Pakistan May Have al-Qaida's No. 2 Man Surrounded

"Dav1936531" wrote

Place your bets. Will Ayman al-Zawahri be captured alive? Or will he die the
death of a glorious jihadi martyr?

He will die of old age.

A common game by Arabs, is to fight in one corner, while the high value
targets stroll down the road.

They better have someone covering the area 5 miles away from the fight.

"Dav1936531" wrote in message
...
Place your bets. Will Ayman al-Zawahri be captured alive? Or will he die
the
death of a glorious jihadi martyr? I'll bet he dies....... the Pakistanis
hunting him probably have strict orders to kill him so he can't talk about
Pakistan's relations with both the Taliban and Al-Qaeda.
Dave

Escape/never-there/fate-unknown

From: "John Keeney"


Escape/never-there/fate-unknown

Hmmm.....you may be correct. But....according to the information they're
getting from some prisoners already captured in the fight (which, of course,
could be all lies), al-Zawahri has been wounded.

If true, that should make escape somewhat more difficult.
Dave


ISLAMABAD, Pakistan (AP) - Pakistani forces believe they have cornered and
perhaps wounded Osama bin Laden's deputy, Ayman al-Zawahri, in a major battle
near the Afghan border, an area where many believe the world's most wanted
terrorist has been hiding, three senior Pakistani officials said Thursday.

Pakistan President Gen. Pervez Musharraf said a ``high value'' target was
believed trapped in South Waziristan, a semiautonomous tribal belt that has
resisted outside intervention for centuries.

Hundreds of troops and paramilitary rangers pounded several fortress-like
mud-brick compounds with artillery and fired on them from helicopter gunships,
as entrenched suspects fought back hard. An intelligence official said
``dozens'' were killed Thursday.

At least 41 people - 15 soldiers and 26 suspected militants - were killed
earlier this week in fighting in the area.

The officials told The Associated Press that intelligence indicated the forces
had surrounded the Egyptian-born al-Zawahri in an operation that began Tuesday,
the first major break in the world's most intense manhunt in more than a year.

The region has long been considered the most likely hiding place for the top
two al-Qaida leaders - but there was no indication bin Laden was with
al-Zawahri. However, the two have traveled together in the past, and bin Laden
and al-Zawahri appeared jointly in video tapes released shortly after the Sept.
11, 2001, attacks on the United States.

The United States has offered a $25 million reward for information leading to
al-Zawahri's capture. On Thursday, the U.S. House of Representatives doubled
the reward for bin Laden's capture to $50 million.

``We have been receiving intelligence and information from our agents who are
working in the tribal areas that al-Zawahri could be among the people hiding
there,'' a Pakistani military official said. ``All of our efforts are to
capture him.''

An intelligence official and a senior politician in Musharraf's government both
confirmed the account. All spoke on condition of anonymity.

The intelligence official said information was also coming from some of the 18
suspects captured during Thursday's operation. Some said during interrogation
that al-Zawahri was wounded in the raid, the official said. Officials said
helicopter gunships and artillery would continue attacking at dawn Friday.

Musharraf told CNN that he'd spoken with the commander of Pakistani troops in
the region. He said the commander reported ``fierce resistance'' from a group
of fighters entrenched in fortress-like buildings, and that there were
indications a senior figure was surrounded.

``He's reasonably sure there's a high-value target there,'' Musharraf said.
``They are not coming out in spite of the fact that we pounded them with
artillery.''

The news came the same day as Secretary of State Colin Powell announced in the
capital, Islamabad, that Washington was bestowing the status of ``major
non-NATO ally'' on Pakistan, and praised the country for its help in the war on
terror.

National security adviser Condoleezza Rice told CNN she could not confirm the
reports.

But, she said, if al-Zawahri were captured, ``it would be of course a major
step forward in the war on terrorism, because he's obviously an extremely
important figure. But I think we have to be careful not to assume that getting
one al-Qaida leader is going to break up the organization.''

White House spokesman Scott McClellan said that the Pakistanis ``believe there
is a high-value al-Qaida target possibly involved'' in the operation. He said
he had no information on who the target was. He said Bush was informed of the
search.

The 52-year-old former Egyptian surgeon is believed to be the brains behind the
terror network, with bin Laden serving more as spiritual leader and financial
backer.

Often seen by bin Laden's side in videos released to Arab television networks,
the doctor was also thought to serve as al-Qaida leader's personal physician.

