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Top 1695. May 6, 2002 12:28 AM

» JenL_2 - Re: Terror alert for Europe

In response to message posted by BPyles:

Betty - Wow that is very ominous news! I noticed that you posted a similar terror alert of al-Qaeda hostage taking in Germany on 4/26:

I can't find anything on the net about this. Now it's expanded to an alert for all of Europe? And we know that countries can't negotiate with hostage-takers....otherwise it just increases future hostage-taking. Very scary - very ominous indeed.....IMHO the European governments should make a pre-emptive public statement to warn the public to take precautions - and to tell the hostage-takers unequivocally that they aren't going to negotiate for the release of hostages.......Jen

-- posted by JenL_2

Top 1696. May 6, 2002 3:44 AM

» rasputin101 - Good Morning USA

A little something to get your heart started this morning.

TIME MAG: Saddam Working Feverishly to Build Nuclear Bomb; Hussein Preparing for Attack...

http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0...

and if that isn't enough...

Warren Buffett predicts major nuclear event in this country virtually a certainty

Billionaire Predicts Nuclear Attack
Sun May 5,10:28 PM ET
By JOE RUFF, Associated Press Writer

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) - Investment guru Warren Buffett (news - web sites) offered a bleak prediction for the nation's national security, saying a terrorist attack on American soil is "virtually a certainty."

Envy and dislike of the United States have fueled rage against the country even as the ability to build a nuclear device has spread, Buffett said Sunday at the final day of Berkshire Hathaway Inc.'s annual meeting.

"We're going to have something in the way of a major nuclear event in this country," said Buffett, the firm's chief operating officer. "It will happen. Whether it will happen in 10 years or 10 minutes, or 50 years ... it's virtually a certainty."

Washington and New York would be the top two targets because terrorists want to traumatize the country and kill as many people as possible, Buffett said.

Chemical or biological attacks are similarly high risks, Buffett said.

Buffett is the second-richest man in the world with holdings in Coca-Cola Co., American Express and The Washington Post, but his main business is insurance.

Berkshire Hathaway's insurance companies — particularly General Re Corp. — took a $2.4 billion underwriting loss because of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks in New York and Washington.

The companies are now writing policies on terrorism but limiting their liability in any nuclear, biological or chemical attack. Only the federal government can ultimately insure property and other damage from a major terrorist attack, Buffett said.

The 71-year-old Buffett and vice chairman Charlie Munger met with the news media the day after they spent six hours answering questions from some of the more than 10,000 Berkshire shareholders gathered for the annual meeting.

-- posted by rasputin101

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/artic...

Top 1697. May 6, 2002 8:13 PM

» Steven_Russell - rocket attack at Khost airport, early Mon., Day 212

Fresh rocket attack near US base in Afghanistan

AFP [ MONDAY, MAY 06, 2002 12:16:03 PM ]

BAGRAM AIR BASE: Three rockets exploded within several hundred metres of a US-led coalition base in eastern Afghanistan early Monday but there were no casualties, a military spokesman said.

US Major Bryan Hilferty said the apparent attack occurred around 2:00 am (0930 GMT Sunday) at the airport in Khost, a major staging point for ongoing operations against al-Qaeda and Taliban extremists.

"In Khost ... three rockets exploded within several hundred meters from coalition forces, near the base. There were no injuries," he said.

The base in Khost came under fire on Thursday, possibly from mortars, while an unconfirmed report from the Afghan Islamic Press said there was another rocket attack overnight Saturday.

Khost has also seen fighting between rival warlords recently, and it is unclear who has been firing in the vicinity of the coalition base.

Hilferty said coalition troops sweeping suspected extremist lairs in the eastern mountains had found significant stores of weapons.

"Also in eastern Afghanistan, coalition and Afghan military forces discovered and confiscated a large cache of rockets, mortar and machine gun ammunition ... We also found four trucks of ammunition in this area," he said.

-- posted by Steven_Russell

Top 1698. May 6, 2002 11:36 PM

» JenL_2 - Re: Indonesian Front

More on the Indonesian Front....finally some positive news that Indonesia might be starting to tougher on terrorism....a series of articles from Singapore's Straits Times:

5/4 - Jakarta arrests leader of Islamic militant group

Chief of Laskar Jihad faces charges of inciting sectarian violence in Ambonand attempting to undermine a truce

By Robert Go
STRAITS TIMES INDONESIA BUREAU

JAKARTA - Indonesian police yesterday arrested the head of a major radical Islamic group, charging him with stoking recent sectarian violence in the strife-torn island of Ambon and attempting to undermine a government-brokered truce signed in February.

Police spokesman Saleh Saaf confirmed to The Sunday Times that officers nabbed Jaffar Umar Thalib, commander of the militant Laskar Jihad group, and seven of his followers at Surabaya's Djuanda Airport.

He faces charges of plotting against the government and insulting the dignity of the Indonesian President and Vice-President, which carry maximum jail sentences of seven and six years respectively.

The arrests may spark fresh unrest in Ambon, capital of Maluku province, where security personnel reportedly fired warning shots to break up clashes between rival groups of Muslims and Christians.

Reports here said that two people died and at least 15 were injured in the clashes in the Trikora suburb of the city.

