Daijiworld Media Network - Washington
Washington, Sep 12: India was among the countries identified by Osama bin Laden’s network as potential locations for attacks in 1998, according to a declassified CIA intelligence brief that also details the network’s links with Pakistan and the Taliban’s refusal to expel bin Laden from Afghanistan.
The August 28, 1998 assessment, titled _Bin Ladin Terrorist Network Still a Threat_, named India and Pakistan alongside Egypt, countries in the Arabian Peninsula, Uganda and possibly Nigeria as potential locations for attacks.
The source of the information has been redacted. The publicly released portion does not identify any specific Indian target, attack date or operational plan.
The brief said bin Laden and other terrorist leaders based in Afghanistan had survived US strikes, while their communications network remained intact. It also said training had resumed at some camps and that other camps were being relocated.
According to the assessment, bin Laden could draw on individuals and allied groups in at least 60 countries to carry out attacks.
The document is among 71 President’s Daily Brief products declassified by CIA Director John Ratcliffe to mark the 25th anniversary of the September 11 attacks. The CIA described the release as its largest collection of declassified presidential briefing products related to the September 11 attacks.
The documents also shed light on the Kandahar hostage crisis and Pakistan’s dealings with militant groups associated with bin Laden.
A January 3, 2000 assessment said the Taliban’s Council of Ministers had unanimously decided the previous month against expelling bin Laden from Afghanistan. The decision followed requests from Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates for his extradition.
The brief said Taliban figures had warned bin Laden to strengthen his security amid concerns that the Kandahar hostage crisis could be used to mount an operation against him. Parts of the passage remain redacted.
The assessment also referred to “international suspicions of Islamabad’s role in the hijacking”. It said those suspicions, combined with then-Pakistani leader Pervez Musharraf’s concerns about terrorism spilling into Pakistan, suggested he could respond to another attack by increasing pressure on the Taliban to expel bin Laden.
However, the document recorded suspicions about Islamabad but did not establish Pakistani responsibility for the hijacking.
A June 27, 2000 brief described efforts by Pakistan to restrict bin Laden’s network. It said Islamabad was responding both to international pressure and concerns that Islamic radicals could destabilise Pakistan.
Members of bin Laden’s group had reportedly complained about difficulties sending Arab operatives to other countries, apparently because travel through Pakistan was being curtailed.
The assessment also reported the arrest of six associates of North African extremists during a raid near Peshawar.
The same brief recorded Taliban complaints that Islamabad had not delivered promised ammunition. The relevant passage is partly redacted and does not establish whether any delivery subsequently took place.
An earlier assessment dated February 24, 1998, said leaders of the Pakistan-based Harakat ul-Ansar had joined Egyptian militant groups in signing bin Laden’s fatwa calling for attacks on US interests and civilians worldwide.
The CIA said the collection documents the evolving understanding among intelligence analysts of al-Qaida and their efforts to warn about attack planning despite what it described as sparse, vague and imperfect information.
More than 100 pages of analysis were released as part of the declassification.