Posted on 01/01/2006 6:41:58 PM PST by DAVEY CROCKETT
Weapons of Disruption
C 2006 Frederick J. Cowie, Ph.D.
Whereas we have no masses, it certainly would be seriously challenging to deliver a "weapon of mass destruction" in the vast majority of geographical areas in the American West, as well as in many areas in the East and South. For instance, Montana is approximately the size of Germany, yet the population hovers only around a million (we have one representative in the House). There is no "metropolitan" area anywhere around, though Spokane is about three hundred miles away. Wyoming has more sheep than people. Utah has Salt Lake City and a few nearby populous areas. Nevada has two populated regional areas, Las Vegas and Reno. North and South Dakota have, well, a few folks here and there. Idaho folks are few and far between. I swear you can drive from San Antonio to El Paso without seeing a city policeman, because I've done it several times. Then there are Arizona, New Mexico, eastern California, inter alia. The point is we have a few population points, while the rest of the states are empty excepted for isolated small communities.Thus, out West we probably need to talk more about "weapons of disruption." (Some folks say "weapons of mass disruption," but we have no masses!)
You must ask yourself: What would I do if I were a terrorist (or a terrorism preparedness instructor) looking into the ramifications of launching a rural terrorism attack? Personally, I would concentrate on considering the consequences of disruption rather than mass destruction. Here are a few scenarios you might want consider when your local rural emergency management/response group gathers to discuss terrorism exercises.
1) Wildland Fire Incidents: Incendiary (mostly wildland) warfare has been used by military strategists for at least 2500 years, over a thousand years before the use of gunpowder. The western U.S. is disrupted, seriously disrupted, every year by wildland fires. Quite a few are started by humans, accidentally and purposefully. Starting dozens of major fires in a dozen western states could be a brilliant line of attack if militants wished to disrupt America. Thousands of security personnel could do nothing and the perpetrator/s would probably never be implicated, much less captured. Are you prepared?
2) Railroad Chemical Incidents: Many railroad main lines go through tunnels. A few strategically placed armor-piercing shells in a series of chlorine cars, along with appropriately staged derailments leaving the leaking cars in the tunnels, could shut down many main line routes in the West. Spin-off scenarios are numerous. Ready?
3) Flammable Liquid Incidents: Bridges are not easily brought down from below and approaches to bridge support structures are often highly visible and randomly monitored. However, on CNN we all have seen many tanker truck accidents involving burning hydrocarbons which have made bridge structures unusable. How hard would it be to have a few terrorists steal trucks and drive them (as opposed to hijacking planes and flying them) to strategic bridges over wide rivers or narrow gorges, ignite the gasoline (or diesel or crude), block the approaches with other incendiary or chemical releases, and make the structures extremely dangerous and impassible to highway traffic? Gotcha!
There are many variations of these themes. You probably have or can make up many more plausible, novel, and easily implemented rural-specific attack scenarios. Design exercises around them. If you want to stop terrorist events you must think like a terrorist and quit fighting last year's war!
Peace, thanks, Fred
Please check out my website at fredcowie.com
To find recent presentations, Google (with quotation marks) "Fred Cowie"
Frederick J. (Fred) Cowie, Ph.D. E-mail: fredcowie@aol.com Phone: (24 hr cell) 406-431-3531 Website: fredcowie.com
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1568236/posts
Bin Laden CDs found at mosques (Cultural
awareness training materials I'm sure)
News24 (South Africa) ^ | 30 January 2006 | News24
Posted on 01/30/2006 4:02:39 PM MST by Cornpone
London - Compact discs containing speeches by Osama bin Laden and
other extremist propaganda have been found at three British mosques
and police said on Monday they had launched a hunt for the man seen
dropping delivering them.
"It's disturbing and offensive material," a West Yorkshire police
spokesperson said of the discs, describing them as containing
"propaganda-type footage. But it doesn't look as if it's new material".
The spokesperson, speaking on customary condition of anonymity,
said much of the footage on the discs, including older speeches by
al-Qaeda leader bin Laden, appeared to have been downloaded from
the internet and then copied onto VCDs, which are similar to DVDs.
The discs, entitled The Eid Message, were first discovered at mosques
in Leeds and Dewsbury in November.
But on Monday, police released closed-circuit television footage of a
man seen leaving them in the foyer of the Leeds mosque.
Granny's added note:
Eid 2006, says there is an Electronic show in Birmingham on February 15 & 16th, 2006...........
http://www.google.com/search?client=googlet&q=Eid%202006
Thank you Laura.
I am reposting the 1-27-06 Zawahiri, with todays tape.
There is a photo of Jill on Laura's site.
granny......
http://www.lauramansfield.com/j/default.asp
30 January 2006: American hostage Jill Carroll in
tears in new video on Al Jazeera
A silent video aired earlier this afternoon on Al
Jazeera showed a sobbing Jill Carroll, wearing a head
scarf. (Al Jazeera says their policy is to not air the
audio of videos such as this because they are
upsetting to viewers.)
Al Jazeera's announcer said that Carroll asked the US
military and the Iraqi Ministry of Interior to release all
female hostages. According the the announcer, this
would help win Carroll's freedom.
Carroll, a freelance reporter for the Chrstian Science
Monitor, was kipnapped January 7 in Baghdad.
30 January 2006: Zawahiri: alive and making threats!
by Laura Mansfield
A new video taped message from Al Qaeda second in
command Dr. Ayman Al Zawahiri released on Al
Jazeera TV indicates that the terror leader was NOT
killed in the US air strike on Damdoula.
The portions of the tape which have been released to
date do not mention the HAMAS victory in Palestine.
This omission indicates that the tape was probably
made before last week's elections which brought the
Islamist terror group to power in Gaza.
This videotape directly references the Bin Laden audio
message of eleven days ago.
Zawahiri states:
The lion of Islam, our Sheikh Osama
bin Laden, may Allah protect him, have
given you an honorable way out of this
problem, but your leaders who are only
interested in getting richer, are
determined to take you into battle, kill
your sons in Iraq and Afghanistan and,
Allah willing in your own lands.
This quote appears to reference Bin Laden's offer to
consider a truce should we propose one.
It appears that Zawahiri is making clear that in
accordance with Islamic law, we have been warned and
have been given an opportunity to "change our ways",
and have refused.
Under the brand of Islamic law that Zawahiri practices,
Al Qaeda has now met all of its obligations. It will very
likely proceed with an attack.
The day, time, and method of attack are of their
chosing; but it is obvious that it is their declared
intent to attack the United States once again in our
homeland.
27 January 2006: Zawahiri: Dead or Alive. An analysis
of last weekend's tape
by Laura Mansfield
Was last weekend’s audiotape of Al Qaeda second in
command Dr. Ayman al Zawahiri, a quiet
announcement of the terror leader’s death a week
before in a US air strike in the Pakistani tribal town of
Damadoula?
Initial reports indicated Zawahiri had been killed in the
strike; later reports claimed that he had in fact
skipped the dinner invitation, but that his son-in-law
had been killed instead.
However, two weeks after the strike, the circumstances
still suggest that either Zawahiri was killed in the
strike, or that at the very least there are those high
up in the Al Qaeda echelon who as of last weekend
believed he was dead.
In the days following the air strike, news emerged
that the bodies of five of the alleged Al Qaeda
mujahideen who were killed were hastily buried; the
locations of two of those bodies remain unknown. It is
widely speculated that those bodies were removed
and secreted away in an effort to prevent the
Pakistanis and Americans from conducting DNA tests
in an effort to identify those who died.
Within hours of the initial reports speculating that
Zawahiri was killed, a message denying the death of
Zawahiri appeared on an Arabic language forum where
Al Qaeda and their sympathizers frequently post.
Then last weekend, a 17 minute audio tape was
posted, which contained Zawahiri reading a poem by
an Al Qaeda member-turned-poet, commenting on
the deaths of two former members of the Al Qaeda
leadership team, including Abu Hafs al Masri, who was
killed in a US air strike in 2001.
Many analysts have speculated that this audiotape
was released to show that Zawahiri is alive and well.
But a different conclusion is also justified. I'm going
to play devil's advocate here for a few minutes and
take a serious look at another possible interpretation.
It is equally valid to suggest that this message is
confirmation of the death of Zawahiri.
Some analysts have postulated that the death of a
high level Al Qaeda leader such as Bin Laden or
Zawahiri would be recognized in much the same way
as that of Al Qaeda Saudi Arabia leader Abu Hajar al
Muqrin, who was killed in a shootout with Saudi
officials shortly after the murder of American hostage
Paul Johnson.
However, in that case, there was a reasonably intact
body to photograph.
In the case of Abu Hafs al Masri, who was widely
considered to be Al Qaeda third in command, and who
was killed in a US air strike in Afghanistan, no such
celebratory outpouring occurred. It is likely that the
death of Bin Laden or Zawahiri would be treated in this
way if there were no recognizable remains to be
photographed and displayed.
With Abu Hafs al Masri’s death, the jihadis posted
immediate denials of his demise, insisting that
instead he was alive and well. It was only
acknowledged by the jihadis after DNA testing of his
remains by the US confirmed his death, and even
then the acknowledgement was quiet. In essence, Abu
Hafs al Masri, third in command of Al Qaeda, simply
faded into the sunset with no big fuss.
In fact, the most conspicuous mention of Abu Has al
Masri by Al Qaeda and its supports since his death in
2001 was in last weekend’s audio tape by Zawahiri. In
that message, Zawahiri mourns the death of his
comrade at arms.
Those who posted the tape claimed it was a new tape;
however, nothing in the tape indicates that it was
made recently, and it may have been made as far
back and December 2001.
The tape appeared far too quickly to be a newly
recorded response to debunk rumors of Zawahiri’s
demise.
Historically, Al Qaeda operatives have recorded video
and audio tapes to be played upon their demise; in
many cases, after suicide attacks the will of the
attacker will be released to celebrate the death of the
attacker, who Islamists believe will enter directly into
paradise, having given his life in the cause of jihad.