Al-Zawahri's Egyptian Islamic Jihad was believed behind the assassination of
President Anwar Sadat during a Cairo military parade in 1981. He merged the
organization with al-Qaida in 1998.

Al-Zawahri has continued to spread his message since the Sept. 11 attacks in
audiotapes, the latest broadcast on Feb. 24, in which he taunted President Bush
and threatened more attacks on the United States. Another tape criticized
France's decision to ban Islamic headscarves in schools.

Under pressure from Washington, Pakistan has arrested more than 500 al-Qaida
suspects and has turned most over to the United States. The last major capture
was that of Khalid Shaikh Mohammed, the former al-Qaida No. 3, who was nabbed
on March 1, 2003, in a house near the capital and quickly delivered to U.S.
custody. He is being held at an undisclosed location.

The Pakistani military has been pursuing 100 tribal leaders whom authorities
want to roll into their efforts to hunt al-Qaida in the Waziristan frontier. So
far, about two-thirds have said they would provide information and turn over
any Islamic militants in their territories, American defense officials said.

The others face destruction of their homes by the Pakistani military, officials
said.

There have been several anti-terror sweeps in the tribal regions in recent
months, but none so bloody as the operation that began Tuesday. Pakistani
troops have moved 70,000 troops into the border region, and Musharraf on Monday
promised to rid the tribal areas of foreign terrorists.

U.S. officials say they are watching to see if the Pakistani actions send
militants back into Afghanistan, where U.S. troops operate freely. The U.S.
military on Sunday announced the start of a new operation to track down senior
al-Qaida and Taliban fugitives.

Two American soldiers were killed and two others were wounded in fighting
Thursday in central Afghanistan, the U.S. military said. At least five
attackers were killed in the battle.

The military said that because of the location, the fighting did not appear to
be directly related to the siege against al-Zawahri.

Afghan officials told AP they were closely monitoring the Pakistani operation.

``We are hopeful operations being carried out in border regions will yield some
desirable results,'' said Afghan Foreign Ministry spokesman Omar Samad. ``If a
well known figure is part of these captures ... the world will be a safer
place.''

Thursday's raid concentrated on three South Waziristan towns - Azam Warsak,
Shin Warsak and Kaloosha. Early morning calls from mosques warned residents to
leave the area, apparently to give the troops more room to operate.

Powell, who left the country hours before the news broke, also said he believed
there was evidence that bin Laden is hiding in the rugged border area.

``No one has seen him, so how can one be sure?'' Powell told Geo TV. ``But he
has certainly given evidence that he is alive and active. But we can't be sure.

``And if he is alive and active, and the evidence suggests that he is, and if
he is in the area of the Pakistan-Afghan border, that's a very difficult area
to find someone who doesn't want to be found.''

Associated Press reporters Katherine Pfleger Shrader in Washington, Munir Ahmad
in Islamabad and Riaz Khan in Peshawar, Pakistan, contributed to this report.

03/18/04 19:50 EST

Personal preference: taken alive, put before a U.S. Military Tribunal for
Violations of the Laws and Customs of War, convicted, and executed. Realistic
expectation: "Killed while resisting capture." Either way, justice for 9/11,
U.S.S. Cole, East Africa Embassies, Bali, Madrid, etc, is done. If we do
take him alive, shoot him full of babble juice so we can go after OBL. Then
put him on trial. After the trial, either have him hanged or shot: the needle
in this case is too lenient. A friend of mine from college suggested building
a gallows on the site of Ground Zero, and hanging any and all 9/11 plotters
and facilitators there where the atrocity took place.






(Dav1936531) wrote:
Place your bets. Will Ayman al-Zawahri be captured
alive? Or will he die the
death of a glorious jihadi martyr? I'll bet
he dies....... the Pakistanis
hunting him probably have strict orders to kill
him so he can't talk about
Pakistan's relations with both the Taliban and
Al-Qaeda.
Dave

WANA, Pakistan (March 18) - Pakistani troops
believe they have surrounded
al-Qaida No. 2 Ayman al-Zawahri in an operation
near the Afghan border, three
senior Pakistani officials said Thursday.

The officials told The Associated Press that
intelligence indicated the
Egyptian-born al-Zawahri, Osama bin Laden's
top deputy, has been cornered in an
operation. One intelligence official said captured
fighters said al-Zawahri had
been wounded.

The operation began Tuesday in South Waziristan
with hundreds of troops and
paramilitary rangers, who fired artillery and
used helicopter gunships to
attack dug-in al-Qaida fighters. Dozens of fighters
were killed and 18 were
captured, the intelligence official said.

