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RECAP:

Note: The following text is a quote:

http://www.jihadwatch.org/archives/017362.php

July 13, 2007

Report: Al Qaeda renewing efforts to sneak terror plotters into U.S.

“U.S. officials have expressed concern about the ease with which people can enter the United States through Europe because of a program that allows most Europeans to enter without visas.” Then that has to be stopped. Is that really so difficult to conceptualize?

From AP (thanks to Jeffrey Imm):

WASHINGTON (AP) — Al Qaeda is stepping up its efforts to sneak terror operatives into the United States and has acquired most of the capabilities it needs to strike here, according to a new U.S. intelligence assessment, The Associated Press has learned.

The draft National Intelligence Estimate is expected to paint an increasingly worrisome portrait of al Qaeda’s ability to use its base along the Pakistan-Afghan border to launch and inspire attacks, even as Bush administration officials say the U.S. is safer nearly six years into the war on terror.

Among the key findings of the classified estimate, which is still in draft form and must be approved by all 16 U.S. spy agencies:

# Al Qaeda is probably still pursuing chemical, biological or nuclear weapons and would use them if its operatives developed sufficient capability.

# The terror group has been able to restore three of the four key tools it would need to launch an attack on U.S. soil: a safe haven in Pakistan’s tribal areas, operational lieutenants and senior leaders. It could not immediately be learned what the missing fourth element is.

# The group will bolster its efforts to position operatives inside U.S. borders. In public statements, U.S. officials have expressed concern about the ease with which people can enter the United States through Europe because of a program that allows most Europeans to enter without visas.

The document also discusses increasing concern about individuals already inside the United States who are adopting an extremist brand of Islam.

Posted by Robert at July 13, 2007 10:47 AM

Note: The following post is a quote:

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1866899/posts

‘Pakistan’s nuclear crown jewels safe in military’s custody’
Daily Times ^ | Tuesday, July 17, 2007 | Khalid Hasan

Posted on 07/16/2007 4:40:29 PM PDT by Ernest_at_the_Beach

WASHINGTON: A Pakistani nuclear safety expert has claimed that the country’s “nuclear crown jewels” are safe in the hands of the army and cannot fall under the control of extremists or terrorists.

According to Lt Col Zafar Ali of Pakistan’s Strategic Plans Division, who spent four months at the Stimson Centre as a visiting fellow, if the “ Chinese government could maintain control of its nuclear weapons during the Cultural Revolution, Pakistan’s military can also maintain close watch and control over its nuclear crown jewels … The odds are still heavily in favour of the military maintaining strict command and control.”

In a paper Col Ali wrote at the conclusion of his assignment, he said Pakistan has a well structured command and control system and its export control law on sensitive material and technology is aligned with international standards and the non-proliferation regime.

He writes that the induction of new and sophisticated weapons in South Asia is destabilising as it could initiate an arms race. It is in Pakistan’s interest to reduce asymmetry in conventional forces to keep the nuclear threshold high. He calls the US-India civil nuclear deal an unhelpful development, since it creates an exception to non-proliferation rules and norms based on one country, rather than on specific criteria or energy needs.

Col Ali notes that over the past couple of years there has been a renewed emphasis by Washington and some Western countries that nuclear weapons and materials in South Asia especially in Pakistan are vulnerable to terrorists’ or extremists’ control – “a seemingly deliberate effort to undermine the credibility of Pakistan’s command and control”. He admits that like any other country, Pakistan also faces terrorist threats from non-state actors or extremist groups operating in the region and beyond; however, the dangers to nuclear assets and materials are not as grave as perceived in the West.

Col Ali agrees that media reports on Dr AQ Khan’s non-state network raised lingering suspicions, as a consequence overshadowing Pakistan’s efforts to harness a coherent command and control system. The security environment of the region and the innate opacity and lack of information about the Pakistani nuclear programme further provoke worries. Although Pakistan has put in place effective remedies to prevent the recurrence of past malpractice, no nation can be satisfied as improvement is a continuous phenomenon.

“The question arises as to why Pakistan is regarded as suspect. There are three reasons: firstly, the legacy of AQ Khan’s proliferation network; secondly, Pakistan’s proximity to the region where Al Qaeda and Taliban remnants are located; and thirdly because of religious conservatism in Pakistani society. Pakistan’s nuclear assets are under custodial control and weak links in management and oversight have been addressed to prevent the recurrence of any proliferation activity. While Al Qaeda and the Taliban have no direct bearing on Pakistan’s nuclear assets, the threat from their affiliates and extremist groups is genuinely worrisome. Nevertheless, instances of illicit trafficking of nuclear material and loss of control over nuclear assets in other countries should not be made a basis to raise suspicions over Pakistan’s nuclear assets.”