Apu?
Posted on 04/01/2002 2:26:08 PM PST by kattracks
WASHINGTON, Apr 01, 2002 (AP WorldStream via COMTEX) -- The capture of Abu Zubaydah, al-Qaida's top surviving operational commander, is one of the most significant accomplishments in the U.S. war on terrorism, officials and experts said Monday.
In Zubaydah's head are the names, faces and locations of numerous al-Qaida operatives the world over, U.S. officials say.
He may also know the hiding place of Osama bin Laden.
"It's a major, major victory, if not the biggest victory so far," said Stan Bedlington, a former senior terrorism analyst with the CIA. "He's the biggest fish that we've caught."
Pakistani authorities, in concert with the CIA and FBI, captured Zubaydah in a raid last Thursday at a compound in Faisalabad, far from the Afghan border, U.S. officials said, speaking on the condition of anonymity. Zubaydah was shot three times trying to escape - in the stomach, groin and leg - but was expected to survive, said one official.
He is in U.S. custody, but it's unclear if he remains in Pakistan.
Zubaydah acknowledged his identity, said Pakistani officials and others familiar with his capture. Other past associates have also identified the captured man as Zubaydah, U.S. officials said.
Only bin Laden, Ayman al-Zawahri and Mohammed Atef ranked higher, and Atef was killed by U.S. airstrikes in November.
Zubaydah has been linked by intelligence and police officials to at least five al-Qaida terrorist plots, including the Sept. 11 attacks on the World Trade Center and Pentagon. The extent of his role, however, has not been fully determined.
Captured al-Qaida operatives said he organized the millennium plots to blow up Los Angeles International Airport and the Radisson SAS Hotel in Amman, Jordan, which is frequented by American tourists. Both were thwarted.
In 2000, a Jordanian military court found him guilty in absentia of conspiracy to carry out terrorist attacks and he was sentenced to death in absentia.
Zubaydah, a 31-year-old Palestinian who was born in Saudi Arabia, was also tied to thwarted plots to blow up the U.S. embassies in Paris and in Sarajevo, Bosnia-Herzegovina, after Sept. 11. U.S. officials say they are investigating his links to the attacks on the USS Cole and the bombings of the U.S. embassies in Kenya and Tanzania.
Despite his prominence, the FBI never named him as a "most wanted" terrorist. He is also known as Zain al-Abidin Muhahhad Husain.
"We've followed him for a very long time - a very dangerous character," National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice said in a recent interview with The Associated Press.
Since the United States attacked Afghanistan, Zubaydah has led an effort to reorganize al-Qaida in Pakistan. Financial transfers and intercepted communications suggested he was directing attempts to conduct new terrorist attacks against U.S. interests, U.S. officials have said.
Officials cautioned that Zubaydah's arrest, while a major blow to al-Qaida, does not end the group's threat. Cells are still operating, and the group has several other leaders capable of organizing them.
Bedlington suggested Zubaydah's high position in al-Qaida may have given him access to bin Laden's post-Sept. 11 plans - including his hideouts and how to contact him. That's information U.S. intelligence can exploit, if Zubaydah talks, Bedlington said.
Think of him as a "choke point" between bin Laden's will and actual terrorist attacks, said Vince Cannistraro, a former senior CIA counterterrorism chief. Where bin Laden and al-Zawahri would set policy, Zubaydah would implement it. U.S. officials said when the inner circle would call for a bombing of an embassy, Zubaydah would select the embassy, cell and method of attack.
"He was the guy that had the direct contact with prominent al-Qaida cell leaders abroad, and he knew where they all were," he said. "He would have been the guy coordinating new attacks."
His contacts with cells came through his role as a recruiter in the group. Prospective recruits would meet Zubaydah in Pakistan, who would assign them to camps. When they finished training, he put them in cells overseas.
Ahmed Ressam, convicted in April 2001 of smuggling, terrorist conspiracy and other charges in connection with the Los Angeles plot, described Zubaydah's role during court testimony.
"He is the person in charge of the camps. He receives young men from all countries. He accepts you or rejects you. And he takes care of the expenses for the camps. He makes arrangements for you when you travel coming in or leaving," Ressam said.
By JOHN J. LUMPKIN Associated Press Writer
Copyright 2002 Associated Press, All rights reserved
So Zubaydah, you have chosen the way of pain!
Your points being taken, there is value in letting the enemy know he can not hide forever, that we will hunt him down, that we will find him, that no place is safe. It keeps them constantly in hiding or on the run. While not a physical 'kill', it accomplishes a mission kill, rendering Al Qiada inneffective. It buys us time to root them out. Knowing what this guy knows, many terrorists may be spooked into running now, putting them in the open for us to catch. Just some rational for this.
Sounds like good stuff. Here's some info on the drug
"Keep him away from ledges and shower stalls.
Apu?
This is from the link you provided: How do you know if it works: The patient will be calm, pain free, but able to follow directions. Speech will be slurred, patient will be drowsy, motor movements will be sluggish. Memory of the procedure will be blocked.
So there is no need to torture these clymers, just iv them with a slow Versed continuous drip or by an infusion pump. They will be calm, pain free and will follow directions and answer all questions. Then, they will not remember being asked
The patients receiving Versed have amnesia during the procedures. They really talk after the procedures and still have no memory of what they said or what was asked of them.
Not to worry ... the Pentagon has been working on a new interrogation system since last December. See the prototype below (electrodes not shown):
It's time to have a party. If this asshole talks before we're done with him, so much the better...
A traditionalist I see. From the other posts, FR seems to recommend a Versed Iv for all your interrogation needs.
A senior Pakistani intelligence officer told The Associated Press on condition of anonymity that the man believed to be Zubaydah is among about 20 Arabs to be flown to the U.S. naval base at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, where hundreds of al-Qaida and Taliban prisoners are detained.
This later report seems to go back on that claim. However, it is possible that the senior Pakistani intelligence officer was deceived about the plane's destination. Your suggestion about Jordan may be right. Remember that Yemeni microbiology student that was handed over to American authorities at Karachi airport late last year? A recent Washington Post article reported that he was flown in a Learjet to Jordan.
As these are Pashtuns, the term middle man must be clarified.
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