Analysts hailed the arrest and argued that President Megawati Sukarnoputri's government may well have improved its standing among those who have been pressing Indonesia to get tougher on fighting terrorism and controlling its domestic extremist threats.

Jaffar's Laskar Jihad has emerged as one of the most visible representatives of radical Islam in Indonesia and is alleged to have had links with Osama bin Laden's Al-Qaeda terror network.

The Java-based group is blamed for intensifying the sectarian conflict in Maluku after thousands of its 'fighters' arrived there two years ago to 'protect fellow Muslims'.

More than 5,000 people, both Muslims and Christians, have died in the province since fighting started in January 1999.

Representatives from both sides signed a peace pact - one that Jaffar opposed - in February. The province remains under civil-emergency status, but sporadic episodes of violence over the last few weeks have undermined the fragile peace.

The police's main evidence against Jaffar is a tape of a speech at a rally in which he encouraged Muslims to go to war against Christians. Two days later, on April 28, 13 Christians villagers in Ambon were found dead.

According to a report in The Jakarta Post, he had also previously vowed to kill Ms Megawati and relatives of her father, Indonesia's founding president Sukarno.

Inspector-General Saleh said: 'The case against Jaffar is clear cut. We have the evidence we need.'

Officials were previously reluctant to arrest Jaffar because of concerns it could trigger a backlash from supporters - said to number 10,000 - and other radicals who support his cause.

Analysts acknowledged that the government may have been in a dilemma: Men like Jaffar have a sizeable following among the population, but they need to be dealt with as they also contribute to Indonesia's security risks.

Cracking down on figures like Jaffar will also help convince Indonesia's neighbours and foreign investors of its commitment to improve the domestic and regional security situation.

LASKAR JIHAD: The group and its leader

EAST Java-born Jaffar Umar Thalib, the 41-year-old leader of the radical Laskar Jihad group, is the seventh of eight children. His father Umar Thalib was a veteran of Indonesia's independence war who later ran a religious boarding school.

Jaffar insists that the mission of his supposedly 10,000-strong group, founded in early 2000, is to forge a spiritual form of jihad through preaching, not fighting. But he has also warned that his volunteers are prepared for 'attacks by enemies'.

In the 1980s, while studying at an Islamic college in Pakistan, he joined the Afghan Mujahideen in the war against the Soviet forces.

He claims to have once shot down five Soviet helicopters with a single rocket- propelled grenade.

He says he met Osama bin Laden in Pakistan in 1987, but did not want any dealings with him because he 'knew nothing about true religion'.

Some US officials say Osama's Al-Qaeda network could be helping Laskar Jihad.

But Jaffar says he turned down an offer of assistance from Al-Qaeda last August.

The group is reportedly involved in, or have instigated, violence in places such as Ambon, the Malukus, Poso in Central Sulawesi and Papua province.

But its efforts in February to gain a foothold in Aceh failed after the separatist rebels there insisted they were not fighting a religious war.

5/2 -Jakarta to sign pact to fight terror

JAKARTA - Indonesia, criticised for not being aggressive enough in the war against terror, announced yesterday that it would sign an anti-terror agreement with Malaysia and the Philippines next week.

Foreign Minister Hassan Wirajuda told reporters that the agreement would likely be signed in Kuala Lumpur on May 7.

'This is part of efforts to strengthen the legal framework in our cooperation to fight terrorism,' he said.

Thailand may join the pact later, he added.

The agreement would allow exchanges of intelligence information, joint anti-terrorism exercises as well as collective operations to hunt suspected terrorists, he said.

Indonesia, the world's largest Muslim nation, has been under fire for not coming down hard enough on radical Muslim groups and individuals with suspected links to terrorists. -- Reuters

compared to these reports a few days earlier....

4/30 -Muslim militia in Maluku untouchable

The authorities are unwilling to crack down on the Laskar Jihad because of its perceived military and political support

By Marianne Kearney
STRAITS TIMES INDONESIA BUREAU

JAKARTA - Backing for Laskar Jihad from rogue members of the military and the apparent support of powerful politicians and Muslim parties have made the paramilitary group virtually untouchable.

On Sunday, about a dozen masked men armed with guns, grenades and daggers attacked the Christian villages of Soiya and Ahoru, just outside Ambon, capital of Maluku.

They torched about 30 homes and a church, killing at least 14 people.

Christian groups accused Laskar Jihad of carrying out the attack.

They have called for a crackdown on the group, blamed for fuelling the three-year-long conflict between Christians and Muslims in Maluku.

However, none of the authorities have indicated they will expel or disarm the group, whose presence contravenes the recent peace agreement.

One security analyst said military leaders and the Maluku government were afraid of cracking down because of a perception that its leader Jafar Umar Thalib has widespread support.

A diplomat remarked: 'When you have Jafar Thalib photographed with Hamzah Haz, it convinces a lot of people that he supports him.'

He was referring to meetings that the militia commander had with Mr Hamzah immediately after the latter was sworn in as Vice-President and again when Laskar Jihad members were arrested for abducting a politician.

Other Muslim political leaders were probably giving the group tacit support to keep Islamic parties on their side and to put political pressure on President Megawati Sukarnoputri, some analysts said.