It is possible that this Zawahiri tape is just that – a
pre-recorded message planned to be released upon
the death of Zawahiri, to quietly commemorate his
death. If Zawahiri in fact died in a US air strike, and
not in an attack against or in battle against the
“infidels”, then his death would not be cause for as
much celebration. In fact it might be construed as a
sort of defeat should their leader die while sitting
down eating dinner.
Now let me clarify that I am not 100% convinced as to
the status of Zawahiri. I honestly don’t know if he is
alive or dead. But I do think that there is a possibility
that he died in that air strike at Damadoula.
Time will show whether this is the case or not. If he is
alive, a Zawahiri tape will be eventually released which
can be dated by Zawahiri’s mention of recent events.
But until such a tape emerges, I remain unconvinced
that he is alive.
Thanks, I think Lou Dobbs may be a Minuteman.
If you want to be up at 10 pm Calif time, you can listen to Mark Edwards, do his Border program on the radio (KDWN), on your computer, I understand that all his programs can be heard on the computer.
http://www.thewakeupamericafoundation.com
With all that is coming down, anything is possible.
They say the go signal is 2 tapes.
OK, we had OBL, then Zawahiri, Then OBL sent his tape to the UN, now we have Zawahiri again. does 2x2=4, looks to me like 2-4-06.
Hard to guess and all that they know has been taught to the other terrorists, so anything they have ever planned is possible.
Hi Granny,
I've missed you. I hope you are well.
Thanks for all your research. You do find some interesting stories. Someone I met only recently researched issues regarding the MIA/POWS. I must give my disclaimer that I am not at all familiar with the history or current status of these precious men and women. However, being raised in a military family I have a deep respect and appreciation for the lives of our service men and women and their families. My prayer is that they are not being exploited for someone elses gain... Cindy Sheehan comes to mind. Anyway, I was forwarded another interesting link about this same person, Sejna. What a contrast!
http://www.miafacts.org/sejna.htm
Hugs to you... --jer
January 30, 2006 Anti-Terrorism News
Bomb Attacks Foiled in Afghanistan
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/A/AFGHAN_BOMBS_DEFUSED?SITE=FLTAM&SECTION=INTERNATIONAL
Two roadside bombs were defused near the U.S. Embassy in the Afghan
capital Monday, while security forces foiled a suspected suicide car
bombing near a U.S. military base in the country's south
(Indonesia) Militant Claims to Be Terror Group Chief
http://www.620ktar.com/?nid=46&sid=144487
JI's Malaysian Noordin Top claiming to be the head of the "Tanzim
Qaidat-al Jihad" or "Al-Qaida's Jihad Organization" in Indonesia, Malaysia,
Brunei and the Philippines
Al Qaeda detainee mysteriously released
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/11092128/from/RS.4/
Moroccan spoke of aiding bin Laden during 2001 escape
Iran Detains 50 Suspects in Two Bombings
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/I/IRAN_BOMBING_ARRESTS?SITE=FLTAM&SECTION=INTERNATIONAL
(Palestine Territories) Abbas seizes security control
http://www.washingtontimes.com/world/20060130-123153-5753r.htm
Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas has ordered all main branches of the
security forces to report to him personally, in a bid to forestall their
takeover by Hamas, the Islamic militant movement.
U.S. tries to woo Sunnis from Iraqi terror groups
http://www.washingtontimes.com/national/20060129-115900-8266r.htm
Pakistan: "Well Planned" Sabotage Behind Train Crash
http://www.adnki.com/index_2Level.php?cat=Terrorism&loid=8.0.258291478&par=0
NATO: Time Ripe for Israel to Join, Says Italian Defense Minister
http://www.adnki.com/index_2Level.php?cat=Security&loid=8.0.258300770&par=0
Foreign oil worker hostages in Nigeria freed
http://www.khaleejtimes.com/DisplayArticle.asp?xfile=data/theworld/2006/January/theworld_January659.xml§ion=theworld
(UK) New clues support al-Qaeda theory for London Bombing
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,2-2016192,00.html
Intelligence services have uncovered increasing evidence that an
al-Qaeda mastermind was behind the July 7 suicide bombings in London.
Rice: Cut off aid to Hamas-led government
http://www.cnn.com/2006/WORLD/meast/01/30/rice.mideast.ap/index.html
Saudi Arabia promises PA $100m
http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1137605942427&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull
Could compensate for money held back by Israel, EU after Hamas win.
Hamas faces European aid threat
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/4660648.stm
(Iraq) Churches targeted in Iraq blasts
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/4660104.stm
Car bombs have exploded outside the Vatican embassy and near four
churches in Iraq, killing at least three people.
(Israel) Islamic Jihad Terrorist Caught in Shechem
http://www.israelnn.com/news.php3?id=97524
Commentary: Daniel Pipes: Region not ripe for democracy
http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5744,17975044%255E601,00.html
Middle East polls are empowering the West's deadliest enemies, warns
Daniel Pipes
Commentary: How Iran Buys Friends
http://www.nypost.com/postopinion/opedcolumnists/62508.htm
Russia to Push for Iranian Enrichment Moratorium at London Meeting
http://www.mosnews.com/news/2006/01/30/lavroviran.shtml
Super Bowl Sunday terror chatter high
http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=48559
WND Report: Release of al-Qaida tapes seen as tip on timing of future
attacks
http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5744,17977578%255E2
703,00.html
MI5 still baffled in bomb plot hunt
David Leppard, London
January 30, 2006
MORE than six months after the worst terrorist attack against Britain,
the
country's intelligence service, MI5, has admitted it knows almost
nothing
about why the London bombings happened, a leaked report reveals.
Despite the biggest MI5 and police investigation ever mounted, a secret
report for Prime Minister Tony Blair and senior ministers into the July
7
attacks states: "We know little about what three of the bombers did in
Pakistan, when attack planning began, how and when the attackers were
recruited, the extent of any external direction or assistance and the
extent
and role of any wider network."
The eight-page report, by the Joint Terrorism Analysis Centre, admits
MI5
still does not know if the attacks of July 7 and 21 were connected and
if
al-Qa'ida was behind them.
"The last few weeks have seen few significant developments, and we are
not
much further on in our assessment," the report states. Referring to the
MI5
codenames for both terror plots, it says: "There is still no
intelligence to
link the Stepford (July 7) and Hat (July 21) attacks; we still do not
know
whether we are dealing with an orchestrated campaign or
coincidental/copycat
attacks.
"We do not know how, when and with whom the attack planning originated.
And
we still do not know what degree of external assistance either group
had.
Whilst investigations are progressing, there remain significant gaps in
our
knowledge."
On whether the plots were co-ordinated, it says "there is nothing" and
"we
know little" about how suspects operated.
The disclosures will anger the survivors and relatives of victims of
the
July 7 attacks, in which 56 people, including the four suicide bombers,
were
killed.
Rachel North, an advertising executive injured in the King's Cross
bombing,
said: "I'm disappointed they haven't come up with any real leads. Most
of
the survivors want to know not just what happened but why it happened.
This
absolutely underlines the need for a transparent, independent public
inquiry."
The opposition Conservative Party is also calling for an independent
inquiry
to establish what Britain's intelligence services knew before the
attacks.
The leak of a JTAC report is unprecedented and some intelligence
service
officers are known to want a public inquiry.
The MI5 report, entitled London Attacks: the Emerging Picture, was
delivered
in October, but sources say the situation has not changed since.
The contradictions in the report reveal the intelligence services are
struggling to make progress in their inquiries. At one point it records
that
some "AQ (al-Qa'ida) associations are emerging", but it also says:
"There is
no evidence yet of al-Qa'ida involvement."
Even the leads the intelligence services do manage to suggest are
hedged.
The report says some links between terrorist groups are "plausible" and
"probably the most likely scenario", that one suspect "may be working"
under
the direction of another, and that MI5 "strongly suspects" one man's
visit
to Pakistan was relevant to one plot.
Among the tentative findings, it says a network of "Iraqi jihadis" are
trying to bring a terror campaign to Britain. The spy agency is
investigating a group of "al-Qa'ida facilitators" in the Midlands, led
by a
British citizen of Syrian origin, who are believed to be trying to
extend
the Iraq insurgency to Britain.
The report says intelligence officers have found "growing evidence of a
wider extremist network in West Yorkshire associated with the 7/7
bombers".
MI5 originally believed the July 7 group acted alone. The report
suggests
this view has changed, but with no certainty: "There are indications
associates of the four may have visited a Leeds property to make the
explosives for the July 7 attacks, suggesting a wider network may be
involved. There is a distinct possibility ... accomplices are still at
large."
The attacks were "likely" to have been supported by al-Qa'ida agents in
Pakistan, the report says, revealing that in May and June "there were
repeated phone calls from public telephone boxes in Pakistan to mobile
telephones recovered at a 'bomb factory' in Leeds" where the rucksack
bombs
were made.
The document reveals MI5 is investigating the significance of a
training
camp in northern Pakistan set up shortly after the Prime Minister
ordered
British troops to join the US in the invasion of Iraq.
The Sunday Times
'Sabotage' caused Pakistan crash
Map
http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/media/images/41270000/gif/_41270364_pakistan_jhelum_map203.gif
Pakistani authorities say they suspect Sunday's train crash in eastern Punjab was the result of sabotage.
At least three people died and up to 40 were injured when a train travelling to Lahore from Rawalpindi plunged down an embankment near Jhelum city.
Federal railway minister Ishaq Khakwani told the AFP news agency that "evidence suggests" that sabotage caused the train to go off the tracks.
He was, however, unclear about who could have been responsible.
http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/shared/img/o.gif
http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/nol/shared/img/v3/start_quote_rb.gif
It could be internal, it could be external [elements who tampered the tracks]
http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/nol/shared/img/v3/end_quote_rb.gif
Ishaq Khakwani, railway minister:
"It is almost confirmed now that it is an act of sabotage. The evidence says it is sabotage," Mr Khakwani said.
"We have seen spanners, the nuts of the fish plates were open," he said, referring to a key railway track components.
The minister said "internal or external elements" could be involved in tampering with the railway track.
