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US unusually optimistic about reports out of Pakistan
A U.S. airstrike on a suspected Al Qaeda compound in a remote region of Pakistan targeted Osama bin Laden's second in command, U.S. officials said Friday, adding that they were investigating the possibility that the Egyptian militant had been killed.The CIA and other counter-terrorism agencies would not comment officially on speculation that Ayman Zawahiri was among a handful of suspected senior Al Qaeda militants killed in the airstrike in the Bajaur region near the Afghan border early Friday. Nor would they say on the record whether U.S. warplanes or unmanned Predator drones had fired precision-guided missiles on at suspected militant hide-outs in the area, as reported by Pakistani officials and eyewitnesses. A senior U.S. counter-terrorism official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the information, said a compound that had been attacked was known to be frequented by Zawahiri and other top Al Qaeda operatives. Pakistani military sources told officials in Washington that they believed Zawahiri might have been among the dead, the official said. The official said that U.S. authorities had been monitoring the location for months in hopes of striking at Zawahiri and that drones were sent to kill him when intelligence indicated he was there. Although it was too early to tell whether Zawahiri or any other key Al Qaeda operative had been killed, the official called reports coming out of Pakistan encouraging, saying U.S. intelligence and counter-terrorism authorities view them with unusual optimism. The official acknowledged that false reports of Zawahiri's death have been made from time to time. "There is something different about this one," the official said. "This seems to have validity." U.S. counter-terrorism officials said Washington was eagerly awaiting more information from Pakistan after daybreak today. They said identifying the bodies could take several days. For years, Zawahiri and Bin Laden were inseparable, several U.S. counter-terrorism officials said. But the two are believed to have been physically separated for some time, in part to make it harder for their pursuers to kill them simultaneously. The U.S. counter-terrorism official said they probably were not together Friday. "They have been separated. Not too far away, but separate," the official said. Many counter-terrorism officials believe that the Al Qaeda terrorist network has become a much more decentralized organization than it was before the 2001 attacks, when it ran training camps in Afghanistan. U.S. officials said killing Zawahiri would be the biggest success so far in Washington's war on terrorism, but it could also spark a backlash from Al Qaeda sympathizers around the world. Bin Laden has not been heard from publicly since December 2004, and some U.S. officials suspect that he is incapacitated. Other U.S. authorities say Zawahiri has long been the true mastermind of Al Qaeda. Area residents and a member of parliament from the Bajaur region told reporters Friday that that four U.S. aircraft entered Pakistani territory from Afghanistan about 3 a.m. and attacked residential compounds in the village of Berkandi. The area borders Afghanistan's Kunar province, where U.S.-led forces are battling Taliban and allied insurgents. The tribal area is about 70 miles north of Peshawar in northwestern Pakistan. "I saw four aircraft enter the area from Kunar province, which circled over the area for half an hour," resident Mohammed Rafiq said. "The planes made several sorties and fired missiles, which caused loud explosions." Witnesses said 14 of those killed in the blasts belonged to one family. Haji Haroon Rashid, the Bajaur lawmaker, said he witnessed the attack and alleged that a spy plane had been seen flying over the area for days. "I left my bed immediately after hearing the loud noise of planes. Thousands of other people were also watching the aircraft for half an hour, which fired nine missiles," Rashid said. "They killed innocent children and women who have absolutely no connection with terrorism." In Kabul, the Afghan capital, U.S. military spokesman Lt. Mike Cody told Associated Press that he had no report of an attack. Army Maj. Gen. Shaukat Sultan, a Pakistani spokesman, said he did not know the cause of the blasts, but he confirmed that they caused casualties. Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Tasneem Aslam said it was unclear whether the explosions were caused by a cross-border rocket attack or whether they originated inside Pakistan. She and Sultan said the incident was under investigation. Posted by: Dan Darling 2006-01-14 |
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