They pointed out that a failure of the Malino peace agreement between Christians and Muslims would damage her credibility and that of her Cabinet, particularly Chief Security Minister Bambang Susilo Yudhoyono.

Under the Malino peace accord, the authorities agreed to rid Maluku of outside groups which were inciting sectarian violence.

The Java-based Laskar Jihad, which set off publicly in 2000 to wage a holy war in Maluku after receiving military training, fits the description, say Christian leaders.

'We need a crackdown on Laskar Jihad,' said Pastor Cornelius Bohm of the Christian Crisis Centre.

On Friday, he had predicted that a fiery speech from Jafar calling for a war on Christians would fuel more violence.

Indonesian papers initially blamed the military for the raid as the attackers wore black face masks and military uniforms and were equipped with military-issued M-16 rifles and bayonets.

But foreign observers disagreed, pointing out that obtaining military-issued weapons in Maluku was not difficult and that the attack could have been carried out by individuals disguised in military uniforms.

'Laskar Jihad could have been totally involved as it would suit their purposes,' said one foreign observer.

National police chief Da'i Bachtiar said yesterday that investigations would be carried out into whether Laskar Jihad was responsible.

The military, reeling from the reports suggesting its involvement, has called for martial law in Maluku.

Army chief Endriartono Sutarto said only that would give the military the power to restore security

4/30 - Jakarta groups took millions from Al-Qaeda

Militant Muslim bodies admit receiving cash from Osama's terror network, but insist there were no strings attached

By Devi Asmarani
STRAITS TIMES INDONESIA BUREAU

JAKARTA - Several militant Muslim groups in Indonesia have admitted receiving millions of dollars in funds from Al-Qaeda, but said that there were 'no strings attached'.

At least five radical outfits interviewed by The Straits Times said that individuals within their organisations had received money which was channelled to them by 'intermediaries' - local and foreign - with contacts to Osama bin Laden's terrorist outfit.

Millions of dollars are said to have been given to these groups over the last five years, with some continuing to receive money even after the Sept 11 attacks on the United States.

Sources said that some of these groups included the Islamic Defender's Front (FPI), Majelis Mujahidin Council, the Islamic Youth Movement and Laskar Jihad.

One of the FPI leaders, Iqbal Siregar, told The Straits Times: 'At the organisational level, we do not accept anything from Al-Qaeda.

'But on a personal level, I do know that several people have been offered money, although they would not say openly that it is from Al-Qaeda. I don't think they would be so stupid as to declare where the money came from.

'The money is given to help further the religious cause in our country - and not to join the Al-Qaeda network.'

Most groups here insisted that they took the money because there were no conditions imposed.

Habib Rizik Shihab, the head of the FPI, which is notorious for its violent attacks on entertainment joints around the country, said: 'Its money is halal. It doesn't try to interfere in our organisation's internal affairs - why shouldn't we accept its money?

Well-placed sources said that groups established more recently, such as the FPI, Laskar Jundullah, Laskar Hizbullah and the Majelis Mujahiddin Indonesia (MMI), which is pushing for the imposition of Islamic law in Indonesia, were among those in 'contact with Osama's people'.

The MMI is headed by Muslim preacher Abu Bakar Bashir, allegedly one of the leaders of the regional Al-Qaeda-linked Jemaah Islamiah network. He has denied such links.

Another group, the Darul Islam, claims to have accepted over 1.2 billion rupiah (S$230,000) from Al-Qaeda last year, to fund anti-Christian operations in Indonesia.

One of its leaders, Al Chaidar, said it was given the money as the group had sent many of its members to fight against the Russians in Afghanistan during the 1980s.

But the Laskar Jihad, which has been sending its warriors to fight Christians in Maluku, said it had rejected financial offers from Al-Qaeda since before Sept 11.

Said the group's spokesman Eko Raharjo: 'We rejected it because Osama's understanding of Islam contradicts ours. We don't support his calls for uprising against legitimate governments - our backgrounds are different.'

But sources said that the paramilitary group, whose leader Ja'far Umar Thalib fought with the Afghan mujahidin in the late 1980s, had received over 200 million rupiah from militant outfits in several countries, includ- ing Libya, Yemen, Saudia Arabia, Pakistan and Afghanistan.

Moderate Muslims said these groups should not have accepted the money, even if it was to support their cause, as it could get the country tangled in the terrorist network's web.

'I am concerned that Indonesia will become the next target in the terrorist network because of the acts of several groups who are just looking for money,' said an executive from the country's largest Muslim group, the Nahdlatul Ulama.

Big changes in a few days - IMHO there's been some pretty hefty arm-twisting of Indonesia going on behind the scenes by fellow ASEAN countries - Singapore & Malaysia as well as the U.S. Lot's of parallels can be drawn to the situation in Pakistan. First they say they can't get tough on Islamic militants for fear of sparking an uprising of Muslim hard-liners...but when they finally do crack down on extremists the response from the Muslim majority isn't as bad as expected. We'll see how they do....we'll see if Indonesians choose jobs over jihad....Jen

-- posted by JenL_2

Top 1699. May 7, 2002 10:01 PM

» JenL_2 - Re: War on Terrorism or The New Great Game?

