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Security leaks dog search for Bin Laden
nzherald.co.nz ^

Posted on 03/09/2003 3:14:04 PM PST by chance33_98



Security leaks dog search for Bin Laden

09.03.2003 3.00pm - By ANDREW GUMBEL Pakistani troops backed by experts from the US Central Intelligence Agency were reported to be stepping up the hunt for Osama bin Laden in an area of rugged mountains and desert at the junction of the Afghan, Iranian and Pakistani borders.

But the search, which has been in full swing since last week's arrest of Khalid Shaikh Mohammed, the man believed to be al-Qa'ida's operational commander, appears to have been hampered by security leaks, claims and counter-claims that have given the fugitives valuable clues about their pursuers' intentions and put considerable strain on US-Pakistani co-operation.

While some Pakistani security officials are giving journalists detailed reports about the manhunt, others are denying that it is happening at all. Pakistan's President, Pervez Musharraf, and the country's Information Minister, Rashid Ahmed, have insisted - somewhat implausibly - that Mr bin Laden cannot be in Pakistan.

The latest reports suggested that Pakistani ground forces, guided by helicopters, were scouring an area of roughly 150 square miles in the province of Baluchistan. According to Pakistani security officials, this area was indicated as a possible hiding place for Mr bin Laden's suspected No 2, Ayman al-Zawahiri, in letters and other documents found at the time of Mohammed's arrest.

An operation in the Ribat area of Baluchistan on Friday was said to have led to a firefight in which seven al-Qa'ida suspects were killed. One much-contested report suggested that the standoff led to the arrest of one or two of Mr bin Laden's sons - a story that the home minister for Baluchistan, Sanaullah Zehri, has stuck by, despite vehement denials from both Islamabad and Washington.

At issue are several competing, and contradictory, Pakistani priorities. Sensitive to the strong anti-American strain in Pakistani public opinion, President Musharraf has consistently sought to minimise the degree of US co-operation in the hunt for al-Qa'ida leaders. In return, US officials have generally been willing to understate their own role.

At the same time, elements in Pakistan's security apparatus with long-standing ties to the Taleban and al-Qa'ida, as well as links to Islamist political parties, have an interest in publicising counter- terrorist operations as loudly as possible so fugitives like Mr bin Laden and Mr al-Zawahiri have every chance to keep running.

Yesterday, Ahmed Abdul Qadoos, at whose house in Rawalpindi Mohammed was arrested, appeared in an anti-terrorist court and was remanded for three days. He is said to be a member of Pakistan's oldest and most organised religious group Jamaat-e-Islami, which is connected to Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence agency.

It was far from clear yesterday whether the story about Mr bin Laden's sons being arrested was an unsubstantiated rumour, a piece of deliberate disinformation designed to act as a tip-off, or a genuine report that the Americans are anxious to keep quiet until they have had a chance to exploit its intelligence value.

US officials are concerned that Mohammed's arrest might hasten plans already in the works to hit American targets at home or abroad - possibly coinciding with the anticipated onset of hostilities in Iraq. Since Mohammed's arrest in the unlikely surroundings of Rawalpindi - the headquarters of the Pakistani armed forces and the home of President Musharraf - there have been quiet grumblings from US intelligence officials about the apparent willingness of Pakistani officials to publicise their exploits.

Commenting on the immediate announcement of Mohammed's capture, one senior security official told the Washington Post: "It was somewhat confounding, frankly." From an intelligence point of view, it would have been much better to keep Mohammed's arrest secret until intelligence experts had had a chance to conduct an initial interrogation and go through the letters, address books and other documents found with him.

The security official quoted by the Post said there was some merit in the idea of announcing the arrest and then watching to see where Mr bin Laden might run to - to "flush the birds and see what flies".


