Posted on 10/02/2006 5:24:11 AM PDT by fanfan
A letter found when al-Qaeda's chief in Iraq was killed said the group's leadership was based in Waziristan, Pakistan, the Washington Post reports.
The December 2005 missive is said to be the first to emerge from what the US military calls a "treasure trove" after Abu Musab al-Zarqawi's death in June.
It was reportedly sent by a member of Osama Bin Laden's high command, who said he wrote from Waziristan.
Bin Laden is suspected of hiding along the Afghan-Pakistani border.
If accurate, the letter would confirm the location of the al-Qaeda leadership at the time it was written, the newspaper said.
'Wish to advise'
The missive was uncovered from Iraqi safe houses at the time of Zarqawi's death in a US air strike, according to the Washington Post.
A 15-page English translation of the Arabic document was released last week by a US military counter-terrorism centre, the paper reported.
I am with them and they have some comments about some of your circumstances "Atiyah"
The author said he was writing from al-Qaeda headquarters in the restive border region, where Taleban and al-Qaeda fugitives have been active.
The paper said the letter was signed by "Atiyah," whom counter-terrorism officials believe is Atiyah Abd al Rahman, a 37-year-old Libyan who joined Bin Laden during the 1980s.
"I am with them," the letter says.
"And they have some comments about some of your circumstances."
The letter described the difficulty of direct communications between Waziristan and Iraq, and suggested it was easier for Zarqawi to send a representative to Pakistan than the other way around, the Washington Post reported.
It also warned Zarqawi that he risked removal as the leader in Iraq if he continued to alienate Sunni leaders and rival insurgent groups, the paper said.
The "brothers wish that they had a way to talk to you and advise you, and to guide and instruct you; however, they too are occupied with vicious enemies here," Atiyah reportedly wrote.
"They are also weak. And we ask God that He strengthen them and mend their fractures."
Counter-terrorism officials reportedly deemed the document authentic.
'Laughing hijackers'
The report comes a day after the release of a video purportedly showing the ringleader of the 9/11 attacks.
British newspaper the Sunday Times posted the video, which has no sound, on its website.
Dated January 2000, it shows ringleader Mohammed Atta and fellow hijacker Ziad Jarrah talking and laughing, and speaking to the camera.
The Sunday Times said the video was made in Afghanistan for release after their deaths.
I disagree with your approach for the simple reason of it being ineffective. I would honestly promote democracy, even if it meant the rise of fundies. The fundies then are then constrained by all sorts of international treaties. If they don't follow them, we have the right to bomb them back to the stone age (oh wait, that would be an advancement for them).
Take two examples. Afghanistan - don't forget - the whole world was with us when we bombed Afghanistan. And see how ineffective Hamas has become since it came to power.
Applying that to Pakistan, I would let Mush hang himself. And then when the fundies come to power, join India in making Pakistan a decent country again. It will be painful, but in the long run, better for the whole world. And much better than having a cowardly (not brave) lying deceitful Mush in power.
These initiatives indicate that the process of pacification is advancing in Iraq, Afghanistan, and Pakistan.
If it were only that easy. Pakistan is sitting on dozens of tested nuclear weapons with working delivery systems. Saudi Arabia is stitting on the world's largest oil reserves, and is the home to the top Muslim holy site. This isn't the Sudan or Algeria we're talking about here. These are places that can push back, and push hard.
Have we become a nation of sissies? Think Saudi or Pakistan can come even close to the threat of Germany during WWII? Leave alone the threat of Japan plus Germany?
The Germans and Japanese were really smart and courageous people. Led by morons, but people themselves were smart. In contrast, The Pakis are cowards and copycats. They cried uncle every time India fought them. Lost Bangladesh in 1971, and India could have zapped them during Kargil in 1998 (? not sure of the year). They ran to Clinton, if he had not intervened, India may have liberated Kashmir by now. Their missiles and nukes are all Chinese.
Have we now as a nation sunk to the level of being concerned about such punks?
As far as Paki nukes, they can be taken out. Have you not noted that no one, not Mush or Bush, has even mentioned them in two years? Makes me wonder if they already have been taken out.
"People live at 17,000 feet where you and I cannot even breathe. "
Incorrect on two counts:
1. They live in altitudes of 6,000 feet, not 17,000 feet. See link
http://www.khyber.org/places/archives/sites_and_sounds-archive-4-2005.shtml
2. I have been up to 21,000 feet, and had no problems breathing.
People hype the dangers of Waziristan - it is lawless, but not impossible from a physical point of view. If the Indian army could destroy the Pakis in Kashmir, where it is much higher, this cannot be too difficult. Maybe the US and Pakistan should allow India to take charge here, if they can't do it.
Actually Saudi Ownership of Mecca & Medina is a contentious issue for many Muslims.It should have been under Jordanian control as it was till 1914.The Saudis have in one sense tried to legitimise their occupation by spreading extremism.
We discussed this earlier..
What a joke! Never happen. If you think you have superior informatiohn, too bad your solution is so far fetched.
Solutions are only too far fetched for those with limited imagination. People said human flight was also too far fetched. And no one a 100 years ago thought cars could travel more than 30 mph.
Ummm, there are several parts of Pakistan not controled by anybody but the local tribes. This is where Al Qaeda operates.
What are you smoking bud? You are tryly delusional.
Those local tribes in the North-West have as much independence as Islamabad allows them to have.It's naive to think that they run the place & poor Islamabad can't do anything about it.Pakistan has an incredibly efficient administrative mechanism when it comes to forcing it's will on others -witness the ruthless suppression in erstwhile East Pakistan,Sindh,Baluchistan,"Azad" Kashmir & the Northern Areas bordering Tibet.It suits Islamabad to leave the NWFP as it esp giving it greater deniability when it comes to interfering in Afghanistan.
If those N-W areas are only where AQ operates,explain why do all those bigwigs who Pakistan routinely arrests,turn up in big cities like Karachi,Peshawar & Lahore?????
I'm smoking reality unlike you who is just too stupid.
You give yourself too much credit with your analogy to the invewntion of flight. People dreamed of flying and had many ideas before they hit on one that worked. Your proposal sounds more like the myth of Daedalus and Icarus than the Wright brothers.
Gee, they show up outside of the tribal areas, they have a fair chance of gettin' arrested. Kinda proves my point.
Err,most of the Pakistani sources have said that they spend most of their time in the cities.
For a so-called ex-professor, you are just too stupid too argue with. And for goodness sake, learn to type - your posts are full of typo's. And finally, don't lie - just because you want it to be, 17,000 feet is not the same as 6,000 feet.
Okay. Then I'm wrong. What next? Pull the plug on Mushie and let even more radical folks take over? See if we can work with India and turn it into a radioactive wasteland?
The point here is not me being wrong or you being right.It is to understand that things in Pakistan are not as simplistic as they seem.As long as the bulk of the army ie. Corp Commanders stay loyal to Musharraf,nothing can rock the boat.Radical Islamism is still rare among Pakistan's officer corps-it's more a phenomenon common amongst common soldiers.The point being,a "radical" takeover of Pakistan is not as simple as it seems-the Extremists need to take on the army or a good part of the army & the army holds most of the numbers on most of the Islamic groups in Pakistan.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.