Here's another interesting article re: The Cave of Darkness Scenario........snip
As for the attack itself, the references to weapons of mass destruction imply the use of biological, chemical, nuclear or radiological agents. Biological weaponry is very notoriously tricky to use — nobody even noticed the attacks attempted by the Japanese group Aum Shinrikyo in 1995 and 1996, and al Qaeda is unlikely to have been able to produce enough material or to have learned to disseminate an agent. Al Qaeda does have chemical weapons — footage of their tests on dogs, and classroom notes on how to make basic poison gases were recovered from training bases in Afghanistan. However, a successful mass attack requires tons and tons of material and al Qaeda would find it difficult to smuggle enough material into the U.S. to wipe out a village, let alone a major city. Perhaps a false-flagged ship or jetliner might be able to deliver an effective attack.
The threat of a nuclear bomb is real enough, making a bomb is no great trick if one has the kryton switches and weapons grade fissionable materials. Moreover, there may be a couple of warheads missing from old Soviet tactical stockpiles and some other inventories are not subject to much scrutiny.
What is most likely is a radiological bomb. This would consist of a large bomb made of conventional explosives lying at the core of a collection of non-fissionable radioactive materials. When the bomb goes off, all the radioactive material around it would be scattered — but not too far. This would be sufficient to lay down a dangerous concentration of material in the core of a city. The numbers of immediate casualties from such an attack might not be all that high, but there would be tens of thousands of people to evacuate (if not many more) and much panic both in the targeted city and throughout the Western World.
We may be fortunate and the higher level of vigilance may deter an attack in the coming weeks (not that this would stop al Qaeda from trying the same attack later). In the meantime we should do what all prudent military planners do: Plan for the worst and pray for the best.
http://www.torontofreepress.com/archives/2004/terror011204.htmThe spirit of Masoud lives on
by Judi McLeod
Some seven thousand miles away is a lonely grave on a hilltop in the Panjir Valley of Afghanistan.
It is the grave of Ahmad Shah Masoud, a genuine hero to those of many cultures, and forever the enemy to terrorist Osama bin Laden.
As a military commander, so legendary was his resistance to the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan, Ahmad Shah Masoud was dubbed for time immortal, "the Lion of the Panjir Valley".
The death of Masoud on September 10, 2001 was eclipsed by the world tragedy of the following day. But the death of this Afghan hero is considered a precursor to the cataclysmic attacks on the World Trade Centre and the Pentagon.
More of the story.......................
http://www.torontofreepress.com/editors_desk.htm