The train toppled from the tracks in a remote mountain area and troops had to use another train to access the site.
Hundreds of people have died in recent years on Pakistan's railways.
More than 130 people were killed near the southern town of Ghotki last July, in Pakistan's worst train disaster in at least a decade.
Correspondents say casualty figures are often so high because trains are packed with far greater numbers than they were designed for and that signalling faults or poorly maintained tracks are often the cause.
German minister predicts bomb attack
January 29, 2006 - 7:04AM
It is probably only a matter of time before Europe falls victim to a terror attack with a "dirty bomb" combining conventional explosives and radioactive material, according to Germany's interior minister.
In an interview with a newspaper released ahead of time, Wolfgang Schaeuble said the spread of "dirty" material and weapons of mass destruction rendered the threat of attacks by international terrorists "extremely serious".
"The question is probably no longer whether there'll be an attack with a dirty bomb, the question is when and where it's going to happen," he told Germany's Welt am Sonntag paper, citing reports from intelligence services.
In remarks due to be published, Schaeuble said, however, that there had not yet been any concrete evidence of militants attempting to acquire the dirty material.
He added that the victory of Hamas in the Palestinian election earlier this week and the standoff between western powers and Iran over Tehran's nuclear ambitions posed new security risks which could have far-reaching consequences.
"Against this backdrop, developments in Iran not just on the question of proliferation but also on the issue of external security and the impact on life in our own country as well represent a danger," Schaeuble said.
C 2006 AAP
http://www.theage.com.au/notebn/aap.html
Two quotes. I will leave it to you to judge the men:
"We shall not flag nor fail. We shall go on to the end. We shall fight
in
France and on the seas and oceans; we shall fight with growing
confidence
and growing strength in the air. We shall defend our island whatever
the
cost may be; we shall fight on beaches, landing grounds, in fields, in
streets and on the hills. We shall never surrender and even if, which I
do
not for the moment believe, this island or a large part of it were
subjugated and starving, then our empire beyond the seas, armed and
guarded
by the British Fleet, will carry on the struggle until in God's good
time
the New World with all its power and might, sets forth to the
liberation and
rescue of the Old."
Winston Churchill, June 4, 1940, speech before the House of Commons
"We are tired of fighting, we are tired of being courageous, we are
tired of
winning, we are tired of defeating our enemies, we want to be able to
live
in an entirely different environment of relations with our enemies."
Ehud Olmert, June 9, 2005, speech to Israel Policy Forum in New York.
From a newsletter, no URL given.
Olmert sounds like the U.S. democrats, to me.
granny
Part 1, from an Intel Group that I read:
http://www.diis.dk/graphics/Publications/WP2006/DIIS%20WP%202006-7.web.pdf
DANISH INSTITUTE FOR INTERNATIONAL STUDIES
STRANDGADE 56 . 1401 COPENHAGEN K . DENMARK
TEL +45 32 69 87 87 . diis@diis.dk . www.diis.dk
THE ROLE OF ISLAMIC CHARITIES IN INTERNATIONAL
TERRORIST RECRUITMENT AND FINANCING
Evan F. Kohlmann
DIIS Working Paper no 2006/7
i
C Copenhagen 2006 Danish Institute for International Studies, DIIS
Strandgade 56, DK-1401 Copenhagen, Denmark:
Evan F. Kohlmann is an international terrorism consultant with more
than
seven years of experience
tracking and analyzing Al-Qaida and other 21st century global terrorist
movements.
He has lectured and given briefings on transnational terrorist threats
to a
diverse collection of
academic, law enforcement and intelligence bodies; including the US.
Department of Justice,
the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the National Security
Council
(NSC), the department
of Homeland Security (DHS) and the Internal revenue Service (IRS).
DIIS WORKING PAPER 2006/7
The Role of Islamic Charities in International
Terrorist Recruitment and Financing
The roots of the contemporary Al-Qaida terrorist financing network can
be
directly traced
back to lessons learned by Arab-Afghan fighters during the early days
of the
Soviet-Afghan
jihad nearly two decades ago. As the 1980s drew to a close, thousands
of
idealistic Islamic
fundamentalist volunteers arrived in Pakistan, often with no local
guide or
requisite accommodations.
At the time, several wealthy Arabian Gulf charitable organizations,
under
the guise
of aiding Afghan and Pakistani refugees, stepped forward to help
channel the
jihadi recruits
where they were most needed. These wealthy NGOs - sponsored by a number
of
prominent
Gulf businessmen - provided weapons, guesthouses, and travel papers to
needy
members of
the quickly-coalescing Al-Qaida movement. Medical ambulances belonging
to
the Saudi Red
Crescent and other fundamentalist-run relief groups were even diverted
to
bring Arab mujahideen
("holy warriors") back and forth from combat operations.1 By clothing
their
militant
activity with charitable ideals, Arab-Afghan leaders including Usama
Bin
Laden discovered
that they were able to slip below the radar of many global intelligence
agencies.
Indeed, the efficiency and success of the Afghan jihad financing model
was
quite an accomplishment
for Bin Laden and his international allies - so much so that operations
continued
even after the end of the Soviet-Afghan war and the expulsion of Bin
Laden
to the Sudan. In
approximately 1993, in conversations with former senior Al-Qaida
lieutenant
Jamal Ahmed
Al-Fadl, Usama Bin Laden identified several prominent international
Muslim
charities as the
primary sources of Al-Qaida financial and fundraising activity.2 In
1996, a
recently declassified
U.S. government report - attributed by the Wall Street Journal to the
Central Intelligence
Agency (CIA) - alleged that "approximately one third of. Islamic NGOs
support terrorist
1 Muhammad, Basil. Al-Ansaru l'Arab fi Afghanistan. The Committee for
Islamic Benevolence Publications;
C1991. Page 187.
2 "Government's Evidentiary Proffer Supporting the Admissibility of
Co-Conspirator Statements." United States
of America v. Enaam M. Arnaout. United States District Court Northern
District of Illinois, Eastern Division.
Case #: 02 CR 892. January 31, 2003. Page 25.
DIIS WORKING PAPER 2006/7
2
groups or employ individuals who are suspected of having terrorist
connections."3 The final
report of the U.S. Congressional 9/11 Commission concluded that "entire
charities" under the
control of "al Qaeda operatives. may have wittingly participated in
funneling money to al
Qaeda."4
These organizations served a critical role in the Arab-Afghan terrorist
infrastructure by laundering
money originating from bank accounts belonging to Bin Laden and his
sympathetic
patrons in the Arabian Gulf, providing employment and travel documents
to
Al-Qaida personnel
worldwide, and helping "to move funds to areas where al Qaeda was
carrying
out
operations."5 According to a U.S. Justice Department brief on the
subject:
[Al-Fadl] understood from conversations with Bin Laden and others in al
Qaeda
that the charities would receive funds that could be withdrawn in cash
and a
portion
of the money used for legitimate relief purposes and another portion
diverted
for al Qaeda operations. The money for al Qaeda operations would
nevertheless
be listed in the charities' books as expenses for building mosques or
schools or
feeding the poor or the needy.6
Standing orders were left by Bin Laden to keep all transactions
involving
the charitable groups
in cash only; by this method, these NGOs were manipulated as a secret
laundry to make Al-
Qaida's financial network virtually invisible. The charities would then
create false documentation
for the benefit of unwary donors, purportedly showing that the money
had
actually been
spent on orphans or starving refugees. According to some former
employees of
these organizations,
upwards of 50% of their total funding was secretly diverted directly to
Al-Qaida and
3 January 1996 CIA Report on "International Islamic NGOs" and links to
terrorism. Page 1. See also: Affidavit by
Senior Special Agent David Kane (Bureau of Immigration and Customs
Enforcement, Department of Homeland
Security). United States of America v. Soliman S. Biheiri. United
States
District Court for the Eastern District of
Virginia, Alexandria Division. Case #: 03-365-A. August 14, 2003. Page
2.
4 The 9/11 Commission Report. Final Report of the National Commission
on
Terrorist Attacks Upon the
United States. July 22, 2004. Page 170.
5 "Government's Evidentiary Proffer Supporting the Admissibility of
Co-Conspirator Statements." United States
of America v. Enaam M. Arnaout. United States District Court Northern
District of Illinois, Eastern Division.
Case #: 02 CR 892. January 31, 2003. Pages 28-29.
6 "Government's Evidentiary Proffer Supporting the Admissibility of
Co-Conspirator Statements." United States
of America v. Enaam M. Arnaout. United States District Court Northern
District of Illinois, Eastern Division.
Case #: 02 CR 892. January 31, 2003. Pages 28-29.
DIIS WORKING PAPER 2006/7
3
Usama Bin Laden.7 The 9/11 Commission also found evidence that such
would-be
charities
had "provided significant cover. enabl[ing] [Al-Qaida] operatives to
travel
undetected."8
Meanwhile, in Europe and North America, Muslim NGOs would come to serve
an
additional
role in indoctrinating new generations of international jihadists.
According
to a 1996 French
intelligence memorandum, "these charities - screens for Islamic groups
like.
the Egyptian
Al-Gama`at al-Islamiyya. permitted a very large recruitment among young
volunteers; under
the notion of jihad, they provided 'humanitarian' support for the
indoctrination of the youth
[and it worked] so well that numerous French converts to Islam joined
the
ranks of Islamic
extremists."9 The first known Arab-Afghan jihad cell on U.S. soil led
by
native American
operatives was partly financed by the Sudanese charity Third World
Relief
Agency (TWRA).10
TWRA's membership also included an Al-Gama`at al-Islamiyya suicide
bomber
with Canadian
citizenship who attempted to blow up a Croatian police station in
1995.11
Even the operational mastermind of the 9/11 terrorist attacks in the
United
States - Khalid
Sheikh Mohammed (KSM) - was involved with the activities of suspect
Islamic
humanitarian
groups as early as 1988.12 KSM's brother Zahid Sheikh Mohammed (a.k.a.
