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| Terror Networks |
| Al Qaeda Gold Moved to Sudan |
| 2002-09-03 |
| Al Qaeda and the Taliban have quietly shipped large quantities of gold out of Pakistan to Sudan in recent weeks, transiting through the United Arab Emirates and Iran, according to European, Pakistani and U.S. investigators. Several shipments of boxes of gold, usually disguised as other products, were taken by small boat from Karachi to either Iran or Dubai, and from there mixed with other goods and flown by chartered airplanes to Khartoum. Although it is not clear how much gold has been moved, the quantity was significant and was an important indicator that the al Qaeda network and members of Afghanistan's deposed Taliban militia still had access to large financial reserves. Also that they don't trust leaving it in Pakland... European and U.S. intelligence officials said the movement of gold also highlighted three significant developments in the war on terrorism: the growing role of Iranian intelligence units allied with the country's hard-line clerics in protecting and aiding al Qaeda; the potential reemergence of Sudan as a financial center for the organization; and the ability of the terrorist group to generate new sources of revenue despite the global crackdown on its finances. I'm not too sure about that last. If this is gold they looted before leaving town in the dead of night, they could still be living on fat... The sources said Sudan may have been chosen because Osama bin Laden, the Saudi-born al Qaeda leader, and other members of the network are familiar with the country and retain business contacts there. They said traditional havens for al Qaeda money on the Arabian peninsula such as Saudi Arabia and United Arab Emirates were under intense international scrutiny, while transactions in Sudan could more easily pass unnoticed. Sudan is also in a state of flux lately, with the government either signing a peace agreement with the rebels or going back to full-time war with them — they haven't figured it yet. That presents glowing opportunities for Islamists, especially when they're experienced in Pak's NWFP. President Omar is also cleaning house, distancing himself from some pushy Islamists and presenting a more civilized front to the rest of the world; there is all that oil money that could come pouring in, if they could just get a little stability going. House cleanings make a government stronger in the long run, but that takes awhile to kick in. So an al-Qaeda presence doesn't necessarily equate to a presence that's approved by the Sudan government. But it is going to equate to an autonomous enclave somewhere in Sudan, probably with the protection of one of the head cheeses, as we see in Indonesia with the vice president making kissy face with the local turbans. |
| Posted by:Fred Pruitt |
| #1 "Large quantities of gold" require large quantities of guards. Those guards will be focused around someone the Al Qaeda trusts -- which in that world usually means family. I'm not saying the gold will be easy to track down, but we could have much, much fun letting local crooks, tribal warlords, gangs, military commanders, etc. know that such-and-such an individual might be well-worth knocking over... |
| Posted by: Patrick Phillips 2002-09-03 14:10:06 |