''We have been receiving intelligence and information
from our agents who are
working in the tribal areas that al-Zawahri
could be among the people hiding
there,'' a military official said. ''All of
our efforts are to capture him.''

An intelligence official and senior politician
in President Gen. Pervez
Musharraf's government both confirmed the account.
All spoke on condition of
anonymity.

The United States has offered a $25 million
reward for information leading to
al-Zawahri's capture.

Pakistani officials said they do not have any
intelligence indicating that bin
Laden is with al-Zawahri. In the past, intelligence
officials have speculated
that the two are traveling together, and bin
Laden and al-Zawahri appeared
together in video tapes released shortly after
the Sept. 11 attacks.

In an interview with CNN, Musharraf said he
had spoken with the commander of
Pakistani troops in the region. He said the
commander reported ''fierce
resistance'' from a group of fighters entrenched
in fort-like buildings and
that there were indications that a senior figure
was surrounded.

''He's reasonably sure there's a high-value
target there,'' Musharraf said.

Musharraf said the area was being ''pounded''
by artillery.

Speaking on the condition of anonymity, a U.S.
counterterrorism official said:
''It would appear that the Pakistanis have surrounded
a very senior al-Qaida
figure, but at this point we are not certain
who it is.''

The Pakistani military has been pursuing 100
tribal leaders that authorities
want to roll into their efforts to hunt al-Qaida
in the Waziristan frontier. So
far, about two-thirds have said they would provide
information and turn over
any Islamic militants in their territories,
American defense officials said on
condition of anonymity.

The others are facing destruction of their homes
by the hands of Pakistani
military, officials said.

The Pakistanis also are targeting Arabs and
other foreigners who settled in the
tribal regions shortly after the Afghan-Soviet
war in the 1980s, the officials
said. While some veterans of the war formed
the nucleus of al-Qaida, others put
down roots in Pakistan.

It is believed that some of these veterans are
providing a support network for
bin Laden and his followers in the region, officials
said.

U.S. officials say they are watching to see
if the Pakistani actions send
militant fighters moving back to Afghanistan,
where U.S. troops operate freely.

Hundreds of Pakistani troops have moved into
three South Waziristan towns -
Azam Warsak, Shin Warsak and Kaloosha - against
entrenched positions.

''They are not coming out in spite of the fact
that we pounded them with
artillery,'' Musharraf told CNN.

Early morning calls from mosques warned residents
in Azam Warsak, Shin Warsak
and Kaloosha to leave the area, apparently to
give the troops more room to
operate.

''They asked locals, women and children, to
move out, which many did. And then
they shot upon the area, with ... helicopters
also,'' Musharraf told CNN.

At least 41 people - including 15 soldiers and
26 suspected militants - were
killed Tuesday in fighting in the area, and
army spokesman Gen. Shaukat Sultan
said there were an unknown number of casualties
in continued action Thursday.

The military said Thursday that most of those
killed were foreigners, but it
did not give their nationalities and acknowledged
that only two bodies had been
recovered.

The two dead were believed to be a Chechen and
someone of Middle Eastern
origin, a military official said on condition
of anonymity.

The news came the same day as Secretary of State
Colin Powell announced in
Islamabad that Washington was bestowing the
status of ''major non-NATO ally''
on Pakistan and praised it for its help in the
war on terror.

Musharraf, a key ally in the U.S.-led war on
terrorism, promised Monday to rid
the tribal areas of foreign terrorists.

Powell, who left the country hours before the
announcement, also said he
believed there was evidence that al-Qaida leader
bin Laden is still alive and
hiding in the rugged border area.

''No one has seen him, so how can one be sure?''
Powell told Geo TV. ''But he
has certainly given evidence that he is alive
and active. But we can't be sure.

''And if he is alive and active, and the evidence
suggests that he is, and if
he is in the area of the Pakistan-Afghan border,
that's a very difficult area
to find someone who doesn't want to be found.''

A spokesman for the U.S. military in Afghanistan
told AP the force hoped
Pakistani soldiers had indeed cornered al-Zawahri,
but he had no new
information on the whereabouts of either of
the al-Qaida leaders.

''All the senior leaders of al-Qaida will be
brought to justice,'' Lt. Col.
Bryan Hilferty said.

Hilferty said a U.S. operation begun March 7
on the Afghan side of the border
was continuing, but he gave no details and said
he had no information of any
signs of militants fleeing from Pakistan.