Abu
Hafs al-Baluchi)
was responsible for overseeing at least two such NGOs active in
Pakistan:
the Kuwaiti
Lajnat al-Dawa al-Islamiyya (officially designated as a terrorist front
group by the U.S. government13)
and Mercy International.14 When KSM's nephew Ramzi Yousef - the
explosives
7 Dugger, Celia W. "Anti-U.S. Plot in India Is Foiled; Militant
Islamist
Intended to Bomb 2 Consulates, Police
Say." The New York Times. January 21, 1999. Page 4.
8 The 9/11 Commission Report. Final Report of the National Commission
on
Terrorist Attacks Upon the
United States. July 22, 2004. Page 171.
9 "La Formation Des Volontaires Pour Le Djihad En Camps
D'Entrainement."
Confidential memorandum
issued by UCLAT (French Central Anti-Terrorism Unit). December 27,
1996.
10 Sworn affidavit of FBI Special Agent Robert Walker. United States of
America v. Benevolence International
Foundation, Inc. April 29, 2002. District of Illinois, Eastern
Division.
Case number: 02CR0414. Page 6.
11 January 1996 CIA Report on "International Islamic NGOs" and links to
terrorism. Page 13. See also: Affidavit
by Senior Special Agent David Kane (Bureau of Immigration and Customs
Enforcement, Department of
Homeland Security). United States of America v. Soliman S. Biheiri.
United
States District Court for the Eastern
District of Virginia, Alexandria Division. Case #: 03-365-A. August 14,
2003. Page 2.
12 The 9/11 Commission Report. Final Report of the National Commission
on
Terrorist Attacks Upon the
United States. July 22, 2004. Page 147.
13 http://www.ustreas.gov/offices/eotffc/ofac/sanctions/terror.txt.
September 2004.
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4
expert behind the 1993 World Trade Center bombing in New York - was
training
at an Al-
Qaida camp in eastern Afghanistan, he "visited" the office of Lajnat
al-Dawa
in Jalalabad.15
Likewise, Mercy International's lawyer in Islamabad admitted that
Pakistani
police had investigated
his client in 1994-5 "because [Ramzi] Yousef had made a phone call to
the
Mercy
offices [in Pakistan]."16
Much of the funding responsible for underwriting international Muslim
charities has originated
from the Arabian Peninsula - and in particular, the Kingdom of Saudi
Arabia.
A wellinformed
Saudi figure boasted to the Washington Post, "No one can control the
flow of
money
from Saudi Arabia. It is not one person - it is a thousand. We are
here.
Money comes to us
from inside Saudi Arabia. We have private talks with businessmen.
Sometimes
directly,
sometimes indirectly. But it comes."17 Past efforts to stem the flood
of
Saudi jihad money have
mostly failed, perhaps because "even high ranking members of the
collecting
or monitoring
agencies in Saudi Arabia. are involved in illicit activities, including
support for terrorists."18
The Jeddah-based World Assembly for Muslim Youth (WAMY) is a poignant
example of the
shadowy Saudi charitable entities that have helped support Al-Qaida
over the
past two
decades. Founded in 1972, WAMY claims to be the world's largest Muslim
youth
organization.19 WAMY sponsors various "humanitarian" causes, including
religious youth
camps around the world - including in Western Europe and North America.
The
following is
14 Azzam Publications. "What Sheikh Abdullah Azzam said about Khalid
Ash-Sheikh Muhammad." Azzam
Publications news update carried by IslamicAwakening.com.
http://www.assahwah.
com/discus/messages/3079/3079.html. March 4, 2003. See also: The 9/11
Commission Report. Final
Report of the National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United
States. July 22, 2004. Pages 146-147.
See also: "After Debriefing Report [on ABDUL HAKIM ALI HASHIM MURAD]."
Philippine National Police
Criminal Investigation Command; Camp Crame, Quezon City. February 18,
1995
(1400hrs-1535hrs).
15 The 9/11 Commission Report. Final Report of the National Commission
on
Terrorist Attacks Upon the
United States. July 22, 2004. Page 488.
16 Pallister, David and Jamie Wilson. "Muslim relief groups caught in
crossfire." Guardian (London). September
26, 2001.
http://society.guardian.co.uk/disasterresponse/story/0,1321,558348,00.html
17 Coll, Steve and Steve LeVine. "Global Network Provides Money,
Haven." The
Washington Post. August 3,
1993. Page A1.
18 January 1996 CIA Report on "International Islamic NGOs" and links to
terrorism. Page 4. See also: Affidavit
by Senior Special Agent David Kane (Bureau of Immigration and Customs
Enforcement, Department of
Homeland Security). United States of America v. Soliman S. Biheiri.
United
States District Court for the Eastern
District of Virginia, Alexandria Division. Case #: 03-365-A. August 14,
2003. Page 2.
19 http://www.wamyusa.org/about/about%20wamy.htm, as of December 10,
2002.
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an excerpt from an officially sanctioned song to be performed by
campers, as
printed in an
English-language WAMY training manual obtained in the United Kingdom:
Youth of [Islam] are the guided youth. Come! Come to a final decision:
The
Prophet has called out and so has the Qur'an. So blessed is the servant
who
responds when he is called. Bring back the glory to it's lions, And
restore
the
zeal to its soldiers. Flatten evil in its cradle, And unsheath the
swords.
Hail! Hail!
O sacrificing soldiers! To us! To us! So we may defend the flag. On
this Day
of
Jihad, are you miserly with your blood?!20
There are numerous other connections linking WAMY to international
terrorist
organizations
and terrorist financing. In fact, the U.S. branch of WAMY was
incorporated
in 1992 by Usama
Bin Laden's own nephew Abdullah in Falls Church, Virginia.21 In
November
2001, international
media reported that WAMY's Peshawar office was raided in a joint
FBI-Pakistani
intelligence operation.22 A WAMY employee was subsequently questioned
for
allegedly hand
delivering a recorded message from Usama Bin Laden to local media.23 In
that
tape, bin Laden
praised various terrorist attacks - including the Bali nightclub
bombing
that killed over 200
people and the Chechen takeover of a theatre in Moscow that led to over
150
deaths. In June
2004, federal agents from the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI),
the
Bureau of Immigration
and Customs Enforcement (ICE), and the Joint Terrorism Task Force
(JTTF)
raided
Abdullah Bin Laden's WAMY office in Virginia, allegedly "in connection
with
a terrorismrelated
investigation." Agents seized all of the files and computer hard drives
in
WAMY's
offices. Additionally, a WAMY board member was arrested on immigration
charges.24
WAMY continues to fund numerous "charitable" projects - including in
neighboring Iraq,
where donations in 2004 alone totaled over $200,000. In late 2002, an
Internet website
affiliated with the Ansar al-Islam terrorist organization in northern
Iraq
released a photo
20 "Islamic Camps Objectives, Program Outlines, Preparatory Steps."
World
Assembly of Muslim Youth
(WAMY); Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Prepared by the Camps & Conference Unit
of the
World Assembly of Muslim
Youth 1987. Translated (with additions) by Abu-Bakr M. Asmal 1990.
Obtained
at the WAMY Western Europe
Office; 46 Goodge Street; London, UK.
21 United States Internal Revenue Service (IRS) Form 1023 Application
by
WAMY for Recognition of
Exemption, filed November 9, 1992.
22 "Pakistan Questions Sudan Man About Tape." Associated Press.
December 9,
2002.
23 "Pakistan Questions Sudan Man About Tape." Associated Press.
December 9,
2002.
24 Markon, Jerry. "U.S. Raids N.Va. Office Of Saudi-Based Charity."
Washington Post. June 2, 2004.
DIIS WORKING PAPER 2006/7
6
showing Ali Bapir - a detained Ansar al-Islam commander - at a public
event
sponsored by
WAMY and featuring banners emblazoned with the WAMY logo.25 During the
spring of
2003, the U.S. military launched several cruise missile attacks on
terrorist
targets in Kurdistan,
including several of Bapir's "compounds" in the foothills near the town
of
Khurmal. Bapir
surrendered, and several days later was taken with other surviving
members
of his group to
the town of Ranya. Bapir was subsequently re-arrested by U.S. military
forces on July 10, 2003
for allegedly supporting Ansar al-Islam. As of last report, Bapir
remains in
the custody of the
American military.
WAMY's corporate structure has hidden other, darker secrets as well -
such
as the benignlynamed
Benevolence International Foundation (BIF), a.k.a. Lajnat al-Birr
al-Islamiyya. Lajnat
Al-Birr, the precursor to BIF, was established in 1987 in Pakistan and
Saudi
Arabia by Shaykh
Adel Batterjee, a powerful Saudi business magnate in Jeddah. Batterjee
(designated as a terrorist
by the U.S. government in December 2004) claims to be a former
"chairman" of
WAMY
and reportedly founded BIF as an "affiliate" branch of WAMY.26 The
connections between
the two organizations are numerous and troubling. According to a
Pakistani
Government
website, the local mailing address for WAMY is P.O. Box 1055 in
Peshawar.27
The U.S. Treasury
Department's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) lists the same
post
office box in
Peshawar as a known address of the Benevolence International Foundation
(BIF).28 When
1993 World Trade Center bombing conspirator Ahmed Ajaj was arrested in
New
York,
authorities seized an envelope from him containing Arabic-language
terrorist
training manuals.
The envelope was marked with the letterhead of BIF, with a notation
explaining that BIF is a
branch of the "World Assembly of Muslim Youth."29
From its inception, the Benevolence International Foundation (BIF)
served as
a means for
pious, wealthy Muslims to secretly contribute to the jihad in
Afghanistan.
The Jeddah-based
charitable group went to great lengths to protect the reputation of its
prestigious donors. In
1993, Adel Batterjee publicly stepped down as head of BIF in exchange
for a
more behind-
25 http://www.ayobi.com/photo/isl_17.jpg. August 2002.
26 Hedges, Chris. "Muslims from afar joining 'Holy War' in Bosnia." The
New
York Times. December 5, 1992.
See also: Basaddiq, Omar. "Islamic Charity Committee moves to new
premises."
Arab News. May 21, 1994. See
also: IRS 990 forms for the "World Assembly of Muslim Youth" submitted
for
Fiscal Years 1993 through 1999.
