Captured al-Qaeda leader reveals bin Laden ties to Pakistan, Saudi Arabia .

AFP via Yahoo. ^ | Aug 31, 2003 | Not Specified

[Qaz_W]

NEW YORK (AFP) - A top aide to Osama bin Laden (news - web sites) told CIA (news - web sites) agents in a drug-induced confession about secret connections between the al-Qaeda leader and top officials in Saudi Arabia and Pakistan, according to a new book.

Excerpts from the book published in Time magazine reveal that Abu Zubaydah, captured last year in Pakistan, told US interrogators that longtime Saudi intelligence chief Prince Turki al-Faisal bin Abdul Aziz had secretly agreed to pay bin Laden as long as al-Qaeda refrained from promoting its political aims in the kingdom.

He also said that high-ranking Pakistani air force officer Mushaf Ali Mir had agreed to provide al-Qaeda with protection, arms and supplies, Gerald Posner wrote in his new book "Why America Slept."

[Qaz_W]

Mushaf Ali Mir went on to become the head of Pakistan's Air Force.

"Died" early this year in an air crash. The crash did create a few ripples with some dark hints that he was removed.

[BigAndy]

So we are allies with Saudi Arabia and Pakistan who are both mentioned as having links to Al-Qaeda, but we are at war with Iraq who are not mentioned as having links to Al-Qaeda.

Two questions: First: would this guy know if there were links between Al-Qaeda and Hussein/Iraq - if so, why didn't he mention them? Second: does this mean we need to go to war with Saudi Arabia and Pakistan? (Both ruled by unelected despots who kill and torture their own people; Pakistan HAS WMD's; both have established links with terror organisations).

[TrebleRebel]

Another DUH

[Russian Sage]

...chief Prince Turki al-Faisal bin Abdul Aziz had secretly agreed to pay bin Laden as long as al-Qaeda refrained from promoting its political aims in the kingdom.

So, did the Saudi's stop paying before or after the recent attacks there.

Please, just don't tell me they're still paying

[STD]

Prince Turki is also the target of the big Saudi lawsuit. Apparently the families of the 9-11 victims families have connected the financial dots between Prince Turki and UBL. Now this is independant confirmation of the Turki-UBL relationship.

Priceless!

[happygrl]

Turki is also alive and well in Britian as Saudi ambassador.

Good question RS; there must be some reason why Al Qaeda has turned on SA.

Now, are we supposed to figure out if there are "good" Saudis and "bad" Saudis or just make the presumption that none of them are worth a glass of warm spit.

I vote for the latter.

[csvset]

Thanks for the background on Mushaf Ali Mir.

Pak. Air Force chief killed in plane crash

By B. Muralidhar Reddy

Mushaf Ali Mir

ISLAMABAD Feb. 20. Pakistan's Air Chief, Mushaf Ali Mir, along with 16 others, including his wife and two Air Vice-Marshals, died this morning as the Fokker plane in which they were travelling crashed in the low hills, near Kohat, in the North Western Frontier Province (NWFP).

A spokesperson of the Pakistan Air Force who gave details of the tragic incident at a special news conference at the Chaklala military airbase, on the outskirts of the national capital, maintained that PAF would neither rule in nor rule out any cause for the accident.

To questions on what could have led to the tragedy, he repeatedly appealed to the media not to speculate and wait for the outcome of the report of a high-level inquiry ordered by the PAF. ``Be assured the inquiry would not leave out any angle in the investigation,'' he said.

As per the official details, the PAF chief was heading towards the city of Kohat in the north western frontier province along with senior officers in a Fokker-27 aircraft for annual inspection of the military air base there. The aircraft took off from the Chaklala military airbase at 8 a.m. and lost contact with the Kohat control tower air base around 8.27 a.m., minutes before it was to land.

The last contact between the Kohat control tower and the crew of the aircraft was when the later sought clearance to descend. Rescue operations were initiated instantaneously but no one aboard survived.

The PAF spokesperson was emphatic that the aircraft, which was part of the PAF VVIP Squadron, was certified as ``flightworthy'' and was technically cleared before it took off in the morning.

The spokesperson emphasised that there was nothing unusual for so many senior officers to accompany the Air Chief as he was going for an inspection.