More on our War on Terrorism turning into an arena for selling US weapons from 5/8 Asia Times:

ASEAN's military buildup threatens detente with China

By Alan Boyd

Resurgent arms spending in Southeast Asia threatens to derail detente efforts with China as US pressure forces a strategic polarization with the shrinking communist bloc. Terrorism has provided a convenient peg for overhauling weapon systems that in some cases have been in active use since the Vietnam War. But the real target, say military analysts, is China's emerging economic clout.

Fearing intensified rivalry for natural resources, the 10 Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) members will commit at least US$3 billion this year to weapon-modernization programs. That is double the average yearly expenditure in the decade prior to the 1997 financial upheaval, though economic pressures mean that much of the current package will actually be spread over two years.

There is also a disproportionate share credited to Malaysia, which reputedly has a war chest of $2 billion to spend on multipurpose fighter jets, battlefield tanks, helicopters and submarines. It has already spent $400 million on an air-defense system and portable rocket launders.

Singapore is looking for a replacement for its 50 A-4 interceptor fighter planes and wants to upgrade its F-5 squadrons. Thailand has added more used F-16s, is refurbishing its own F-5s and plans to lease two submarines. The Philippines wants to restart a $1.9 billion refurbishment program dating from 1996 that has been delayed by economic problems. Included in the order books are 24 new multi-role fighters, 19 used Skyhawk fighters, ground radar and maritime patrol aircraft. Indonesia has completed a delivery of Hawk combat planes and trainers that was disrupted by a human rights embargo but is still finalizing a Russian order for multi-role fighter planes and helicopters worth $650 million and separate plans for 24 patrol planes. Yet only in the Philippines, locked in a war of attrition with Muslim separatists, can a direct terrorism link be established. The US is expected to supply field weapons and equipment worth $250 million as part of its joint operation with Manila against the Abu Sayyaf movement.

Rather, ASEAN is taking a broader perspective that assumes background tensions between Japan and China will gradually split the region into two shadow alliances. Washington, standing firmly behind the Japanese, has used the terrorism threat as an effective lever for restoring the strategic balance: Southeast Asia has been told in uncertain terms that it must take sides. The problem is that ASEAN is working to a security script that was drafted during the days of Cambodian shuttle diplomacy, when the Cold War presented an identifiable enemy - even if it was hard to spot the good guys at times.

China, driven by its bitter ideological feud with the Soviet Union, was then a fringe member of the US alliance that backed the three non-communist factions against the Vietnamese and their Eastern Bloc allies. Now Vietnam has reluctantly been caught up in ASEAN's swing to the US and the Chinese are the new bogey. But Southeast Asia isn't totally sure what to do next.

One peristent obstacle is that the ASEAN members are also economic rivals, and they have their share of neighborly squabbles, usually over scarce resources such as oil and fish. Consequently, most states tend to keep a close eye on their closest borders when they buy weapons and there is a tendency to put image ahead of practicality. So Thailand has a helicopter carrier that is too expensive to operate. Malaysia, Indonesia and Thailand should be using light patrol craft in their shallow waters but insist on buying unsuitable submarine fleets.

Competition was evident as far back as the early 1990s, when Indonesia and Thailand bought advanced F-16 fighter planes because Singapore had leased - and later purchased - its own squadron of the jets.

Undoubtedly some ASEAN defense forces are badly in need of a make-over. The Philippines, for instance, has only 11 airworthy combat planes and one naval frigate to enforce its territorial waters. But of equal concern is the inadequacy of Southeast Asia's security strategy, which is limited to a vague commitment to protect territorial boundaries and has no collective vision.

Malaysia's aggressive arms buildup suggests that the unilateral approach will continue, even as Southeast Asia begins to take a belated look at the deeper implications of China's spectacular economic rise. The Malaysian armed services are under-equipped, with 60 combat aircraft including trainers, four frigates and no main battle tanks. On a comparative population basis, only the Philippines forces are smaller.

There is also some truth to Malaysia's contention that it is merely resuming a procurement program that was disrupted by the financial crisis. Certainly the fighter plans were tentatively announced several years ago. But logically, a nation of 18 million does not need a weapons consignment of this magnitude unless it anticipates a pressing security threat or intends to cast its defense net over a much wider area. Kuala Lumpur does have border disputes with Indonesia, Thailand and China, including an unresolved claim over part of the Spratly Islands in the South China Sea that is contested by Beijing and several other ASEAN states.

However, it is unlikely Malaysia will ever be in a position to take defensive action, even with the addition of multipurpose fighter planes that might offer increased range, as it has restricted naval support and no tanker aircraft for midair refueling. Thus it can be assumed that the Malaysians perceive a far greater threat that could only be resolved in consort with other states within ASEAN. And the United States also probably does, although it is unlikely to admit as much.

Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohammad has softened his abrasive anti-American rhetoric since terrorist cells were unearthed in his own back yard, though he is probably not ready to embrace Washington in a defense alliance. More likely, he wants to send a message to China and any other countries with regional ambitions that at least one ASEAN country is getting serious about defense, even if the rest of the region can't make up its collective mind.