27 http://www.epb.gov.pk/epb/jsp/ngo.jsp. December 12, 2002.
28
http://www.treas.gov/offices/enforcement/ofac/sanctions/terrorism.html.
December 12, 2002.
29 United States v. Usama Bin Laden, et al. S(7) 98 Cr. 1023 (LBS).
United
States District Court, Southern District
of New York. Government Exhibit 2800-A.
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7
the-scenes role. Several years afterwards, the individual who took over
Benevolence from
Batterji, Enaam Arnaout (a.k.a. Abu Mahmoud Al-Hamawi), instructed his
staff
to disavow
any knowledge of the "founders": "[t]ell him that all we know about
them is
that they are
Saudi Business men and that they left the organization in May 93.
Donot[sic]
disclose any
other information."30
By 1993, it was hardly a secret that BIF was involved in more than just
charitable activities.
The entity openly advertised itself in its Arabic-language fundraising
appeals as a "trustworthy
hand for the support of [both] the mujahideen and refugees" in
Bosnia.31
Similarly, documents
taken from BIF's U.S.-based offices in December 2001 included
handwritten
Arabic notations
explaining that its headquarters in Croatia was established "for relief
operations and support
of jihad in Bosnia-Herzegovina. Contribute with your mujahideen
brothers to
repel the Crusader-
Zionist attack on Muslim lands."32 Another handwritten note found in
Illinois by investigators
revealed BIF's supreme "unwritten law": "no matter how poor/sick -
first
priority is
for mujahideen."33 The raid of BIF's Illinois office by American
investigators also turned up a
number of other documents directly related to the war in Bosnia: a
receipt
dated July 21, 1994,
from the "Black Swans" Bosnian Muslim commando brigade for 300 blankets
and
200 pairs
of boots obtained from BIF; a receipt from the BiH army dated June 3,
1994,
for 2,000 uniforms,
2,000 pairs of shoes, and ten "mass communication stations" donated by
BIF
to "this
military unit"; a request dated December 31, 1994, from the Bosnian
military
for a combat
ambulance (later delivered as promised in January 1995); and, a
memorandum
to BIF director
30 "Government's Evidentiary Proffer Supporting the Admissibility of
Co-Conspirator Statements." United
States of America v. Enaam M. Arnaout. United States District Court
Northern
District of Illinois, Eastern
Division. Case #: 02 CR 892. January 31, 2003. Pages 28-29.
31 Institute for Study and Documentation. "The Balkan War." Video
produced
by the Committee for Islamic
Benevolence, Saudi Arabia (Lajnat al-Birr al-Islamiyya).
32 Sworn affidavit of FBI Special Agent Robert Walker. United States of
America v. Benevolence International
Foundation, Inc. April 29, 2002. District of Illinois, Eastern
Division.
Case number: 02CR0414. Page 29.
33 "Government's Evidentiary Proffer Supporting the Admissibility of
Co-Conspirator Statements." United
States of America v. Enaam M. Arnaout. United States District Court
Northern
District of Illinois, Eastern
Division. Case #: 02 CR 892. January 31, 2003. Page 57.
DIIS WORKING PAPER 2006/7
8
Enaam Arnaout dated November 17, 1995 describing the recent
contribution of
200 tents to
the Muslim army.34
However, the relationship between BIF and militants fighting in Bosnia
went
beyond mere
financing. The Military Security Service of the Bosnian Muslim Army
warned
its superiors in
May 1995 that known members of the Arab-Afghan mujahideen in the
Balkans
were "connected
with the activists from Arab humanitarian organization 'Benevolence
International
Foundation.'" The Bosnian Army's Military Security Service further
complained that it had
received information "indicating that [BIF] abused the humanitarian
aid, in
a way that they
condition the acceptance of the same with the acceptance of [Islam]."
According to its own
May 1995 internal memorandum:
In order to win as many as possible followers among the population, so
these
patrons of the 'new' approach to religion, are visiting the families of
soldiers killed
in war and offer them aid 100-200 KM in case they accept their way of
religion, if
not they tell them that their killed member will not be 'sehid' [a
martyr].
In their
positions they go that far to recommend that closest family relations
should
be
renounced if they do not accept their way of religion and practicing of
the
same.
The consequence of this is the already present polarization between
Bosnian-
Muslim population and that could have far reaching damaging
consequences.35
A number of employees working at BIF's office in Illinois could not
help but
notice the glaring
inconsistencies in their supposed "humanitarian" work. In a handwritten
note
recovered
by the FBI, a BIF employee wrote unhappily: "That is our mission -
Lying to
the people."36
However, some of BIF's other staff members openly embraced the jihadi
philosophy
espoused by Al-Qaida. Suleman Ahmer, BIF's former operations manager in
the
United
States, was an unabashed supporter of cooperation with radical Islamic
movements around
34 "Government's Evidentiary Proffer Supporting the Admissibility of
Co-Conspirator Statements." United
States of America v. Enaam M. Arnaout. United States District Court
Northern
District of Illinois, Eastern
Division. Case #: 02 CR 892. January 31, 2003. Pages 67-69.
35 "Review of the Information on Activities of the Persons from
Afro-Asian
Countries Directly Before the War
and During the War in the Territory of BIH Republic." Report written by
the
BIH Administration of the Military
Security Service- Department for Analytical and Informative Affairs."
Sarajevo; May 6, 1995.
36 "Government's Evidentiary Proffer Supporting the Admissibility of
Co-Conspirator Statements." United
States of America v. Enaam M. Arnaout. United States District Court
Northern
District of Illinois, Eastern
Division. Case #: 02 CR 892. January 31, 2003. Page 57.
DIIS WORKING PAPER 2006/7
9
Part 3.
DIIS WORKING PAPER 2006/7
9
the world. In an October 1997 letter to other BIF administrators, Ahmer
expressed surprise
that the organization would even claim to sponsor relief activities:
"we
have never worked in
the countries which are affected by natural disasters and. we may never
work
in this area.
But somehow in so many of our publications we have that BIF works in
areas
affected by
wars and natural disasters. I wonder where it came from and so on."37
Ahmer
managed to
convince his colleagues to create two separate BIF mission statements,
one
detailing supposed
relief work for public consumption and a second internal document that
emphasized "making
Islam supreme" for the benefit of the extremist board members.38
In the aftermath of the September 11 terrorist attacks, the U.S.
government
froze the assets of
BIF and commenced legal action against one of its principle directors
and
founders, Illinoisresident
Enaam Arnaout. In February 2002, Arnaout worriedly contacted his
brother
"Dr.
Hisham" to discuss how "they" had taken the former director of BIF's
office
in Bosnia "in a
special plane. [t]o Cuba." Arnaout, convinced of his own inevitable
fate,
explained to Hisham
how he would attempt to shoulder the blame and exonerate BIF's Saudi
founders. He
sombrely reflected, "It means, we, I mean, there is death that we will
be
swallowing. Meaning,
the razor will fall on us, but we do not know how."39 Less than a month
later, the razor did
fall; Bosnian police raided BIF's regional headquarters in Sarajevo and
detained its manager,
Munib Zahiragic, a former intelligence officer affiliated with the
Bosnian
Foreign Ministry.
Zahiragic reportedly turned over nearly 100 top-secret documents about
suspected fundamentalist
terrorists operating in Bosnia, including transcripts of communications
between
BIF management and senior commanders of Al-Qaida based in
Afghanistan.40
Also found
37 "Government's Evidentiary Proffer Supporting the Admissibility of
Co-Conspirator Statements." United
States of America v. Enaam M. Arnaout. United States District Court
Northern
District of Illinois, Eastern
Division. Case #: 02 CR 892. January 31, 2003. Page 53.
38 "Government's Evidentiary Proffer Supporting the Admissibility of
Co-Conspirator Statements." United
States of America v. Enaam M. Arnaout. United States District Court
Northern
District of Illinois, Eastern
Division. Case #: 02 CR 892. January 31, 2003. Page 54.
39 "Government's Evidentiary Proffer Supporting the Admissibility of
Co-Conspirator Statements." United
States of America v. Enaam M. Arnaout. United States District Court
Northern
District of Illinois, Eastern
Division. Case #: 02 CR 892. January 31, 2003. Page 74.
40 Whitmore, Brian. "Bosnian Charities Tied to Terror." The Boston
Globe.
July 2, 2002. Page 1.
DIIS WORKING PAPER 2006/7
10
were three firearms, a ski mask, numerous military manuals on topics
including small arms and
explosives, fraudulent passport materials, and photographs of Usama Bin
Laden.41
Despite the forced closure of BIF, other still-legal Saudi charities
(like
BIF's corporate parent
WAMY) continue to raise millions of dollars in purported humanitarian
donations each year.
Though the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has long since promised stern action
to
prevent the
misuse of these funds, the U.S. government has expressed recent doubt
over
the execution
and effectiveness of those plans. A September 2005 report by the United
States Government
Accountability Office (GAO) warned:
U.S. agencies do not know the extent of the Saudi government's efforts
to
limit
the activities of Saudi sources that have allegedly propagated Islamic
extremism
outside of Saudi Arabia... [A]ccording to the government of Saudi
Arabia,
and
State and Treasury officials, Saudi Arabia is undertaking a number of
charity
reforms, including requiring all private Saudi donations marked for
international
distribution to flow through a new National Commission for Relief and
Charity
Work Abroad. However, as of July 2005, this commission was not yet
fully
operational, according to Treasury... According to State, the
government of
Saudi
Arabia also announced its intentions to close al Haramain Islamic
Foundation, but
in May 2005, a Treasury official told us it was unclear whether the
government of
Saudi Arabia had implemented its plans.42
Yet, the phenomenon of charitable front groups that provide support to
Al-Qaida is by no
means exclusively limited to the Arabian Peninsula. Indeed, elsewhere
in the
Muslim world,
other such entities have been established with near equal success - as
in
Turkey, with the socalled
Foundation for Human Rights, Liberties, and Humanitarian Relief (IHH).
