-Caveat Lector- WJPBR Email News List [EMAIL PROTECTED] Peace at any cost is a Prelude to War!
More attacks a `serious threat' U.S. reportedly to aid Afghan rebels By JOHN C. HENRY Copyright 2001 Houston Chronicle Washington Bureau WASHINGTON -- The Bush administration warned Sunday that Americans face a "very serious threat" of fresh terrorist attacks amid reports that the United States plans to secretly funnel financial aid to rebel groups trying to topple Afghanistan's Taliban rulers. SEE IT NOW Video: Live United Nations General Assembly session on terrorism (Requires Real Video player) Senior administration officials on Sunday rejected Afghanistan's call for negotiations over the fate of Osama bin Laden and ramped up their rhetoric against Taliban leaders who now admit protecting him for the past two years. Administration officials said the Taliban -- a group of fundamentalist Muslim clerics -- should be ousted unless they surrender the Saudi militant believed responsible for the deadly Sept. 11 attack on the United States. Toward that end, President Bush last week reportedly authorized increased financial aid to the Northern Alliance, rebel groups that have been waging war against the Taliban and currently control a fraction of northeastern Afghanistan. Senior administration officials quoted by the New York Times and Knight-Ridder newspapers said the money would allow the rebels to buy Russian military equipment. In an interview on CBS News' Face the Nation, Attorney General John Ashcroft said the risk of more terrorism could increase if the United States retaliates for the aerial assaults that left 6,000 dead or missing in New York and Washington. Ashcroft said bin Laden's al-Qaida network is operating in "dozens and dozens and dozens" of countries. And, Ashcroft said, even though the attack investigation has led to more than 500 arrests, several of bin Laden's terrorist-followers are still at large in the United States. "We think that there is a very serious threat of additional problems now," Ashcroft said, adding: "Frankly, as the United States responds, that threat may escalate." Ashcroft called on lawmakers to approve the administration's anti-terrorism package by the end of the week. "Talk will not prevent terrorism," he said. "We need to have action by the Congress." Some of Ashcroft's proposals -- such as increased electronic surveillance powers and the indefinite detention of immigrants suspected of having links to terrorists -- have drawn some opposition from lawmakers. "We need the tools to prevent terrorism," Ashcroft said. Meanwhile, Afghanistan's ambassador to Pakistan acknowledged for the first time a direct link between the ruling Taliban and bin Laden. Speaking through an interpreter in Islamabad, Pakistan, Abdul Salam Zaeef told reporters that bin Laden has been operating "under the security" of the Taliban and "has been in the control of our forces." "Any action that he makes has to go through the knowledge of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan," the envoy said. Zaeef said bin Laden would not be turned over to the United States without evidence that he was involved in the attacks on the World Trade Center and Pentagon. "We will respect their negotiations and that might change things," he said. Senior U.S. officials immediately dismissed Zaeef's overture and renewed their demand that the regime surrender the Saudi exile and his cohorts. "The president has said we're not negotiating," White House Chief of Staff Andrew Card said during an interview with Fox News. "We've told the Taliban government what they should be doing," Card said. "They've got to turn not only Osama bin Laden over but all of the operatives of the al-Qaida organization. They've got to stop being a haven where terrorists can train." Since the attacks, two Pakistani delegations have traveled to Afghanistan trying to persuade the ruling clerics to surrender bin Laden. Both overtures were rebuffed by Taliban leader Mohammed Omar. Card, who spent the weekend at Camp David with President Bush, said the Taliban should be driven from power if they continue supporting bin Laden and others associated with terrorism. "We do not want any government to harbor terrorists. And the Taliban government has been harboring terrorists," Card said. "We don't think that they are worthy of the leadership that America and the rest of the world demand." On NBC's Meet the Press, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld signaled a willingness to assist the Northern Alliance -- also known as the United Front -- in its military efforts to drive the Taliban from power. "There's no question but that there are any number of people in Afghanistan -- tribes in the South, the Northern Alliance in the North -- that oppose Taliban," Rumsfeld said. "And clearly, we need to recognize the value they bring to this anti-terrorist, anti-Taliban effort and, where appropriate, find ways to assist them." Any assistance to the rebels is expected to complicate the United States' anti-terrorism alliance with Pakistan, Afghanistan's eastern neighbor and possible jumping-off point for military forces. Pakistan has warned against siding with the Northern Alliance, since