Singapore, with the highest per capita spending in Southeast Asia, actually went down that path long ago, and now has a highly capable force. But the reaction by conservative Malaysia will have far greater ramifications. Viewed by some as former Indonesian president Suharto's natural successor at the helm of ASEAN, Mahathir has been pushing since 1999 for a security pact that would involve all Asian countries, including potential foes China and Japan. Ironically, he saw the alliance as a way of averting the sort of "wasteful expenditure on arms" that he rightly saw as a natural consequence of improving economic conditions.

That initiative never went anywhere because it shut out the US, which among other things is a close economic partner and supplies most weapons in use in ASEAN. There might have been grounds for bypassing Washington in the late 1990s, when it shifted its security focus to Eastern Europe, but not under the current administration, which clearly intends to re-engage Asia in a strategic sense.

In committing his own country to a costly military buildup, Mahathir has signaled that he doesn't think detente will work, at least on the Asia-only terms that he would prefer. These terms will become redundant as a four-way axis evolves between the US, Japan, South Korea and Australia, with the evident intent of keeping China in its place.

Singapore already has a defense pact with the US, as do Thailand and the Philippines. Malaysia and Singapore are linked with US allies Australia and Britain through the five-power treaty, which also includes New Zealand. Indonesia and Malaysia are cooperating on an aircraft refurbishment deal. Thailand, Singapore, the US and Australia train together. Japanese peacekeepers, in their first post-World War II detachment, are serving under Thai commanders in Timor.

The structure already exists for a more formal security alliance and the arms are starting to flow in. ASEAN evidently recognizes that the security lines have been drawn, with the US wielding the pointer. Now all it needs is for someone to link the ends altogether.

Well again - to be pragmatic - if we have to spend billions of $$$ on our War on Terrorism - we might as well be using it as an arena to sell US products, including US weapons, to our coalition members....if we don't....China or Russia will! Amazing - the War on Terror was forced on us not by choice on 9/11 .... but when was this New Great Game for strategic economic & security alliance hatched....or did it just evolve? ......Jen

-- posted by JenL_2

Top 1700. May 7, 2002 10:24 PM

» JenL_2 - Re: Secret al-Qaeda Raids in Pakistan

More on the joint US-Pak Operation from 5/8 Asia Times:

US takes tentative step into Pakistan

By Syed Saleem Shahzad

The seven-month United States-led war in Afghanistan is entering a new phase, with the focus switching to rooting out pockets of Taliban and al-Qaeda fighters on both sides of the Afghan-Pakistan border, and in particular targeting Pakistan's tribal areas, which are believed to serve as the main supply lines for guerrillas operating in southern and eastern Afghanistan.

Khost and Paktia provinces in southeast Afghanistan and the bordering Waziristan Agency in Pakistan will see the most action initially, army sources say, and some Islamic schools run by Afghans have already been raided by Pakistani troops assisted by US "intelligence and communications" experts.

According to the sources, US forces have made their center for what is called Operation Mountain Lion in Khost and some deserted areas near Miran Shah (Waziristan Agency). At both places, local forces (Afghan and Pakistani) are being used as foot soldiers to assist the US.

The US targets include senior Taliban and Al-Qaeda leaders, such as Maulana Jalaluddin Haqqani and Mullah Saifullah Mansoor. The US forces also suspect that Osama bin Laden and his deputy, Aimen Al-Zawari, might be holed up in Waziristan Agency, although there is no clear evidence of this.

The new US-led offensive will rely less on air cover than in the past and more on small, mobile units of elite troops sweeping across the country. The raids on Islamic schools have already caused a stir among locals, and several anti-US protest rallies have taken place.

Local tribal leaders have petitioned the governor of Pakistan's North West Frontier Province, saying that they want all US forces pulled out of the country, and a council of Islamic schools last week decided that if US forces tried to conduct search and seize operations, a jihad would be declared against them.

Waziristan Agency is considered the most dangerous of the semi-autonomous regions in Pakistan's tribal areas. It is known as a haven for drug traffickers and kidnappers, yet it is also fiercely religious.

In many other tribal regions Western habits and customs are tolerated. Not so in Waziristan, where even today it is not possible to move around in Western clothes and feel comfortable.

The area was the base for two of the leading Afghan commanders during the decade-long resistance movement against the Soviet occupation, which ended in 1989. Haqqani (the former Taliban minister) and Gulbuddin Hekmatyar, the former Afghan premier and chief of the Hizb-i-Islami Afghanistan, used Waziristan Agency as the hub for their jihadi activities. Both commanders recruited and trained Afghan refugees in Islamic schools in Waziristan Agency, and these schools nowadays are believed to be important arsenals for those fighters in Afghanistan preparing to take on pro-US elements in Afghanistan.

Sources say that Islamabad fully understands the dangers of becoming involved with the US in its tribal belt, particularly Waziristan Agency, but it has bowed to US pressure.

With regard to this delicate situation, on Monday the Pakistani Interior Minister, Moinuddin Haider, left for Washington, a ministry spokesman said. "The visit is in the context of the current situation in Afghanistan and the ongoing cooperation against terrorism," the spokesman said. During his four-day stay, Haider will meet Attorney-General John Ashcroft, Christina Rocca, the assistant Secretary of State for South Asia and senior intelligence officials. The talks will focus on the situation along Pakistan's western border and its efforts to prevent al-Qaeda and Taliban extremists from escaping from Afghanistan into its territory.

