Summary/Review of 1998 Reports Concerning Threats by USA-ma Bin Laden to Conduct Terrorist Operations Against the United States and/or her Allies

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ORIGINAL REPORT -- FATWA: "KILL AMERICANS EVERYWHERE "

Saudi Arabia: Bin-Ladin, Others Sign Fatwa To 'Kill Americans'

Everywhere

London Al-Quds al-'Arabi in Arabic -- 23 Feb 98,  Page 1

"Bin-Ladin, al-Zawahiri, Rifa'i Taha Issue Fatwa To 'Kill Americans

Everywhere' in Retaliation for Threats To Strike Iraq; Saddam-Annan

Meeting Produces Agreement, Washington Voices Reservations Pending

Details"

London, Amman, Washington, Al-Quds al- 'Arabi -- [passage omitted on

reports of agreement reached during Annan-Saddam meeting] At another

level, a number of fundamentalist groups leaders have issued a statement

in which they issued a fatwa to "kill the Americans, civilians and

military," in retaliation for any U.S. attack on Iraq.

The text of the fatwa -- contained in a statement faxed to Al- Quds

al-'Arabi and signed by Shaykh Usamah Bin-Muhammad Bin-Ladin (the

prominent Saudi oppositionist); Ayman al-Zawahiri, amir of the Jihad

Group in Egypt; Abu-Yasir Rifa'i Ahmad Taha, a leader of the [Egyptian]

Islamic Group; Shaykh Mir Hamzah, secretary of the

Jamiat-ul-Ulema-e-Pakistan; and Fazlul Rahman, amir of the Jihad

Movement in Bangladesh -- says that the ruling to kill the Americans

and their allies, civilians and military, is an individual duty [fard 'ayn]

on every Muslim who can do so in any country in which it is possible to

do it, in order to liberate the al-Aqsa Mosque and the holy mosque

[Mecca] from their grip, and in order that their armies move out of all

the land of Islam defeated and unable to threaten any Muslim in

compliance with the words of Almighty God "Fight the pagans all

together as they fight you all together."

Justifying the call to kill U.S. civilians and military men, the statement

said that "U.S. aggression is affecting Muslim civilians, not just the

military."

[Al-Quds al-'Arabi publishes the text of the fatwa on another page]

*****

Saudi Arabia Text of Fatwa Urging Jihad Against Americans London Al-Quds

al-'Arabi in Arabic -- 23 Feb 98,  Page 3

"Text of World Islamic Front's Statement Urging Jihad Against Jews and

Crusaders" -- Al-Quds al-'Arabi headline; in a front-page report, Al-

Quds al-'Arabi says that the statement was "faxed to Al- Quds al-'Arabi

and signed by Shaykh Usamah Bin-Muhammad Bin-Ladin (the prominent Saudi

oppositionist); Ayman al-Zawahiri, amir of the Jihad Group in Egypt;

Abu- Yasir Rifa'i Ahmad Taha, a leader of the [Egyptian] Islamic Group;

Shaykh Mir Hamzah, secretary of the Jamiat-ul-Ulema-e-Pakistan; and

Fazlul Rahman, amir of the Jihad Movement in Bangladesh"

Praise be to God, who revealed the Book, controls the clouds, defeats

factionalism, and says in His Book "But when the forbidden months are

past, then fight and slay the pagans wherever ye find them, seize them,

beleaguer them, and lie in wait for them in every stratagem (of war)";

and peace be upon our Prophet, Muhammad Bin-'Abdallah, who said I have

been sent with the sword between my hands to ensure that no one but God

is worshipped, God who put my livelihood under the shadow of my spear

and who inflicts humiliation and scorn on those who disobey my orders.

The Arabian Peninsula has never -- since God made it flat, created its

desert, and encircled it with seas -- been stormed by any forces like

the crusader armies spreading in it like locusts, eating its riches and

wiping out its plantations. All this is happening at a time in which

nations are attacking Muslims like people fighting over a plate of food.

In the light of the grave situation and the lack of support, we and you

are obliged to discuss current events, and we should all agree on how to

settle the matter.

No one argues today about three facts that are known to everyone; we

will list them, in order to remind everyone

First, for over seven years the United States has been occupying the

lands of Islam in the holiest of places, the Arabian Peninsula,

plundering its riches, dictating to its rulers, humiliating its people,

terrorizing its neighbors, and turning its bases in the Peninsula into a

spearhead through which to fight the neighboring Muslim peoples.

