(4)Report: Osama bin Laden's security coordinator captured in Pakistan
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| Osama bin Laden escorted by the Black Guard. Click image to view. |
A senior al Qaeda commander has been reported to have been captured in the Pakistani city of Lahore, according to a Pakistani newspaper. Dr. Amin al Haq, the security coordinator of Osama bin Laden's Black Guard, "was apprehended from Lahore couple of days back," The Nation reported, citing "credible Afghan sources." Al Haq is said to be "under interrogation" at an undisclosed location.
The report of al Haq's capture has not been confirmed, a senior intelligence official told The Long War Journal. US intelligence agencies are aware of the report.
Al Haq has a long pedigree with both the Taliban and al Qaeda. He was born in Afghanistan's Nangarhar province, was educated as a physician, and practiced medicine in Pakistan. "He was associated with Hizb-e-Islami Afghanistan headed by late Maulvi Younas Khalis, which joined the Taliban Movement in 1996," The Nation reported. He "was also part of the Afghan delegation flown to Sudan in 1996 to bring Osama bin Laden to Afghanistan."
On Dec. 19, 2001, al Haq was identified as a senior member of al Qaeda per United Nations resolution 1267. He accompanied Osama bin Laden during the 2001 battle at Tora Bora in Nangarhar province, and helped senior al Qaeda leaders escape the US and Afghan militia assault on the cave complex. During renewed fighting at Tora Bora in the summer of 2007, al Haq was reported to have been wounded and fled across the border into Pakistan's Kurram tribal agency.
As security coordinator for the Black Guard, it is believed al Haq would be in close proximity to Osama bin Laden. US intelligence believes Osama bin Laden is hiding in Pakistan's tribal agencies, a claim the Pakistani government has denied. Many of the senior al Qaeda leader captured in Pakistan since Sept. 11, including Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and Abu Musab al Suri, have been detained in Pakistan's major cities.
Several senior al Qaeda leaders -- such as Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, Saif al Adel, and Walid bin Attash -- rose through the ranks in al Qaeda by serving in the Black Guard. A Special Forces raid against the Black Guard camp in Danda Saidgai in North Waziristan, Pakistan in March 2006 resulted in the death of Imam Asad and several dozen members of the Black Guard. Asad was the camp commander, a senior Chechen al Qaeda commander, and associate of Shamil Basayev, the Chechen al Qaeda leader killed by Russian security forces in July 2006.
READER COMMENTS: "Report: Osama bin Laden's security coordinator captured in Pakistan"
Posted by Mark Eichenlaub at January 6, 2008 11:54 PM ET:
wow, this guy must be loaded with intelligence. I could see the need for keeping his capture under wraps until he is exploited. Maybe his capture has something to do with this NYTimes story about CIA ops being discussed for Pakistan.
Posted by wad at January 7, 2008 1:22 AM ET:
Another coincidence is the following news story. Maybe we are getting close to OBL and he and his cohorts want to get rid of all potential collaborators?
ISLAMABAD, Pakistan (AP) - Suspected Islamic militants killed eight tribal leaders involved in efforts to broker a cease-fire between security forces and insurgents in northwestern Pakistan, a security official said Monday.
The men were shot in separate attacks late Sunday and early Monday in South Waziristan, a mountainous region close to Afghanistan where al-Qaida and Taliban militants are known to operate, the official said. He spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to make comments to the media.
Posted by Neo at January 7, 2008 10:51 AM ET:
"NYTimes story about CIA ops being discussed for Pakistan"
Is the CIA really contemplating operation in Pakistan or is the CIA just doing a review and contingency planning? There's a big difference. Also, if the CIA wanted to be in the position to do operations in Pakistan they have to prepare and position assets. I wouldn't be at all surprised if all the hullabaloo amounts to contingency planning.
Personally, I'm very much against interfering in Pakistan in such a way at this time. It's a whole can of worms I don't want to see opened. Preparing for contingencies is another matter, since you never know what is going to happen in a volatile political situation like Pakistan.
The NYTimes has a history of regularly reporting contingency planning sessions as actual intentions, along with making a big stink over such things. So I would take the report with a grain of salt. The bad part is I'm quite sure the people at the NYTimes usually know better, but have an agenda of their own to support.
Who knows? The NYTimes gets this stuff wrong so many times that I hardly take first reports like this seriously.
Posted by David M at January 7, 2008 1:31 PM ET:
The Thunder Run has linked to this post in the - Web Reconnaissance for 01/07/2008 A short recon of what's out there that might draw your attention, updated throughout the day...so check back often.