Press reports said that the minister would discuss the possibility of acquiring surveillance helicopters from the US. Washington has promised assistance for Islamabad in increasing vigilance along its 870 mile border with Afghanistan. President General Pervez Musharraf told reporters at the weekend that Islamabad was looking for more technical help from Washington to seal the border, but he said that he did not want US troops to launch operations on Pakistani soil.

This might be the official line. Whether it remains the reality on the ground could go a long way to future stability in the volatile tribal regions.

....Jen

-- posted by JenL_2

THAILAND: Thailand Beefs Up Anti-Terror Security

Top 1701. May 8, 2002 9:49 PM

» JenL_2 - Re: Thailand - Singapore - Malaysia

More on Thailand anti-terrorism

Mitelo - Did a little searching and as far as I can see Thailand is onboard our coalition in The War Against Terrorism. The article above also said that Thailand was soon to join the ASEAN pact against terrorism. Here's a couple to illustrate:

from 1/25 Straits Times....

Concerns mount over the possibility of terrorists hiding in the country after recent arrests in Asean countries

By Edward Tang
THAILAND CORRESPONDENT

BANGKOK - The Thai government has placed the country on an anti-terror alert as concerns rise over the possibility of terrorists hiding here following the recent arrests of suspected Al-Qaeda members in Asean countries.

With the arrest of terrorist suspects in Singapore, Malaysia and the Philippines, security is being beefed up in the Bangkok embassies of these countries and offices of their national airlines.

A senior police official told The Straits Times that a meeting had been held yesterday to map out the measures, which include a 24-hour security patrol at these places.

Security has also been tightened at the embassies of the United States and its Western allies, their ambassadors' residences, and offices of American air carriers, as well as those of British Airways and Lufthansa.

The move came after a nationwide alert for terror attacks was made this week by Police Commissioner General Sant Sarutanont, who was quoted in The Nation newspaper yesterday as saying that there were indications that Al-Qaeda-linked terrorists were present in Thailand.

He has ordered police to keep a close watch for possible attacks from these terrorists, who are believed to be turning their focus on Asia.

According to the report, the Thai embassy in Kuwait had received information that Al-Qaeda may target the offices of US, British and German airlines located in Thailand, Singapore and Malaysia.

Thai intelligence sources have reportedly expressed concerns that terrorists based in neighbouring countries could seek refuge in Thailand to avoid arrest in their own countries.

These reports lend credence to the theory that Afghan elements have cultivated active terrorist cells in South-east Asia and are shifting their base to the region to escape US reprisals.

According to a source, several suspects escaped to Thailand from Singapore and Malaysia after the first round of arrests last month, before fleeing to unknown destinations.

Calls for closer Asean cooperation to fight terrorism have been made in the light of the recent crackdown, including last week's arrest of 30-year-old bomb-maker Fathur Rohman Al-Ghozi by the Philippine authorities.

Last week, Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra visited Indonesia - which is widely believed to have been infiltrated by Al-Qaeda elements - during which intelligence cooperation to fight terrorism, among other issues, was discussed.

He and Indonesian President Megawati Sukarnoputri have agreed to share information on terrorist movements, including Acehnese separatists who are alleged to be hiding in southern Thailand.

Meanwhile, Thailand has plans to launch a 283-million-baht (S$11.9-million) tourism campaign to promote itself as a 'safe haven' in a bid to arrest the decline of foreign tourists.

Since the September attacks in the United States, arrivals have dropped sharply.

from 3/8 CNN.com...

25 detained in Thailand terror investigation

From Tom Mintier
CNN Bangkok Bureau

BANGKOK, Thailand (CNN) -- Thai police detained for questioning 25 people from other countries as part of a joint operation with the United States in the fight against terrorism, sources told CNN Friday.

Thai authorities watched the group of 25 -- including 10 Pakistanis -- for several months, the sources said, intercepting their telephone calls and investigating financial transactions before taking them in.

Some were taken into custody for their alleged involvement in a passport forgery ring but have not been formally charged. Part of the joint investigation centers on the forgery ring.

The U.S. Embassy in Bangkok declined to comment on the report.

Thailand's national police chief said the operation has no connection with Osama bin Laden and his al Qaeda terrorist network, while sources tell CNN it's a wide-ranging investigation that may or may not include links to al Qaeda.

The operation involves the American CIA and FBI and Thai police and military units, including the nation's elite special branch, sources said.

The operation started shortly after the September 11 attacks in New York and Washington and has intensified over the last three months as authorities gathered more information.

Thailand's Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra has said he does not believe his country is used as a base for terrorism, but he has agreed to cooperate with U.S. authorities.

It is widely believed that Thailand is a stopover point for criminal elements from areas such as the Middle East and Pakistan, because it is easy to enter the country through Bangkok.

....Jen

-- posted by JenL_2

Top 1702. May 9, 2002 9:13 AM

» JenL_2 - Re: Philippines - Indonesia

Update from Philippines Indonesian Terrorist Arrests posted above

from the 4/19 MSNBC.com article above:

SUSPECTS RELEASED

In a separate move, Philippine President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo ordered the release of two Indonesians suspected of being connected with al-Ghozi.

