Posted on 11/20/2002 1:34:32 AM PST by kattracks
QUANTICO, Va. - The six terrorists zapped by a Predator drone in Yemen two weeks ago were caught in the cross hairs after one gave away their position by carelessly using a mobile phone, an official said yesterday.The way the U.S. zeroed in on the Al Qaeda crew came up incidentally yesterday as Pentagon trainers briefed soldiers and reporters heading to the gulf in the event there is a war.
Air Force Lt. Col. Sam Hudspath told reporters that cellular and satellite phones would be barred to prevent the enemy from zeroing in on them and cited the spectacular strike on a car in the Yemeni desert.
When Abu Ali, a key Osama Bin Laden lieutenant, was vaporized with five colleagues in his sport-utility vehicle by a Hellfire missile, "the targeting was from the use of a cell phone," Hudspath said.
Even though Al Qaeda operatives have stopped using cell phones because they have figured out that U.S. counterterror forces are "reading their mail," they can't always help themselves - as the Yemeni operation demonstrated.
Administration officials say Ali's death warrant was sealed when a supersecret National Security Agency communications satellite intercepted a phone call with an electronic "signature" that was being watched for by U.S. eavesdroppers.
Ali, whose real name was Ali Qaed Senyan al-Harthi and who allegedly masterminded the Cole bombing, made the call at a farm he owns, then got in the car with six men.
A Predator plane high in the sky tracked their progress, then unleashed the Hellfire, vaporizing the vehicle.
Yemeni officials revealed yesterday that one man left the car moments before it exploded and got away. The fugitive, whose name was not revealed, is being hunted.
Similarly, even though he knew better, Ramzi Binalshibh, a senior Al Qaeda official who was snatched this year in Pakistan, made an indiscreet cell phone call that was picked up by U.S. intelligence. That security breach, sources said, led directly to his capture.
"They know they shouldn't do it," one official said, "but sometimes they think they've been so careful that they figure one call won't make a difference."
That's why U.S. resources continue to be heavily invested in electronic monitoring even though the chances of success are not what they once were.
Ironically, some U.S. officials believe that the Yemeni whack was a bittersweet success because of the information Ali could have provided if taken alive.
"Grabbing them is always preferable to blowing them up," one official said. "But if it's a choice between losing them or blowing them up, you blow them up."
With Thomas M. DeFrank
New motto for the UAV/Hellfire teams "reach out and torch someone"
The last thing he heard was the NSA operator saying, "Thank you for using AT&T and go to hell."
Garde la Foi, mes amis! Jamais reculez á tyrannie un pouce!
(Keep the Faith, my friends! Never give an inch to tyranny!)
LonePalm, le Républicain du verre cassé (The Broken Glass Republican)
OTOH, it could also be disinformation, as Mindbender26 points out.
"Fog of war", and all that.
As I've previously mentioned, I intend to push my son towards a degree and career in EE in the hopes of being able to build countermeasures to the world that's coming.
Bump to that.
LTC Sam should be dragged outside and severely beaten. So should whoever gave this information to a PIO puke. Have ANY of these people ever heard the old saw,"You NEVER give up sources OR methods!"?
He blowed up good, he blowed up REAL good.
You say, "Remember who the military is talking to - media people being prepared for coverage of the war. This is a perfect excuse to keep cell and satellite phones out of their hands during coverage.
The actual method of pinpointing the car was not use of cell phone transmission. Some method was used that has not been revealed IMO."
This "disclosure" may, if anything, help discourage any TV, print or photo-journalists from leaving the media pool, go wilding across the desert in search of a story and using their sat and cell phones during future action in Iraq. Journalists outside the media pool that use cell and sat phones during times of combat will bring undo enemy or US military attention to their position and this could result in a serious accident.
Desert Storm I and the Afghanistan campaign have been marked with unfortunate friendly fire accidents. When the media is roaming around unsupervised and attracting ELINT attention, there's a higher chance that innocent people will be killed or injured. The enemy doesn't care if they kill journalists in war zones and we are trying to forewarn them of the danger. The military is just trying to be subtle.
jriemer
I'm sure Pablito would agree.
Abu, what was that number again?...1...8...0...9...H...E...L...L...F...I...R
HUMINT confirmation of the target, move killer drones into position and viola !...... dead tangos !
Stay Safe and IMO if yer gonna do it don't talk about it !
I wonder if the Al Quada folks think it matches the real Hell-Fires they may be experiencing for real (as in the real Hell and the fires thereof).
Yep.
I know that this administration has proven it can play the press like a bass fiddle but this stuff makes me reeeeeal uncomfortable. OPSEC = STFU.
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