If some people have in the past argued about the fact of the occupation,

all the people of the Peninsula have now acknowledged it.

The best proof of this is the Americans' continuing aggression against

the Iraqi people using the Peninsula as a staging post, even though all

its rulers are against their territories being used to that end, but

they are helpless. Second, despite the great devastation inflicted on

the Iraqi people by the crusader-Zionist alliance, and despite the huge

number of those killed, which has exceeded 1 million... despite all

this, the Americans are once against trying to repeat the horrific

massacres, as though they are not content with the protracted blockade

imposed after the ferocious war or the fragmentation and devastation.

So here they come to annihilate what is left of this people and to

humiliate their Muslim neighbors.

Third, if the Americans' aims behind these wars are religious and

economic, the aim is also to serve the Jews' petty state and divert

attention from its occupation of Jerusalem and murder of Muslims there.

The best proof of this is their eagerness to destroy Iraq, the strongest

neighboring Arab state, and their endeavor to fragment all the states of

the region such as Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and Sudan into paper

statelets and through their disunion and weakness to guarantee Israel's

survival and the continuation of the brutal crusade occupation of the

Peninsula.

All these crimes and sins committed by the Americans are a clear

declaration of war on God, his messenger, and Muslims. And ulema have

throughout Islamic history unanimously agreed that the jihad is an

individual duty if the enemy destroys the Muslim countries. This was

revealed by Imam Bin-Qadamah in "Al- Mughni," Imam al-Kisa'i in "Al-

Bada'i," al-Qurtubi in his interpretation, and the shaykh of al-Islam

[not further identified] in his books, where he said "As for the

fighting to repulse [an enemy], it is aimed at defending sanctity and

religion, and it is a duty as agreed [by the ulema]. Nothing is more

sacred than belief except repulsing an enemy who is attacking religion

and life."

On that basis, and in compliance with God's order, we issue the

following fatwa to all Muslims

The ruling to kill the Americans and their allies -- civilians and

military -- is an individual duty for every Muslim who can do it in any

country in which it is possible to do it, in order to liberate the

al-Aqsa Mosque and the holy mosque [Mecca] from their grip, and in order

for their armies to move out of all the lands of Islam, defeated and

unable to threaten any Muslim. This is in accordance with the words of

Almighty God, "and fight the pagans all together as they fight you all

together," and "fight them until there is no more tumult or oppression,

and there prevail justice and faith in God."

This is in addition to the words of Almighty God "And why should ye not

fight in the cause of God and of those who, being weak, are ill- treated

(and oppressed) -- women and children, whose cry is 'Our Lord, rescue us

from this town, whose people are oppressors; and raise for us from thee

one who will help!'"

We -- with God's help -- call on every Muslim who believes in God and

wishes to be rewarded to comply with God's order to kill the Americans

and plunder their money wherever and whenever they find it. We also call

on Muslim ulema, leaders, youths, and soldiers to launch the raid on

Satan's U.S. troops and the devil's supporters allying with them, and to

displace those who are behind them so that they may learn a lesson.

Almighty God said "O ye who believe, give your response to God and His

Apostle, when He calleth you to that which will give you life. And know

that God cometh between a man and his heart, and that it is He to whom

ye shall all be gathered."

Almighty God also says "O ye who believe, what is the matter with you,

that when ye are asked to go forth in the cause of God, ye cling so

heavily to the earth! Do ye prefer the life of this world to the

hereafter? But little is the comfort of this life, as compared with the

hereafter. Unless ye go forth, He will punish you with a grievous

penalty, and put others in your place; but Him ye would not harm in the

least. For God hath power over all things."

Almighty God also says "So lose no heart, nor fall into despair. For ye

must gain mastery if ye are true in faith."

--------------------

Editor's Note: "fatwa" means judgement

Mr. Bin Laden has been involved in the declaration several "fatwas." He

allegedly uses this these fatwas to justify his "holy war" or "Jihad"

against America and her allies.  

According to the Islamic science called "Usul al-fiqh" (Principles of

Jurisprudence), a fatwa is binding when these four conditions are

satisfied:

1) It is in line with relevant legal proofs, deducted from Koranic

verses and hadiths; 2) It is issued by a person (or a board) having

due knowledge and sincerity of heart; 3) It is free from individual

opportunism, and not depending on political servitude; 4) It is

adequate with the needs of the contemporary world.