The move was made in response to a request by Indonesian President Megawati Sukarnoputri, Acting Press Secretary Silvestre Afable told a news conference.

He said Arroyo acted upon the recommendation of Justice Secretary Hernando Perez, who earlier said the case against the two should be dismissed because of a lack of evidence.

The two Indonesians were among three arrested at Manila international airport last month after components of explosives were allegedly found in their bags.

In a court hearing in Manila on Friday, the defense lawyer of the three said they were businessmen. Afable said the third Indonesian was still being investigated.

Hmmmm - I was wondering why the heck the Philippines was releasing suspected Indonesian terrorists just because Indonesia requested it? Sure they were just businessmen and just happened to have components of explosives in their bags??

Well here's the editorial from 4/24 The Philippine Star:

A worrisome release

Here we are going all-out in our campaign against terrorism, calling in US troops to help fight Islamic extremists, even considering the declaration of a state of emergency in at least one city. The commander-in-chief, meanwhile, is releasing suspected terrorists arrested and detained for illegal possession of explosives.

Last week President Arroyo ordered the release of Indonesians Abdul Jamal Balfas, 37, and Tamsil Linrung, 40, upon the request of their government officials led by Indonesian President Megawati Sukarnoputri. The two men were arrested last month at the NAIA together with another Indonesian, Agus Dwikarma, 37, as they were about to board a plane bound for Germany. Police said two oval-shaped plastic explosives and five detonation cords were found in the men’s carry-on luggage.

The men claimed the explosives were planted and that they visited General Santos City the day before on legitimate business. Linrung, a businessman who once served as treasurer of the National Mandate Party in Indonesia, claimed his arrest was politically motivated to discredit his partymate’s presidential candidate, Amien Rais.

With the track record of our law enforcers, the story about the planted evidence is plausible. But with the track record of Indonesia in getting Islamic militants, the release of the two is also worrisome. Megawati’s administration has handled radical Muslim groups with kid gloves, afraid that the groups will stir social unrest and turn against her. Such a tolerant atmosphere has turned Indonesia into a haven for Islamic militants.

Jemaah Islamiah, an umbrella organization of Muslim radicals with links to al-Qaeda operating in Southeast Asia, is believed headed by a 36-year-old Indonesian cleric, Riduan Isamuddin or Hambali. Isamuddin’s alleged second in command, another preacher named Abubakar Ba’asyir who is wanted by police in Malaysia and Singapore for terrorism, lives in the Indonesian town of Solo, untouched by authorities. Isamuddin himself has disappeared.

Jemaah Islamiah’s suspected intelligence officer, Indonesian Fathur Rohman al-Ghozi, pleaded guilty last week to illegal possession of a ton of explosive materials and will serve up to 12 years in the Philippines’ national penitentiary. Abdul Jamal Balfas, one of the two Indonesians ordered freed by President Arroyo, is himself a coordinator for a militant Muslim group. Philippine police held on to the third suspect, Dwikarma.

Were the pieces of evidence against the two Indonesians planted? Then those who did it should be investigated and punished. Or was the government merely trying to promote harmonious ties with Indonesia? The next time there is a similar request from Jakarta, Malacañang should first ask itself if promoting bilateral ties would not compromise the campaign against terror.

Now an update on the one Indonesian suspect held by the Philippines - Agus Dwikarma from 5/9 Washington Post and published at MSNBC.com:

Indonesian rebel has al-Qaida ties

Capture of Muslim militia leader reveals Southeast Asia links

By Rajiv Chandrasekaran
THE WASHINGTON POST

MANILA, Philippines, May 9 — Philippine and Western intelligence officials have identified an Indonesian man apprehended at Manila’s international airport with bombmaking equipment as a leader of a Muslim extremist group that helped train al Qaeda operatives, sources familiar with the investigation said.

THE ARREST OF Agus Dwikarna, a commander of the Laskar Jundullah militia, has provided intelligence officials with important new evidence about connections between Southeast Asian radical groups, particularly those in Indonesia, and al Qaeda, the sources said.

The intelligence officials believe that Laskar Jundullah, a small group that is part of a network of extremist organizations fighting to evict Christians from several central Indonesian islands, set up a secret paramilitary training camp on Sulawesi island, in central Indonesia, in late 2000.

The camp, located in dense jungle near the port city of Poso, attracted at least two dozen militants from the Philippines, several from Malaysia and scores from other parts of the world, including the Middle East, Europe and North Africa, a senior intelligence official involved in the case said.

The Filipinos were part of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, the country’s largest Muslim separatist group, the official said. He said they traveled to Indonesia after their main base was overrun by the Philippine military in 2000.

The Malaysians were members of the Malaysian Mujaheddin Group, which is affiliated with Jemaah Islamiah, an al Qaeda-linked organization that plotted to blow up several Western embassies in Singapore, the official said.

“Dwikarna was a very important player,” the senior official said. “He helped bring together al Qaeda members from around the world to train in Indonesia.”

‘KEY’ ARREST

A senior Western diplomat in Southeast Asia called the arrest of Dwikarna “a very key building block in trying to find out the terrorist networks and connections in the region.”

Dwikarna, 36, a businessman who is active in several radical groups, was arrested at Ninoy Aquino International Airport in mid-March after security personnel discovered what they said were plastic explosives and detonation cable in his suitcase.