There is little doubt that the death of Air-Marshal, Ali Mir, and two Air Vice-Marshals, along with seven other senior officers and technicians, is a major loss for Pakistan. While there have been a number of accidents involving PAF aircraft, it is for the first time in Pakistan's history that its Air Chief is a victim. In a statement, the PAF said the wreckage had been found 27 km west of Kohat. It is said the plane crashed in the Tolanj Mountains due to bad weather. However, the PAF statement said the cause was yet not confirmed.

The Pakistan President, Pervez Musharraf and the Prime Minister, Mir Zafarullah Khan Jamali, expressed shock over the incident. Gen. Musharraf appointed Air Marshal Syed Qaiser Hussain as the Acting Air Chief.

[varon]

Second: does this mean we need to go to war with Saudi Arabia and Pakistan? (Both ruled by unelected despots who kill and torture their own people; Pakistan HAS WMD's; both have established links with terror organisations).

No, because to do so would make too much sense.

[DoctorMichael]

......Saudi intelligence chief Prince Turki al-Faisal bin Abdul Aziz had secretly agreed to pay bin Laden as long as al-Qaeda refrained from promoting its political aims in the kingdom......

The article verifies and and attaches a specific Saudi government Official's name to what has been claimed and whispered about for some time. Bump.

[Poincare]

Second: does this mean we need to go to war with Saudi Arabia and Pakistan? (Both ruled by unelected despots who kill and torture their own people; Pakistan HAS WMD's; both have established links with terror organisations).

Have patience. Iraq figures in the strategic overview. When you play chess there are other things than attacking the king. Position.

[Valin]

Excerpts from the book published in Time magazine reveal that Abu Zubaydah, captured last year in Pakistan, told US interrogators that longtime Saudi intelligence chief Prince Turki al-Faisal bin Abdul Aziz had secretly agreed to pay bin Laden as long as al-Qaeda refrained from promoting its political aims in the kingdom.

SHOCKING!! You could knock me over with a feather.
But..But I saw an ad on TV telling me our good friends the Saudis are doing everything they can to help us fight the war on terror! They would lie about this..would they.
(reinserting head)

[Valin]

Second: does this mean we need to go to war with Saudi Arabia and Pakistan? (Both ruled by unelected despots who kill and torture their own people; Pakistan HAS WMD's; both have established links with terror organisations).

If by war you mean invading Saudi Arabia I doubt that will happen. For geo-political reasons that should be fairly obvious. IMO(freely given and worth just about that much) what will/is happening is the President will have a looong heart to heart "chat" with our good friends tha saudis just how things now stand and what we exprct them to do. One of the reasons we are in Iraq is to put pressure on all these goverments in the are. It's not an accident that President Bush choose Iraq to invavde instead of (say) Syria.

As to Pakistan, yes Musharraf is a castiron grade-A SOB, but he's OUR castiron grade-A SOB. And he is attempting to do all he can to rein in the radicals in his goverment. He's alreaddy purged many of the radicals from the ISI(security service). Like Iraq Pakistan is an artificial country and Musharraf really dosen't have strong control of large parts of the country. So unless he gets ousted(something that could very well happen) we won't be invading Pakistan anytime soon.

Hope this helps.

[swarthyguy]

And James Baker's law firm is defending the Saudis against the lawsuit brought by the victims families.

Not very nice.

[BigAndy]

It sort of makes the argument about invading Iraq because they were a terrorist threat a bit nonsensical really, when the real terrorist sponsors are left alone (in fact, supported).

So what was the real reason for invading Iraq?

[swarthyguy]

Pooper Scooper International Relations. The mess, left over from 91 had to be cleaned up.

Secure Base in MidEast. Become flypaper for jihadis.

Secure Non Opec oil source.

Deflect (Delay?) attention from Pakistani and Saudi culpability in 9.11.

[manic4organic]

It sort of makes the argument about invading Iraq because they were a terrorist threat a bit nonsensical really, when the real terrorist sponsors are left alone (in fact, supported).

So what was the real reason for invading Iraq?

14 posted on 09/02/2003 4:08 PM PDT by BigAndy

(member since 8/31/03)

[BigAndy]

And your point is?

[BigAndy]

OK - but not because Iraq was sponsoring terrorism/linked to terrorist organisations/linked to Al-Qaeda?

Or not just becaue of those...

[Bayou City]

Bump for later.

[Cronos]

Captured al-Qaeda leader reveals bin Laden ties to Pakistan, Saudi Arabia .

oooh, like I'm SOOOOO surprised.