About a dozen helicopters buzzed over Wana,
the main town in South Waziristan,
early Thursday, flying toward the operation
zone about six miles to the west.

A convoy of army trucks carrying soldiers also
passed Wana hours before the
operation started. Later, mortar explosions
were heard in the town.

Interior Ministry spokesman Abdur Rauf Chaudhry
said extra troops were
dispatched in anticipation of the new offensive.

He said ''a few'' paramilitary troops are missing
from Tuesday's operation in
Kaloosha, with rumors in the region that they
may have been kidnapped by the
suspected militants.

The raid has sparked outrage in the tribal region,
which fiercely covets its
autonomy and has resisted outside intervention
for centuries.

In another part of the tribal region, North
Waziristan, attackers launched a
rocket and fired gunshots at a Pakistan army
post before dawn Thursday, Sultan
said. Two soldiers died and several were injured
in the attack, an intelligence
official told the AP on condition of anonymity.

The official also said assailants threw a hand
grenade at an army truck heading
to Miran Shah, North Waziristan's main town,
and that several soldiers were
injured. But Sultan denied the incident occurred.


03-18-04 15:12 EST




Posted via www.My-Newsgroups.com - web to news gateway for usenet access!

"Matt Wiser" wrote in message
news:405b21da$1@bg2....

Personal preference: taken alive, put before a U.S. Military Tribunal for
Violations of the Laws and Customs of War, convicted, and executed.
Realistic
expectation: "Killed while resisting capture." Either way, justice for
9/11,
U.S.S. Cole, East Africa Embassies, Bali, Madrid, etc, is done. If we do
take him alive, shoot him full of babble juice so we can go after OBL.
Then
put him on trial. After the trial, either have him hanged or shot: the
needle
in this case is too lenient. A friend of mine from college suggested
building
a gallows on the site of Ground Zero, and hanging any and all 9/11
plotters
and facilitators there where the atrocity took place.

Heads on pikes?

"Tarver Engineering" wrote:

"Matt Wiser" wrote
in message
news:405b21da$1@bg2....

Personal preference: taken alive, put before
a U.S. Military Tribunal for
Violations of the Laws and Customs of War,
convicted, and executed.
Realistic
expectation: "Killed while resisting capture."
Either way, justice for
9/11,
U.S.S. Cole, East Africa Embassies, Bali,
Madrid, etc, is done. If we do
take him alive, shoot him full of babble juice
so we can go after OBL.
Then
put him on trial. After the trial, either
have him hanged or shot: the
needle
in this case is too lenient. A friend of mine
from college suggested
building
a gallows on the site of Ground Zero, and
hanging any and all 9/11
plotters
and facilitators there where the atrocity
took place.

Heads on pikes?


That was my friend's suggestion: and in the old days that sent a pretty
strong message that if you got out of line, the price paid was in the extreme.
I'd personally prefer giving them either the needle or the noose.And keep
the burial site secret: no turning a grave site into a shrine for those who
might grieve for the deceased.

Posted via www.My-Newsgroups.com - web to news gateway for usenet access!

In article 405c50d2@bg2., "Matt Wiser"
wrote:

"Tarver Engineering" wrote:

"Matt Wiser" wrote
in message
news:405b21da$1@bg2....

Personal preference: taken alive, put before
a U.S. Military Tribunal for
Violations of the Laws and Customs of War,
convicted, and executed.
Realistic
expectation: "Killed while resisting capture."
Either way, justice for
9/11,
U.S.S. Cole, East Africa Embassies, Bali,
Madrid, etc, is done. If we do
take him alive, shoot him full of babble juice
so we can go after OBL.
Then
put him on trial. After the trial, either
have him hanged or shot: the
needle
in this case is too lenient. A friend of mine
from college suggested
building
a gallows on the site of Ground Zero, and
hanging any and all 9/11
plotters
and facilitators there where the atrocity
took place.

Heads on pikes?


That was my friend's suggestion: and in the old days that sent a pretty
strong message that if you got out of line, the price paid was in the extreme.
I'd personally prefer giving them either the needle or the noose.And keep
the burial site secret: no turning a grave site into a shrine for those who
might grieve for the deceased.

Posted via www.My-Newsgroups.com - web to news gateway for usenet access!

And -- bury his body encased in a hog carcass!

"Matt Wiser" wrote

A friend of mine from college suggested building
a gallows on the site of Ground Zero, and hanging any and all 9/11 plotters
and facilitators there where the atrocity took place.

So the dead spirits can remain together with those they killed?