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| Africa: Subsaharan |
| Al-Qaeda members hiding in South Africa |
| 2004-10-04 |
| The United States' Central Intelligence Agency has named South Africa as one of the countries where a new tier of al-Qaeda leaders are hiding, The Sunday Independent reported. The newspaper said that a special investigation aired by the American television network CBS at the weekend revealed that a recent CIA report had identified 29 new leaders serving as a "second and third tier" in the al-Qaeda hierarchy stretching from Pakistan and Iraq to South Africa. Lorna Daniels, spokesperson for the South African intelligence ministry, said the National Intelligence Agency (NIA) did not wish to comment at this stage. David Martin, CBS's security affairs specialist, said that according to the CIA report Osama bin Laden remained at the top of al-Qaeda, followed by Ayman al-Zawahri, but there was now a second tier of 10 leaders operating in Iraq. These included Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, the leader to whom some South African al-Qaeda operatives are allegedly linked. According to the CIA report, a further 21 leaders could be found in countries stretching from Pakistan to South Africa. Responding to the CBS report, South African intelligence sources said both the police and NIA were investigating alleged al-Qaeda operatives said to be functioning in South Africa - in Cape Town, Durban, the Eastern Cape and Gauteng. However, they were not certain whether these people were indeed top-ranking al-Qaeda figures as suggested in the CBS report. |
| Posted by:Dan Darling |
| #2 hmm..lots of press releases about AQ's second and third tier floating about today. Seems to be fitting the talking points meme of the day that all our work in the Middle East is for naught - because as soon as one terrorist arises, another takes his place. Of course it was me, I'd reword the above article differently: Al Qaeda leadership badly damaged to point that B and C teams players not even able to operate in Middle East anymore. Garden Variety thugs in S Africa now claiming to be Al Qaeda leaders. CBS is buying into it with the same investigative skills that they brought to the Wison affair..and Yellowcake and TANG docs. |
| Posted by: 2b 2004-10-04 4:55:54 PM |
| #1 can't work |
| Posted by: Criger Griger4532 2004-10-04 4:50:06 PM |