Posted on 05/14/2003 10:49:40 AM PDT by Happy2BMe
|
U.S. intelligence: Saudi military riddled by Al Qaida infiltrators |
The U.S. intelligence community believes Al Qaida has infiltrated Saudi military and security forces.
U.S. intelligence and diplomatic sources said assessments by both the CIA and the Pentagon's Defense Intelligence Agency have concluded that Al Qaida operatives in Saudi Arabia have contacts throughout the kingdom's armed forces. The sources said Al Qaida has operatives in the elite National Guard, the Navy and the Army.
"The only area where there is no evidence of a significant Al Qaida presence is the Saudi Royal Air Force," a U.S. official familiar with intelligence assessments said. "The police, army, navy, National Guard and all the rest have been infiltrated by Al Qaida."
The FBI said it will send a team to Saudi Arabia to investigate the bombings. Officials said Saudi authorities have approved the FBI request to launch its probe in the kingdom, Middle East Newsline reported.
A senior State Department official said Al Qaida knew virtually all of the security arrangements at the housing complex for the Vinnel Corp., which has been training the National Guard. The official said Al Qaida attackers entered the gate, drove a truck to the Vinnell complex and detonated a bomb that weighed nearly 200 kilograms.
"It took them 30 seconds to a minute," a senior State Department official said. "They had to know where the switches were."
On Tuesday, a leading U.S. senator said Al Qaida has reorganized its forces amid the U.S.-led war in Iraq. Sen. Bob Graham, a former chairman of the Senate Select Intelligence Committee, said the Islamic network has bolstered its capability nearly to the level of that in September 2001, when Al Qaida conducted suicide strikes in New York and Washington.
"We essentially ended the war on terror about a year ago, and since that time, Al Qaida has been allowed to regenerate," Graham said. "We have allowed the basic structure of Al Qaida to continue. Yes, we've been engaged in a manhunt to find their past leadership. But what we're also finding is that Al Qaida has a deep farm team and they're able to replace those who are killed or detained."
In London, a leading Western strategic institute agreed. The International Institute for Strategic Studies said in a news conference on Tuesday that Al Qaida has not been intimidated by U.S. military successes in Afghanistan and Iraq.
"It is possible that the audacity and success of the Iraq intervention has intimidated anti-American terrorists as well as rogue regimes," institute director John Chipman said. "The attacks by suicide bombers at three housing compounds in Riyad earlier today show that this would be an unwise conclusion. A strong counter-terrorism campaign remains a critical necessity for years to come."
For its part, Al Qaida appeared to have claimed responsibility for the suicide attacks. In a message sent to the London-based Al Majallah weekly, a Saudi-owned publication, Al Qaida operative Abu Mohammed Al Ablaj, who identified himself as the group's training coordinator, said the organization has been planning major operations in the Gulf region.
"The execution of this plan was not hampered by the recent announcement by the Saudi authorities of the seizure of large quantities of arms and explosives in the kingdom and the hunt for 19 people," Al Ablaj said in an e-mail to the newspaper. "Among the priorities of Al Qaida's new strategy, besides strikes at the heart of the United States, are operations in the Gulf countries and countries allied to America, particularly Egypt and Jordan. These operations will target air bases, warships, military camps every on the Arabian peninsula and in the Gulf."
Naw, really?
ANWR
Are you referring to the Saudis by "who's in charge?"
It's my bet the electronic cash transfer channels are wide open and tested regularly between Riyad, Jedda, and the banking elite in Switzerland and Brazil.
Who's in charge? Which way did they go George? Which armpit dictatorship will fall next?
When will our Intelligence Community let us know how many Al-Qaida have infiltrated the democratic party?
LOL...INFILTRATED?? Cut me a break. It's Saudi. They're Wahhabists. Those who had the same mindset as al Qaeda and other aliases for organized terror were already there. HAD been there all along.
Al Qaeda hasn't 'infiltrated' the Saudi military any more than it's 'infiltrated' the Saudi government or 'infiltrated' the mad mullahs of the religious extremist sect.
Saudi is the birthplace of Wahhabism, upon which the House of Saud is based. Birthplace of Binny and 15 of the 9/11 hijackers. Birthplace of al Qaeda. The country that ASSURED us, about a month ago, that it harbored no terrorist cells.
INFILTRATE? Why bother??? Al Qaeda would be preaching to the converted!
The Saudi government has allowed this to go on too long in a combination sympathy-appeasement campaign in which it FUNDS terrorism as long as it's against Israel and the West. This way, the Wahhabists can sell their oil to the West, while still adhering to their cult of world domination. Win-win scenario, monetarily speaking. The world reaps what the Saudis sow.
I'm beginning to doubt the royal family will be able to get out of this one now that it's gone too far. They're like the collective mad scientist who's creation - which was never under their control to begin with, though they thought it was - has run amok and is committing acts of mass destruction on the population. I've seen how scared they are. They thought they could control their monster, but never had control of it in the first place. Now their monster is runing amok.
The same number that insist the war in Iraq is all about oil. The same number that warn the government not to confuse the action in Iraq with the war on terror. In other words, all of them.
I trust the U.S. Government (including Bush) to announce that the Saudis are still as good as gold and wonderful allies as always.
"their" ???
Return it to western possession now, before any further oil-financed attacks against the West.
Yeah, that would be a necessary effort on their part, seeing as how their overall operations mastermind, and their head of operations for the Gulf States, had both just been arrested, and European cells intended to carry out attacks in reprisal for Iraq had been rounded up.
Sen. Bob Graham, a former chairman of the Senate Select Intelligence Committee, said the Islamic network has bolstered its capability nearly to the level of that in September 2001, when Al Qaida conducted suicide strikes in New York and Washington.
Which explains why global terror attacks have escalated recently, instead of al-Qaeda being compelled to limit attacks to freindly "home-base" territory. But, wait, just the opposite is true!
"We essentially ended the war on terror about a year ago, and since that time, Al Qaida has been allowed to regenerate," Graham said. "We have allowed the basic structure of Al Qaida to continue.
Oh, so we have given up on al-Qaeda, sez Graham.
Yes, we've been engaged in a manhunt to find their past leadership.
No, wait, we haven't, sez Graham!
But what we're also finding is that Al Qaida has a deep farm team and they're able to replace those who are killed or detained."
Oh, geez, you mean they're gonna fight back and try to adapt? Since only you seem to have anticipated this, Senator (AS IF) do you mind sharing your ideas for agressively combating al-Qaeda and allied terror groups?
[cue crickets]
But what about the artic snail darters and frozen tundra slew footed mice?
Saudi Arabia Accused by U.S. of Failure to Secure Housing Areas
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.