber At Large
Ibrahim Salih Mohammed Al-Yacoub African Embassy Bomber At Large
Ramzi bin Al-Shibh Planner and Organizer of Sept. 11 attacks Apprehended
Zacarias Moussaoui September 11 Conspirator Apprehended
Saad bin Laden Spawn of Satan Believed to be Apprehended
Hamza bin Laden Spawn of Satan Believed to be Apprehended
Zakariya Essabar September 11 Cell Member  in Hamburg w/Atta At Large
Said Bahaji September 11 Cell Member  in Hamburg w/Atta At Large
Mujib Susukan Abu Sayyaf Commander  Dead 
     
*Note: There has been some contradictory information as to the status of this individual. Abu Mohammed al-Masri is a nom de guerre, hence one should not confuse him with the al-Qaeda functionary of the same name who was recently killed in Algeria working with the GSPC. Mossad reportedly had intelligence that al-Masri might have been one of the suicide bombers involved in the al-Qaeda attack in Mombasa, but near as I can tell the findings were not corroborated

**Currently "at large" because he was released by the Clinton Justice Department after "cooperating" in the investigation of the 1993 World Trade Center bombing. It turns out that he was actually an Iraqi intelligence agent, and is believed to have fled to Baghdad. 

A Freeper Production-SV

12 posted on 03/08/2003 2:25:47 PM PST by Straight Vermonter (http://www.angelfire.com/ultra/terroristscorecard/index.html)
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To: section9
SOMETHING must be up... probably NOT what we are told has happened... but something useful perhaps.
13 posted on 03/08/2003 2:36:52 PM PST by Robert_Paulson2
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To: mikegi
Wow would that be something getting one eyed Omar.
14 posted on 03/08/2003 2:39:56 PM PST by mware
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To: mikegi
My impression is that the USA is very unhappy about this information getting out to the public YET!!
15 posted on 03/08/2003 2:44:08 PM PST by CyberAnt ( -> -> -> Oswego!!)
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To: mikegi; Dog
If true, this is hugh...
16 posted on 03/08/2003 2:49:22 PM PST by Oldeconomybuyer (Let's Roll)
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To: Oldeconomybuyer
This story will not die will it??
17 posted on 03/08/2003 2:51:07 PM PST by Dog (Courage is being scared to death... and saddling up anyway. ~John Wayne)
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To: mware
getting one eyed Omar.

Is it like holding a one eyed Jack??

:-)

18 posted on 03/08/2003 2:52:18 PM PST by Dog (Courage is being scared to death... and saddling up anyway. ~John Wayne)
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To: mware
getting one eyed Omar.

Is it like holding a one eyed Jack??

:-)

19 posted on 03/08/2003 2:53:10 PM PST by Dog (Courage is being scared to death... and saddling up anyway. ~John Wayne)
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To: eastforker
Thinking of a high-profile, reciprocal 'snatching'?

That was the first thing that popped into my mind, regarding the denials of their identity. Very dangerous to have person(s) like these alive and in custody.

20 posted on 03/08/2003 3:02:33 PM PST by thescourged1
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