Turkish
authorities began their own domestic criminal investigation of IHH as
early
as December
1997, when sources revealed that leaders of IHH were purchasing
automatic
weapons from
41 Sworn affidavit of FBI Special Agent Robert Walker. United States of
America v. Benevolence International
Foundation, Inc. April 29, 2002. District of Illinois, Eastern
Division.
Case number: 02CR0414. Page 10.
42 United States Government Accountability Office (GAO). "International
Affairs: Information on U.S.
Agencies' Efforts to Address Islamic Extremism." September 16, 2005.
GAO-05-852.
http://www.gao.gov/new.items/d05852.pdf.
DIIS WORKING PAPER 2006/7
11
other regional Islamic militant groups.43 IHH's bureau in Istanbul was
thoroughly searched,
and its local officers were arrested. Security forces uncovered an
array of
disturbing items,
including firearms, explosives, bomb-making instructions, and a "jihad
flag." After analyzing
seized IHH documents, Turkish authorities concluded that "detained
members
of IHH were
going to fight in Afghanistan, Bosnia, and Chechnya."44
According to a French intelligence report, the terrorist infiltration
of IHH
extended to its
most senior ranks. The report, written by famed counterterrorism
magistrate
Jean-Louis Bruguiere,
revealed that IHH President Bulent Yildrim had directly conspired in
the
mid-1990s to
"recruit veteran soldiers in anticipation of the coming holy war
[jihad]. In
particular, some
men were sent into war zones in Muslim countries in order to acquire
combat
experience."45
Furthermore, in the hopes of "obtaining political support from these
countries, financial aid
was transferred [on behalf of IHH], as well as caches of firearms,
knives,
and pre-fabricated
explosives."46 An examination of IHH's phone records in Istanbul showed
repeated telephone
calls in 1996 to an Al-Qaida guesthouse in Milan and various Algerian
terrorist operatives
active elsewhere in Europe - including the notorious Abu el-Ma`ali, who
has
been subsequently
termed by U.S. officials as a "junior Osama Bin Laden."47
During the later Seattle trial of would-be Al-Qaida Millenium bomber
Ahmed
Ressam, federal
prosecutors called French magistrate Bruguiere to the stand as an
expert
witness. Bruguiere
43 Jean-Louis Bruguiere and Jean-Francois Ricard. "Requisitoire
Definitifaux
aux Fins de Non-Lieu. De Non-Lieu partiel.
De Requalification. De Renvoi devant le Tribunal Correctionnel, de
mantien
sous Controle Judiciaiare et de maintien en Detention."
Cour D'Appel de Paris; Tribunal de Grande Instance de Paris. No.
Parquet:
P96 253 3901.2. Page112.
44 Jean-Louis Bruguiere and Jean-Francois Ricard. "Requisitoire
Definitifaux
aux Fins de Non-Lieu. De Non-Lieu partiel.
De Requalification. De Renvoi devant le Tribunal Correctionnel, de
mantien
sous Controle Judiciaiare et de maintien en Detention."
Cour D'Appel de Paris; Tribunal de Grande Instance de Paris. No.
Parquet:
P96 253 3901.2. Page 112.
45 Jean-Louis Bruguiere and Jean-Francois Ricard. "Requisitoire
Definitifaux
aux Fins de Non-Lieu. De Non-Lieu partiel.
De Requalification. De Renvoi devant le Tribunal Correctionnel, de
mantien
sous Controle Judiciaiare et de maintien en Detention."
Cour D'Appel de Paris; Tribunal de Grande Instance de Paris. No.
Parquet:
P96 253 3901.2. Page 112.
46 Jean-Louis Bruguiere and Jean-Francois Ricard. "Requisitoire
Definitifaux
aux Fins de Non-Lieu. De Non-Lieu partiel.
De Requalification. De Renvoi devant le Tribunal Correctionnel, de
mantien
sous Controle Judiciaiare et de maintien en Detention."
Cour D'Appel de Paris; Tribunal de Grande Instance de Paris. No.
Parquet:
P96 253 3901.2. Page 112.
47 Jean-Louis Bruguiere and Jean-Francois Ricard. "Requisitoire
Definitifaux
aux Fins de Non-Lieu. De Non-Lieu partiel.
De Requalification. De Renvoi devant le Tribunal Correctionnel, de
mantien
sous Controle Judiciaiare et de maintien en Detention."
Cour D'Appel de Paris; Tribunal de Grande Instance de Paris. No.
Parquet:
P96 253 3901.2. Pages 112-113. See
also: Pyes, Craig with Josh Meyers and William Rempel. "Bosnia Seen as
Hospitable Base and Sanctuary for
Terrorists." Los Angeles Times. October 7, 2001.
DIIS WORKING PAPER 2006/7
12
testified that IHH had played "[a]n important role" in the Al-Qaida
Millenium bomb plot
targeting LAX. Under repeated questioning, Bruguiere insisted that
"[t]here's a rather close
relation":
The IHH is an NGO, but it was kind of a type of cover-up. in order to
obtain
forged documents and also to obtain different forms of infiltration for
Mujahideen
in combat. And also to go and gather[recruit] these Mujahideens. And
finally, one of the last responsibilities that they had was also to be
implicated or
involved in weapons trafficking.48
Years later, Bulent Yildrim and the IHH also played a key role in
galvanizing anti-Western
sentiment among Turkish Muslims in the lead-up to the 2003 war in Iraq.
By
late 2002, the
IHH was instrumental in convening large and raucous protest rallies
opposed
to the thenimminent
effort to depose Saddam Hussein, capped off by the burning of U.S. and
Israeli
flags.49 Even after the initial U.S. invasion of Iraq, IHH has
continued to
bitterly oppose the
presence of Western troops in Mesopotamia. Leading another anti-U.S.
rally
in Istanbul in
December 2004, Bulent Yildrim told the Anatolia News Agency,
"Intelligence
cooperation
between the United States, Britain and Turkey must be stopped.
Otherwise we
will organize
actions at every consulate, and if necessary will assembly 50,000 or
100,000
people at the US
consulate."50 Protestors at the December rally reportedly shouted
various
slogans, including
"Murderer US, get out of the Middle East" and "Long live our
resistance."51
Yet, despite all this, the IHH is now active - and outspoken - in
providing
"charitable donations"
to rebel-dominated areas of restive Sunni central Iraq. As he watched
IHH
truck convoys
leaving Turkey for Iraq, Bulent Yildrim characterized U.S. military
operations in the Iraqi
city of Fallujah as equally "a strike on Istanbul, Ankara."52 In
mid-2004,
IHH issued an English-
language news update from its representatives on the ground in
Fallujah:
"the women and
children shot by [U.S.] snipers now rest in a football field turned
into a
graveyard for the brave
48 "Reporter's Transcript of Proceedings." United States of America v.
Ahmed
Ressam, aka Benni Noris. United
States District Court for the Western District of Washington. Case #:
CR
99-666-JCC. Dated April 2, 2001. Pages
11-12.
49 "First Islamist Protest Against AK Party." Turkish Daily News. March
1,
2003.
50 "Protests in Turkey against UK troops." Dawn (Pakistan). December 4,
2004.
http://www.dawn.com/2004/12/04/int3.htm.
51 "Istanbul group protests US operations in Iraq." Turkish Daily News.
December 4, 2004.
52 "Turkish Islamist group sends food to besieged Fallujah." Agence
France
Presse (AFP). November 10, 2004.
DIIS WORKING PAPER 2006/7
13
freedom fighters who resisted the invasion. The American troops [turned
back] the injured
being transported to hospitals by shooting at the ambulances. The
freedom
fighters crashed
one airplane and 18 helicopters. Iraqi authorities stated that the
resistance of [Fallujah]
created a high spirit among their people while causing chaos and
confusion
among the
Americans. As for the search for a new flag by the transition
government,
the Iraqis are
sending a clear and firm message by raising their old flag in every
possible
place such as the
roofs and walls of their houses, cars and gas stations. All the Iraqis
share
one hope which is
the departure of the invading Americans. The big bubble of anger that
covers
all parts of the
country can explode any time."53 IHH has continued in its "efforts" in
Iraq,
at least as recently
as the spring of 2005, when Bulent Yildrim announced the departure of
two
more truckloads
"of humanitarian aid to Fallujah city of Iraq. In the coming days, we
will
send more aid."54
Yildrim failed to specify who exactly in the city of Fallujah would be
the
recipients of IHH's
contributions.
IHH has also helped fill the void created by the departure of other,
more
brazen charitable
front groups, such as the now-banned Benevolence International
Foundation
(BIF). Only one
month before BIF was designated by the U.S. government as a terrorist
entity, Halil Demir - a
former BIF public relations officer who had traveled in the Caucasus on
official business for
the charity - established a new non-profit group (also based in Worth,
Illinois) known as The
Zakat Foundation of America (TZFA).55 According to its official
newsletter,
by mid-2003,
Demir's Zakat Foundation had sponsored at least two truck convoys
traveling
from Turkey to
Mosul, Kirkuk, and Baghdad carrying at least $120,000 in materiel "done
in
coordination with
IHH, a humanitarian organization based in Turkey. Portions of the
supplies
from [the]
second relief convoy were donated locally by individuals and businesses
in
Turkey."56 A photo
comparison of images posted on the TZFA's website demonstrate a
consistent
pattern of
material support to IHH - both in Iraq and Afghanistan.57 In one case,
supposed relief workers
wearing smocks marked with IHH's logo struggle to hold up a TZFA banner
for
a photo
while goods are distributed to Afghan refugees.58 In another instance
of
clear deception,
53 "IHH: Humanitarian Aid from Turkey to Fallujah."
http://www.ihh.org/english/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=102.
January 2005.
54 "IHH sends humanitarian aid to Fallujah." Anadolu News Agency
(Turkey).
December 21, 2004.
55 Biemer, John. "For Muslims, charity can carry risks." Chicago
Tribune.
July 13, 2005.
56 Zakat Foundation of America Summer 2003 Newsletter.
http://www.zakatfoundation.com/images/_dbpics/_uploads/Summer03.pdf.