it is made up largely of Tajik, Uzbek and other minorities and does not represent the largest segments of the Afghanistan population, the Pashtun. In Washington, between 3,000 and 4,000 anti-war demonstrators gathered at a city park for a peace rally, then marched along the capital's Embassy Row. Families sat on blankets and ate picnic lunches while singing songs with lyrics such as "No more killing, no more war, no more violence anymore." The event was peaceful and there was a noticeably smaller police presence compared to demonstrations a day earlier. Tempers flared during Saturday's march, when counterprotesters confronted the anti-war groups. Eleven protesters were arrested. Maria Ramos, coordinator of the Washington Peace Center and an organizer of Sunday's march, said the rally was held "to honor and mourn the victims of the violent attacks" as much as it was to protest war. "Calling a criminal act an act of war gives it too much dignity," she said of the Sept. 11 attacks. Chronicle news services contributed to this report. Bin Laden prepares new attacks SPECIAL TO WORLD TRIBUNE.COM Monday, October 1, 2001 LONDON — Saudi fugitive Osama Bin Laden is preparing to launch new terrorist attacks over next few weeks, according to information obtained by western intelligence. Officials said Bin Laden is believed to have ordered his agents in both Europe and the United States to scan targets and prepare spectacular strikes that could resemble those of the Islamic suicide attacks on New York and Washington on Sept. 11. Bin Laden's plans have alarmed both London and Washington as well as several European capitals, Middle East Newsline reports. Officials said their concern is based on intelligence information obtained over the last two weeks. "I understand he is preparing for high-impact terrorist attacks in the coming weeks, if he's able to," British Minister for Europe Peter Hain said. "We've got to track him down. We've got to stop him." British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw agreed. Straw told the British Broadcasting Corp. that Bin Laden is preparing attacks. Western intelligence agencies, he said, do not know Bin Laden's targets. "There continues to be a risk of them making further attacks," Straw said. "We don't know exactly where. On the one hand none of us wish to raise anxiety in the minds of the public, but we would be complacent and irresponsible not to warn of the risks." Officials both in London and Washington assess that Bin Laden has hundreds of agents based in Europe and the United States on call for suicide attacks. They said the attacks could be launched even if Bin Laden is killed in a U.S. military campaign against terrorism. On Sunday, the London-based Observer weekly reported that Britain and the United States would launch an attack on Bin Laden within two days. Other reports said U.S. commandos are already operating in Afghanistan. Earlier this week a leading Arabic daily reported that Pakistan and the United States have agreed to launch a campaign to overthrow the ruling Afghan Taliban movement within days. The London-based Al Hayat reported on Wednesday that Islamabad and Washington have agreed to cooperate with the northern-based Afghan opposition in a drive to oust Taliban from Kabul. But the newspaper said the Bush administration and Congress do not agree on any military campaign against Taliban. The newspaper quoted Russian sources as saying that a military campaign against Taliban could begin as early as between Thursday and Saturday. Such a campaign, the sources said, would be used by Russian President Vladimir Putin for a military offensive against Chechen rebels. The sources said Britain and the United States will probably begin with a massive air attack on Taliban installations in Afghanistan. They said U.S. units have arrived in neighboring Uzbekistan for such an assault and have taken over Dushanbe airport, the largest in Central Asia. Over the last week, Washington has been consulting with Russia over intelligence estimates regarding the military strength of Taliban. The assessment is that Taliban has about 30 Soviet-era tanks, none of them more modern than either the T-62 or T-55 models. Taliban is also believed to have between 15 and 20 MiG-21 fighter-jets as well as the Sukhoi-22. Russian sources said Taliban is also said to have a limited arsenal of Scud ground-to-ground missiles and U.S.-made Stinger shoulder-fired surface-to-air missiles. But in Washington, U.S. officials have not ruled out the prospect that Taliban or Bin Laden might use chemical weapons against U.S. troops. The Washington Times reported on Wednesday that Bin Laden has acquired from Russian organized crime groups components for weapons of mass destruction. The newspaper said Bin Laden might also have a nuclear weapons laboratory inside Afghanistan. On Tuesday, the Pentagon ordered 2,000 more reservists to duty. Later, the House approved a $343 billion defense bill that diverted $400 million in funds from missile defense to counterterrorism efforts. In all, $6 billion has been allocated for counterterrorism. *COPYRIGHT NOTICE** In accordance with Title 17 U. S. C. 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