An Al Qaeda man taken as one of the top 10 wanted men was identified as Samarkand, who was killed during the October 2 military operation in Baghar area in South Waziristan Agency, sources told Daily Times on Friday.
| "Samarkand" would be Habis Abdullah al-Saoub, an American of Jordanian extraction. He's on the FBI list, with a $5 million reward for his hide. |
Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) officials were shown the bodies of the eight killed Al Qaeda suspects somewhere outside the tribal areas. âWe did not identify the man to be among the top 10 Al Qaeda wanted men,â Pakistani security agencies said. âBut the FBI men helped us identify him as Samarkand, an Uzbek national,â they said.
| Jordanian, Uzbek, whatever. Guess it depends on which passport he was carrying. Last month Beebs thought he was Jordanian-American. |
Sources said a Chinese Muslim was also among the dead Al Qaeda suspects during the operation, but intelligence officials did not say if Pakistan had informed Beijing about the Chinese national among the casualties.
| They'd probably like to cross him off their list, whoever it is, if he's on it. If he's not, they'd really like to talk to his friends and acquaintances... |
Sources said it might take two months to interrogate the arrested 18 suspects. âThe report will be presented to President Pervez Musharraf who will decide what to do with them,â they added. Asked why the interrogation would take so much time, sources said, âWe donât want to leave anything to chance.â
| "We like to take our time at these things..." |
However, their observation that the arrested suspects were ignorant of Islamic teachings was a matter of surprise. âSome of them could not read even Kalma (the first basic injunction of Islam to determine oneâs belief) while others did not know how to say their prayers. âWe think they are mercenaries,â officials said. |