57 http://www.thezakat.org/images/_dbpics/_PhotoGallery/08.jpg.
November
2005.
58 http://www.tzfa.org/qafg/afg13b.jpg. See also:
http://www.tzfa.org/p_qafgh01.html. November 2005.
DIIS WORKING PAPER 2006/7
14
photos published in TZFA's newsletter of truck convoys carrying relief
supplies from Turkey
to Sunni central Iraq were digitally tampered to remove the original
IHH
banner hung from
the vehicles, substituting it instead with a crude replacement reading
"The
Zakat
Foundation."59
Organizations such as IHH are quick to respond to natural disasters and
other human catastrophes.
Unfortunately, these groups often seek to use these situations to gain
leverage with
destitute Muslim refugees. In August 1999, when a devastating
earthquake
struck Turkey,
IHH reached the affected zones, in some cases, even before the Turkish
government. Friction
quickly grew between authorities tasked with relief and independent
Islamist
"humanitarian"
groups. Ultimately, Turkey was forced to ban the IHH from participating
in
earthquake aid
efforts because it was counted among several "fundamentalist
organizations"
operating "secret
bank accounts" that were refusing to allow local authorities to oversee
the
distribution of their
aid resources.60
A similar situation is now brewing in Pakistan following the
catastrophic
October 2005 earthquake.
Prompted into action by public anger at the slow pace of aid to local
refugees, a host of
religious extremist organizations have stepped forward in hopes of
filling
the void and presenting
themselves as populist alternatives to the secular rule of President
Pervez
Musharraf.
One such group is the political wing of the terrorist organization
Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) - an
entity formerly known as Markaz Dawa wal-Irshad and currently operating
under the name
"Jamat-ud-Dawa" ("The Islamic Missionary Movement").
The MDI/LeT was founded during the late 1980s as Muslims from across
Central
Asia and
the Middle East were fighting together against the Soviet invasion of
Afghanistan. After witnessing
the formation of organized mujahideen units in Afghanistan -
consequently -
a group
of Pakistani Muslim militants decided to "take[] a leaf from the book
of
[the] Afghans .
[and] lit the torch of Jihad movement."61 This new movement - which
became
eventually
known as Lashkar-e-Taiba (a.k.a. "The Army of the Pure", "The Army of
Madinah") - was
59 Zakat Foundation of America Summer 2003 Newsletter.
http://www.zakatfoundation.com/images/_dbpics/_uploads/Summer03.pdf.
See
also:
http://www.ihh.org.tr/images/photo/17/orig/180.jpg. November 2005.
60 Montgomery, Lori. "Muslims say Turkey impeding aid effort." The
Orange
County Register. August 29, 1999.
61 Taiba Bulletin (nadqpk@yahoo.com). "Subject: Eleven Years of
Lashker-e-Taiba." April 22, 2001.
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/muslimworldnews.
DIIS WORKING PAPER 2006/7
15
Part 4, the end.
DIIS WORKING PAPER 2006/7
15
comprised of both intellectual and military components. Markaz al-Dawa
wal
Irshad (MDI),
the political wing of the LeT, was established first in 1986 for the
purpose
of "organi[zing] the
Pakistanis participating in Afghan Jihad on one platform."62 According
to
internal documents
published by LeT, the Pakistani founders of MDI "had [the] full
co-operation
of Arab Mujahideen
who taught [them] the intricacies of Jihad and Qital [combat]."63 On
February 22, 1990,
a group of Pakistani clerics and mujahideen commanders led by Hafiz
Mohammed
Saeed
from the Ahl-e-Hadith movement in Pakistan "laid the foundation" for
the
MDI's military
wing (known as Lashkar-e-Taiba) with the joint establishment of their
Camp
Tango training
facility in Kunar Province, Afghanistan.64 According to both Hafiz
Mohammed
Saeed and
foreign recruits who joined Lashkar, one of the key individuals
responsible
for LeT's formation
and development was a prominent Saudi Al-Qaida member known as Shaykh
Abu
Abdel Aziz "Barbaros" (a.k.a. Abdelrahman al-Dosari).65
Since its inception in 1990, the MDI's military wing Lashkar-e-Taiba
has
participated in countless
guerilla attacks on Indian soldiers, bombings of civilian and military
targets in Jammu-
Kashmir, and terrorist assaults on civilian targets in India proper,
including a December 2000
attack on the Red Ford complex in Delhi, the Indian national capital.
Red
Fort is considered a
geographic landmark, featuring a museum and hosting thousands of
tourists
each year.
According to LeT sources, a two-man Lashkar fidayeen ("suicide
commando")
unit forced its
way into Red Fort, opening fire indiscriminately inside the ancient,
Mughal-built structure.
The fidayeen squad reportedly killed two people and seriously wounded
another - the senior
commander of LeT Hafiz Muhammad Saeed later declared that the Red Fort
attack was "a
symbolic activity" intended to force India into withdrawing from
Kashmir.66
In December
2001, the U.S. State Department officially named Lashkar-e-Taiba as a
designated Foreign
Terrorist Organization (FTO). In his public statement on the
designation,
U.S. Secretary of
State Colin Powell accused Lashkar of "seek[ing] to assault democracy,
undermine peace and
62 http://www.dawacenter.com/introduction/introduction.html. March 11,
2000.
63 Taiba Bulletin (nadqpk@yahoo.com). "Subject: Eleven Years of
Lashker-e-Taiba." April 22, 2001.
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/muslimworldnews.
64 Taiba Bulletin (nadqpk@yahoo.com). "Subject: Eleven Years of
Lashker-e-Taiba." April 22, 2001.
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/muslimworldnews.
65 "Hafiz Mohammed Saeed: Pakistan's heart of terror." Kashmir Herald.
Vol.
2; No. 2. July 2002. See also:
Author's interview of Randall Todd Royer.
66 From: "Abu Omar" (markazdawa@hotmail.com) [203.135.14.210].
"Subject:
Taiba Bulletin 23-12-2000."
Newsgroup posting on taiba_bulletin@egroups.com. December 24, 2000.
DIIS WORKING PAPER 2006/7
16
stability in South Asia, and destroy relations between India and
Pakistan."67 LeT's political
wing MDI was subsequently forced to change its name after it was
identified
in the same U.S.
government designation as a "Sunni anti-US missionary organization" and
part
of LeT's
"fraternal network."68
Though the organization (currently known as Jamat-ud-Dawa) remains
under the
lead of
Hafiz Mohammed Saeed, it has somehow managed to survive Pakistani
purges on
Islamic
militants - perhaps by publicly disavowing any direct link to
Lashkar-e-Taiba. Nonetheless,
Jamat-ud-Dawa continues to push forward the agenda of LeT, including
through
charitable
subsidiaries such as Idara Khidmat-e-Khalaq (a.k.a. "the Humanitarian
Services Institution").69
The mission behind the establishment of Idara Khidmat speaks volumes
about
the intentions
of its founders. According to the website of Jamat-ud-Dawa, Idara
Khidmat
was formed in
order to frustrate "certain hidden objectives" of other competing
relief
agencies from around
the world:
In particular the aid donor institutions funded by the western
countries are
busy
in preaching Christianity. They lure the people into meeting the basic
needs
of life
to convert their faith avoiding argumentation. Africa is a special
target of
these
Christian aid donor agencies. All the countries of South Asia in Middle
East
and
Central Asia, western missionaries are engaged in changing the faith.
Tsunami
was the worst catastrophe of this century that rocked many countries.
More
than
twenty hundred thousands peoples were dead and hundreds of thousands
were
rendered homeless. Many aid-giving agencies reached this hour with
their
hideous
traditional agenda and the news of their interest in making the people
Christian
instead of giving aid spread all over the world. Muslim orphan children
of
Ache
were sent to Christian educational institutes and literature of
Christianity
was
distributed. This conspiracy failed soon.70
67 U.S. Department of State, Office of the Spokesman. "Statement by
Secretary of State Colin L. Powell:
Designation of Foreign Terrorist Organizations."
http://usembassyaustralia.
state.gov/hyper/2001/1226/epf302.htm. December 26, 2001.
68 http://www.treas.gov/rewards/pdfs/terroristlists/list6.pdf. November
2005.
69 "Humanitarian and Social welfare Projects of Jama`at-ud-Da`awah."
http://www.jamatuddawa.org/English2/reliefservices.htm. August 15,
2005.
70 "Humanitarian and Social welfare Projects of Jama`at-ud-Da`awah."
http://www.jamatuddawa.org/English2/reliefservices.htm. August 15,
2005.
DIIS WORKING PAPER 2006/7
17
Indeed, in the aftermath of the Tsunami disaster in East Asia, Idara
Khidmat-e-Khalaq urged
charitable donations and emphasized "[s]ome of the scholars are saying
that
it is imperative
for all muslims do their bit for the relief efforts - for the sake of
humanity as well as to compete
with the non-muslim efforts."71 In order to accomplish that goal, Idara
Khidmat has likewise
established "partnerships" with other suspect fundamentalist charities
-
including the
previously discussed IHH in Turkey.72 The designated recipients of
support
from Idara
Khidmat admittedly include "relatives of martyrs" - presumably
referring to
the families of
Pakistani mujahideen killed while fighting in Afghanistan and
Kashmir.73
Despite having been quick in the past to crack down on some suspected
Arab-Afghan charitable
front groups like Mercy International, Pakistani officials have not
been as
eager to crush
the financial infrastructures of native militant groups like
Jamat-ud-Dawa/Lashkar-e-Taiba.
Despite having placed Jamat-ud-Dawa on a "terrorism watch list" in late
2003, Pakistani Interior
Minister Aftab Khan Sherpao recently conceded during an interview that
Jamat-ud-Dawa
had nonetheless prospered by playing a key role in "the lifeline of our
rescue and relief work."