He denied any wrongdoing in a recent telephone interview with the Indonesian newsmagazine Tempo, asserting that he was set up by Indonesia’s intelligence service. He and two traveling companions, who were also arrested, insisted they were on a business trip.

Indonesian police and military officials have disputed the existence of a training camp near Poso, saying their searches of the area have turned up nothing.

But a senior Indonesian intelligence official confirmed that a camp did exist, although it was a well-kept secret among Islamic radicals. He said the ramshackle facility, where recruits were taught how to use automatic weapons and make bombs, was dismantled shortly after Sept. 11.

The camp was an attractive training ground for terrorists from Europe and elsewhere because it offered the opportunity to participate in a jihad, or holy war, the official said.

He said many of the pupils joined in raids on Christian villages near Poso and in the nearby Moluccas islands.

INDONESIAN ALIBIS

The senior intelligence official said Dwikarna also provided alibis to several hundred foreigners traveling there. The official said Dwikarna gave documents to many of the foreigners written on the letterhead of a Muslim charity for which he worked, the Committee to Overcome Crisis, stating that they were humanitarian aid workers.

Indonesian officials said police officers in the Poso area briefly detained several non-Indonesians who were traveling to the camp in August and again in October, but released them after they produced letters from the charity signed by Dwikarna.

The senior official said Dwikarna likely worked with Parlindungan Siregar, an Indonesian living in Spain who is alleged by Spanish authorities to have helped arrange for several hundred al Qaeda operatives from Europe to travel to Indonesia for training.

Dwikarna is active in a host of hard-line Muslim groups in Indonesia, including the Indonesian Mujaheddin Council, which wants to turn the country into an Islamic state. The group is led by Abubakar Baasyir, a cleric who is accused by the governments of Singapore and Malaysia of being the ideological leader of Jemaah Islamiah.

LACK OF EVIDENCE

Dwikarna’s traveling companions were released last week because Philippine prosecutors said they did not have enough evidence to charge them, a decision made after intense lobbying by Indonesia’s Foreign Ministry and political leaders.

One of the two, Tamsil Linrung, served as the treasurer of one of Indonesia’s largest Muslim political parties, which accused the government of orchestrating the arrests as a political attack. To defuse the allegations, officials close to President Megawati Sukarnoputri joined in calls for the pair’s release.

Indonesian intelligence officials said the person in whom they are most interested is Dwikarna. But even though they have secretly shared information about him with their Philippine counterparts and have urged them to pursue their investigation, many Indonesian politicians and diplomats continue to push for his release.

“This is an individual with extremely questionable and troubling connections, many of which still need to be investigated,” the senior Western diplomat said. “It would be a real travesty if that opportunity was forgone.”

I hope that some hefty U.S. arm-twisting of Indonesia is going on behind the scenes to secure the arrest of Dwikarna’s traveling companions ....Abdul Jamal Balfas and Tamsil Linrung.... who also were arrested for having bomb apparatus in their suitcases......but Indonesia got the Philippines to release them....and all these three suspects were originally thought to be connected to al-Ghozi, who is already arrested and convicted, with more convictions to come. At least - hopefully our CIA is watching the two very very carefully.....Jen

-- posted by JenL_2

Top 1703. May 9, 2002 11:11 AM

» JenL_2 - US Food Chains Targeted - Lebanon

from 3/9 MSNBC.com...

<img src="http://a799.ms.akamai.net/3/799/388/019b..." width=330 height=220 align="right">A worker inspects the damage at the KFC restaurant in the northern Lebanese port city of Tripoli on Thursday.

U.S. food chains targeted in Lebanon

Bomb explodes outside KFC and Hardees restaurants

ASSOCIATED PRESS

TRIPOLI, Lebanon, May 9 — A bomb exploded outside two American-based fast-food restaurants early Thursday, leaving extensive damage but injuring no one, police said. Authorities said 3.3 pounds of TNT were used in the blast at 4 a.m. outside the Kentucky Fried Chicken and Hardees restaurants on the south side of this Lebanese port city.

POLICE SAID they were investigating links between the bombing and a campaign to boycott U.S. products in retaliation for Washington’s perceived support of Israel in its conflict with the Palestinians.

The Israeli military offensive against Palestinians in the West Bank has generated a wave of demonstrations against Israel and the United States in Lebanon and much of the Arab world.

“Of course it is a great concern to us,” U.S. Ambassador Vincent Battle said.

Speaking to reporters after meeting Lebanese Foreign Minister Mahmoud Hammoud, Battle said the fast-food franchises were operated by Lebanese businessmen and employed local staff.

PIZZA HUT TARGETED

Kentucky Fried Chicken and Hardees are operated in the Middle East by Americana, a 38-year-old Kuwait-based food distribution and retail company. The Americana group also has franchises for Pizza Hut, TGI Friday’s and Baskin Robbins.

The campaign against U.S. products prompted some local owners of American fast-food franchises to publish advertisements in newspapers denying rumors that Israel benefitted from their revenues.

Last month, three people were arrested on suspicion of planning to bomb a Pizza Hut restaurant in south Beirut.

....Jen

-- posted by JenL_2