Wednesday, January 16, 2002

Waiting for the hammer

WITH the military campaign in Afghanistan all but
over, thousands of people around the world are living
in terror anxiously awaiting the hammer to strike on
them for no reason other than simply knowing some of
the prisoners of war taken by the US in Afghanistan.
Indeed many others might not even know of the sword
swinging towards them.
The US has so far maintained a tight lid on the
findings of its investigations with the thousands of
Taliban and non-Afghan fighters of Osama Bin Laden's
Al Qaeda network.
Apart from gathering evidence about the Sept.11
attacks in New York and Washington, the US is seeking
information on what it describes as "sleepers" of the
Al Qaeda network who, according to Washington, are
lying low in at least 50 countries from the
Philippines to Canada awaiting word from each other to
plan new attacks.
Intelligence sources say that the US Central
Intelligence Agency (CIA) is building a "data base" of
names and details of the "sleepers" drawing from
information gained through interrogating the detainees
held in Afghanistan and those moved to the US naval
base in Guantanamo Bay in Cuba.
True that there here might be remnants of Al Qaeda in
some countries, but it seems to be out of place for
the US to assert that the group had built up such a
large network of operatives. They say that the US
assertion is providing ammunition for many governments
to launch crackdowns that would otherwise be seen as
violation of human rights. But that is a different
issue altogether.
Information the "sleepers" is the prime objective of
the US while dealing with the thousands of prisoners
of war taken in Afghanistan. More often than not,
simply knowing them could be dangerous for others,
however innocent they might be. Many might even
recollect knowing them but that is not going to be an
issue for the CIA.
It is quite simple. Anyone who was an acquaintance of
an Al Qaeda member is a suspect and risks detention
and questioning wherever they are. That is what is
happening today in some countries (Britain, Spain,
Italy and Jordan are examples).
The CIA has not shared all the information it has with
the partners of the US in the war against terrorism,
and experts believe it would be selective in offering
information and only when it is ready to do so.
The US cannot get to the alleged layers of "sleepers"
without help from the local government, and
information will be provided to them on a
case-by-case, need-to-know basis, experts say.
Washington might also use the leeway of a law it
adopted in the late 80s that allows it to try people
accused of plotting or carrying out attacks against
American citizens. An extension of that law permits US
security and law enforcement agencies to even kidnap
suspects for trial in the US.
There have been several instances since then where US
agents lured suspected hijackers and kidnappers of
American citizens into situations where they were
kidnapped and ferried to the US to stand trial. They
included a Lebanese national who was involved in the
1987 hijack of a Royal Jordanian airliner in which an
American navy diver was killed. The suspect was lured
to a luxury yacht in the Mediterranean by a woman
agent and arrested as he boarded the vessel. He was
flown to the US and given a life sentence after being
found guilty by a US court.
Innocents could face ordeals if it was found that they
have had the slightest brush with Al Qaeda members
even if it was before the group was formed. That is
the extent to which the CIA is willing to go in its
campaign.
US intelligence documents drawn up since Sept. 11
identify dozens of cities and groups around the world
as: "financing and banking centre," "militant training
centre," "Islamist group with links to Al Qaeda," "Al
Qaeda cell," and "Al Qaeda strategic planning centre."
These include Mindanao in the Philippines, Pakistani
cities and towns including Peshawar, Khost, Islamabad
and Karachi, Jeddah in Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Sanaa and
Aden in Yemen, Amman in Jordan, Nairobi in Kenya, Dar
es Salam in Tanzania, Mogadishu in Somalia, Khartoum
in Sudan, Algeria, Tripoli in Libya, Nicosia in
Cyprus, Sofia in Bulgaria, Sarajevo in Bosnia, Milan
in Italy, Hamburg n Germany, Madrid in Spain, Paris
and London.
Interestingly, the list excludes India despite New
Delhi's assertions that Al Qaeda operatives are living
in hiding in the country. Iraq and Iran are also
excluded from the list.
Included in the list are US cities like Portland,
Boston, New York, Miami, Arlington (Texas), and
Vancouver, Ottawa and Montreal in Canada.
Some of the governments have already been given some
information on the presence on their soil of suspects,
and some arrests have been made.
But the "big wave" of crackdown, either by the host
government or by US agents, has yet to come. And when
it comes, it would be sweeping and all-embracing.