Sherpao was quick to insist that Jamat-ud-Dawa was "only involved in
extensive charity work,
and their footprint now covers almost the entire quake-affected zone in
the
country."74 Sherpao's
comments reflect the surprising degree of deference paid to Hafiz
Mohammed
Saeed
and his colleagues by the Pakistani government. Perhaps Pakistani
President
Musharraf hopes
to blunt the wrath of fundamentalist Pakistani militants by permitting
them
to continue on in
a limited national role. Undoubtedly, given the desperation of
thousands of
Pakistani earthquake
refugees, he seeks to avoid being accused by "domestic Islamic
organizations" of
"attacking legitimate Islamic institutions and intentionally hampering
relief efforts."75
However, any strategy by Musharraf that offers legitimacy to
Lashkar-e-Taiba, Jamat-ud-
Dawa, or Idara al-Khidmat also carries with it major risks. One cannot
but
recall the prophetic
71 http://www.alhudapk.com/forum/get_topic.asp?FID=3&TID=1868&DIR=N.
January
17, 2005.
72
http://www.ihh.com/index.php?option=content&task=view&id=110&Itemid=104.
November 2005.
73 "Humanitarian and Social welfare Projects of Jama`at-ud-Da`awah."
http://www.jamatuddawa.org/English2/reliefservices.htm. August 15,
2005.
74 Lancaster, John and Kamran Khan. "Extremists Fill Aid Chasm After
Quake."
Washington Post. October 16,
2005.
75 January 1996 CIA Report on "International Islamic NGOs" and links to
terrorism. Pages 2-3. See also: Affidavit
by Senior Special Agent David Kane (Bureau of Immigration and Customs
Enforcement, Department of
Homeland Security). United States of America v. Soliman S. Biheiri.
United
States District Court for the Eastern
District of Virginia, Alexandria Division. Case #: 03-365-A. August 14,
2003. Page 2.
DIIS WORKING PAPER 2006/7
18
warning of the Bosnian Muslim Military Intelligence Service in 1995
about
the "polarizing"
effect of extremist NGOs and the "far reaching damaging consequences"
of
tolerating them.
In a time of national emergency, no genuine, unconditional aid can
logically
be refused. But
Pakistan must take care that a humanitarian disaster like October's
earthquake does not lead to
a manmade disaster fomented by religious fanatics emboldened by the
sudden
spread of their
populist message. At a time when Pakistan's government is increasingly
under
siege by fundamentalist
militants, it must take care to keep such NGOs and missionary charities
at
arms
length - to avoid inadvertently becoming their next victim.
Despite the intense public focus on the role of Islamic charitable
groups in
financing and recruiting
for terrorism following 9/11, those same organizations nonetheless
clearly
continue
to be manipulated by Usama Bin Laden and his global extremist allies.
Given
the underlying
complex web of financial and personal relationships, such agile front
groups
are notoriously
difficult to clean out or shut down. It is a challenge that has largely
defied past efforts aimed at
addressing it, including the much-lauded "central collecting agencies"
supposedly established
by Saudi Arabia and its Gulf neighbors. Indeed, when the CIA outlined a
number of suggested
strategies in 1996 for combating the infiltration of Islamic charities,
all
admittedly featured inherent
drawbacks. However, according to the CIA report, "when applied
consistently.
the
most successful [tactic] in halting illegal activities within NGOs" is
"arresting individual
members for terrorism or other illegal acts."76
There is some contemporary empirical evidence to back up that
conclusion:
certainly, following
9/11, the arrests and prosecutions of senior leaders from the
Benevolence
International
Foundation (BIF) and another designated entity - the Global Relief
Foundation (GRF) -
appear to have fatally crippled both of those organizations. Yet, the
counter-example of
former BIF Public Relations officer Halil Demir should serve to
underscore
that unless all of
the significant "bad actors" present within a given NGO are prosecuted
by
authorities, remaining
staff members are likely to immediately resurrect a would-be charity
with a
new
identity and simply resume their previous illicit activities - hardly a
silver bullet.
76 January 1996 CIA Report on "International Islamic NGOs" and links to
terrorism. Page 4. See also: Affidavit
by Senior Special Agent David Kane (Bureau of Immigration and Customs
Enforcement, Department of Homeland
Security). United States of America v. Soliman S. Biheiri. United
States
District Court for the Eastern
District of Virginia, Alexandria Division. Case #: 03-365-A. August 14,
2003. Page 2.
DIIS WORKING PAPER 2006/7
19
Rather, if one were to consider the situation from a more general
perspective than the CIA,
the best straightforward solution towards reducing the terrorist
exploitation of non-profit
NGOs seems to be investing resources in forming trained teams of
financial
investigators who
are vigilant in their mission and empowered to work within a
multi-agency
and multi-lateral
framework. Simply put, those officials tasked with the responsibility
of
overseeing suspect
NGOs must be equally as nimble, flexible, and thoughtful in their work
as
their adversaries.
Until such time as that is the case - no matter what specific
enforcement
approach they adopt
- European and North American governments will continue to lag behind
in the
struggle to
shut down these potentially lucrative avenues of international
terrorist
recruitment and
financing
Jer, it is so good to know that you are ok, I was beginning to worry.
Dig around in our thread, you will find many that fit your interests.
There are so many POW's that I am not up to date on them.
I did hear the son, of one of the Nigeria POW's, who was rejoicing that his father had been released.
Thanks for the link, glad to have you join in with us, as we muddle around the world, finding more evilness than we like.
Z text.......
Al-Zawahiri: Bush the 'butcher of Washington'
Monday, January 30, 2006; Posted: 3:43 p.m. EST (20:43 GMT)
Ayman al-Zawahiri appears in a video for the first time since one aired January 6. RELATED
The following is the translated text of the speech from Ayman al-Zawahiri, who appeared on video for the first time since a January 13 airstrike in Pakistan killed 18 people.
The text is as follows:
"The American airplanes, in collaboration with their agent of the Jews and the Crusaders, Musharraf, launched an airstrike on Damadola near Peshawar around the Eid al-Adha holiday, during which 18 Muslims -- men, women and children -- died in their fight against Islam, which they call terrorism. Their claim was to target this poor man and four of my brothers. The whole world discovered the lies as the Americans fight Islam and the Muslims. Before I discuss this incident, I have some messages to send out.
"My first message is to the butcher of Washington, Bush: You are not just defeated and lying about it, but you are, with God's help, a loser. You are bad luck to your people. You brought them disasters and catastrophes, and you will bring them even more disasters.
"Bush, you failed crusader, know that we are the nation of monotheism, which believes that no one is greater than God. He sent us a prophet and a book that was never edited like the other books before it. A unique book that defies anyone to come up with anything like it.
"I will meet my death when God wishes. But if my time hasn't come, you and all the Earth's forces can't change it, not even by a second.
"Bush, do you know where I am? I am among the Muslim masses enjoying their care with God's blessings and sharing with them their holy war against you until we defeat you, God willing.
"My second message is to the American people who are drowning in illusions. I tell you that Bush and his gangs are shedding your blood and wasting your money in frustrated adventures. The lion of Islam, Sheikh Osama bin Laden, offered you a decent exit from your dilemma, but your leaders, who are keen to accumulate wealth, insist on throwing you in battles and killing your souls in Iraq and Afghanistan and, God willing, on your own land.
"Your leaders responded that they do not negotiate with terrorists and that they are winning in their war on terrorism. I tell them, O' liars and greedy war merchants, who is pulling out of Iraq and Afghanistan, you or us? Whose soldiers are committing suicide out of desperation, you or us?
"To the American mother I say, if the defense ministry called you to tell you your son is coming back home in a coffin, remember Bush.
"To the British wife I say, if you got a call telling you your husband is coming back home with his body paralyzed, amputated or charred, remember Blair."
http://www.cnn.com/2006/WORLD/asiapcf/01/30/zawahiri.transcript/index.html
http://www.miafacts.org/sejna.htm
Wow! what a good example of the communist manifesto.
I lived thru too much of it, to believe the above website.
I do not know anything about Sejna, but I do know that the russians had our prisoners in russia and worked them to death, as well as the medical tests.
The russians are still bringing dope to America.
I would guess that the link is to an "Elect Kerry" group, I
did not check it for names and links.
Laughing, as I say you were correct, it is another view point on Senja.
http://www.diis.dk/graphics/Publications/WP2006/DIIS%20WP%202006-7.web.pdf
DANISH INSTITUTE FOR INTERNATIONAL STUDIES
STRANDGADE 56 . 1401 COPENHAGEN K . DENMARK
TEL +45 32 69 87 87 . diis@diis.dk . www.diis.dk
THE ROLE OF ISLAMIC CHARITIES IN INTERNATIONAL
TERRORIST RECRUITMENT AND FINANCING
Evan F. Kohlmann <<<<<<<<
This took 4 parts, to post it all, I did not want to jam your comments box, so am sending this reminder of the other 3 parts, now up to 2006.
"I will meet my death when God wishes. But if my time hasn't come,
you and all the Earth's forces can't change it, not even by a second.
"Bush, do you know where I am? I am among the Muslim masses
enjoying their care with God's blessings and sharing with them their
holy war against you until we defeat you, God willing. <<<<<
This is the real message in the tape.
I would think we are smart enough to find out what the second paragraph above means.
OHHH, does hiding in the masses, mean to hit a large group?
Thank you for finding the translation, wish I knew what it all means.
The Patriot Post
Founders' Quote Daily
"I will not believe our labors are lost. I shall not die without
a hope that light and liberty are on a steady advance."
-- Thomas Jefferson (letter to John Adams, 12 September 1821)
Reference: Thomas Jefferson: The Apostle of Americanism, Chinard
(517); original The Writings of Thomas Jefferson, Memorial
Edition, Lipsco
http://www.geostrategy-direct.com
China confirms North Korean illicit money activities
China's government has conducted a three-month investigation and
confirmed U.S. reports that North Korea was using a Macao bank to
conduct illicit counterfeiting and money laundering.
Diplomatic sources told South Korea's Chosun Ilbo that China is trying
to convince North Korea to stop the activities.
South Korean Deputy Foreign Minister Song Min-Sun and Chinese
counterpart Wu Dawei met in Beijing to discuss the issue.
Both represent their countries in six-party talks on North Korea's
nuclear program, which Pyongyang is boycotting because of U.S.
sanctions over the counterfeiting charge.
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