TOPICS: Foreign Affairs; Miscellaneous; War on Terror
KEYWORDS: animalrightslist; dog; southasialist

1 posted on 03/09/2003 3:14:05 PM PST by chance33_98
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To: chance33_98; snopercod; mommadooo3
"Mr. bin Laden, please pick up the white phone at the nearest courtesy counter."
2 posted on 03/09/2003 3:17:17 PM PST by First_Salute
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To: chance33_98
Remember when Saddam banned dogs from Iraq? Also, the imams keep telling Muslims (especially Americans) that they should not own dogs because they "prevent angels from visiting". Hehe.
3 posted on 03/09/2003 3:19:02 PM PST by LurkedLongEnough
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To: jwalsh07; Inkie; rdb3; JavaTheHutt; packrat35; cake_crumb; Mad Dawgg; mafree; 11B3; OKSooner; ...
Nice story on a Sunday Ping
4 posted on 03/09/2003 3:19:14 PM PST by chance33_98 (Government cannot give freedom, it can only take it.)
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To: chance33_98
Ignore that last ping - was meant for War veteran gets diploma, thanks dog Thread :)
5 posted on 03/09/2003 3:20:59 PM PST by chance33_98 (Government cannot give freedom, it can only take it.)
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To: First_Salute
Woof. (sorry, couldn't resist)
6 posted on 03/09/2003 3:24:05 PM PST by mommadooo3
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To: First_Salute
Woof. (sorry, couldn't resist)
7 posted on 03/09/2003 3:24:21 PM PST by mommadooo3
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To: mommadooo3
Oh gee.
8 posted on 03/09/2003 3:25:01 PM PST by mommadooo3
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To: mommadooo3
So you're the one they talk about when they complain about duplicate postings ;)
9 posted on 03/09/2003 3:25:53 PM PST by chance33_98 (Government cannot give freedom, it can only take it.)
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To: chance33_98
More than a "nice story"....this story won't die.

I don't trust Pakistan and the ISI....notice who was harboring KSM....someone in a major Pakistani political party with ties to ISI.

President Musharraf has a stake in us not finding Bin Laden in his country imagine the riots if they were to catch him.....then turn him over to us.

IF we finally capture Bin Laden it will be in Afghanistan..

10 posted on 03/09/2003 3:26:56 PM PST by Dog (Courage is being scared to death... and saddling up anyway. ~John Wayne)
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Cue up Jane's Addiction...
11 posted on 03/09/2003 3:29:51 PM PST by Diddle E. Squat
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To: chance33_98
OK..OK..I'll crawl BACK under my computer chair! LOL.

I hit the post button, got a 'page cannot be displayed', went BACK to see if it DID go through, nope, no reply by momma, so I hit post button again.

What's the punishment???? Listening to an hour of lamestream alphabet news??? 1 minute of reading over at DU????

12 posted on 03/09/2003 3:30:35 PM PST by mommadooo3
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To: chance33_98
Whats that Lassie?
Osama fell down the well!
Tell someone who cares!
13 posted on 03/09/2003 3:34:59 PM PST by right way right (Pray for our Guys! and our President!)
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To: mommadooo3
1 minute of reading over at DU????

I read it daily - reminds me of the weekly world news, those people are great entertainment. Everytime I go there it makes me realize how smart I am.

14 posted on 03/09/2003 3:39:06 PM PST by chance33_98 (God gave man freedom, government took it away)
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To: *southasia_list
http://www.freerepublic.com/perl/bump-list
15 posted on 03/09/2003 3:41:12 PM PST by Libertarianize the GOP (Ideas have consequences)
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To: Dog
"IF we finally capture Bin Laden it will be in Afghanistan.."

Yup. Even if we have to drive him 200 miles out of Pakistan.

16 posted on 03/09/2003 3:41:21 PM PST by blam
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To: chance33_98
Geeesh! I mis-read the headline (Security leaks dog search) and thought you were posting another dog story! LOL.
17 posted on 03/09/2003 3:48:30 PM PST by afraidfortherepublic
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To: chance33_98
Realize how smart you are? REALIZE how smart you are?? Heck, you should ALREADY know how smart you are...but 'fess up. You go there just to feel like you're EINSTEIN, eh?

LOL, FRiend.

18 posted on 03/09/2003 3:50:50 PM PST by mommadooo3
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