Excerpted from: ERRI DAILY INTELLIGENCE REPORT-ERRI Risk

Assessment Services-Thursday, June 11, 1998 Vol. 4 - 162

LEAD FOCUS

OSAMA BIN LADEN THREATENS THE U.S. ON AMERICAN TELEVISION

By Steve Macko, ERRI Risk Analyst

WASHINGTON (EmergencyNet News) - A terrorist financier wanted by Saudi

Arabian and U.S. authorities for at least two bombings appeared on U.S.

network television on Wednesday and challenged the U.S. military to try

to capture him. Appearing on ABC News' "World News Tonight" and later on

"Nightline," Osama bin Laden spoke from what it said was a heavily-armed

camp somewhere inside Afghanistan, which has given refuge to the stateless

Saudi Arabian and a group of his followers.

The slight and bearded bin Laden appeared in a poorly-lit tent and said

he was ready if U.S. forces attempted to track him down and arrest him.

The terrorist challenged, "Whether they try or not, we have seen in the

last decade the decline of the American government and the weakness of

the American soldier."

Bin Laden has vowed to wage a jihad or holy war against U.S. forces in

Saudi Arabia because of U.S. support for Israel. He broadened his threat

to include all Americans, military and civilian, in the Middle East.

He said, "We do not differentiate between those dressed in military

uniforms and civilians. They are all targets in this fatwa (a religious

decree) ... we must use such punishment to keep your evil away from

Moslems, Moslem women and children."

The U.S. State Department has identified bin Laden as a major world

sponsor of Islamic extremism. He is believed to have been a major

financier of the two terrorist bombings in Saudi Arabia.

The terrorist said, "We predict a black day for America."

U.S. National Security Advisor Sandy Berger told ABC News in their

report, "Osama bin Laden may be the most dangerous non-state terrorist

in the world."

From: ERRI DAILY INTELLIGENCE REPORT-ERRI Risk Assessment

Services-Tuesday, June 16, 1998 Vol. 4 - 167

U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT NEWS

N.AFRICA-MIDDLE EAST-S.ASIA

WASHINGTON (EmergencyNet News) - On 12 June, the U.S. Department

of State issued the following Public Announcement in regards to the Middle

East and South Asia:

"In a recent interview with an American news organization, terrorist

financier Osama Bin Laden reiterated his threats against the U.S. In an

apparent reference to Americans, he said that he did not distinguish

between military and civilians -- both groups are targets. In a May 26

press conference, Bin Laden implied that some type of terrorist action

could be mounted within the next several weeks. The U.S. continues to

receive information from other sources which indicates planning for an

attack against Americans in the Persian Gulf (also referred to as the

Arabian Gulf). We take these threats seriously and the U.S. is

increasing security at many U.S. Government facilities in the Middle

East and South Asia.

Therefore, the Department of State believes it useful to remind

Americans in the region to maintain a high level of vigilance and

alertness and to take appropriate steps to increase their security

awareness and lessen their vulnerability. Americans should try to

maintain a low profile, reduce travel in the region where possible, vary

routes and times for all required travel, and treat mail from unfamiliar

sources with suspicion.

This Public Announcement replaces the June 2 Public Announcement

on the Middle East and South Asia and expires August 31, 1998."

------------------------------------------------------------------------

Selected EmergencyNet News Reports On-Line

July 25, 1997 - Vol. 3, No. 206 -- Osama Bin Laden Bides His Time; To

Strike The U.S. Again?

February 21, 1997 - Vol. 3, No. 052 -- Saudi Dissident and

Fundamentalist Supporter Threatens U.S.

All materials (c) Copyright, EmergencyNet NEWS Service, 1998 -- unless

otherwise indicated by title or mark. All Rights Reserved.

Redistribution without EmergencyNet News expressed permission is

prohibited by law.

The ERRI DAILY INTELLIGENCE REPORT is a subscription publication of the

EmergencyNet NEWS Service, which is a part of the Chicago-based

Emergency Response and Research Institute. This publication specializes

in Security/ Terrorism/Intelligence/Military and National Security

issues.

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Bio of Osama Bin Laden

Osama Bin Laden is one of the heroes of the Afghan war and a loyal

supporter of The Islamic Movement. From co-ordinating the jihad in

Afghanisatan he has taken up large scale construction projects in the

Sudan. This is an account of an interview he gave to the Independant

Newspaper's Robert Fisk (6.12.96).

Osama Bin Laden sat in his gold-fringed robe, guarded by the loyal Arab

mujahedin who fought alongside him in Afghanistan. Bearded, taciturn

figures - unarmed, but never more than a few yards from the man who

recruited them, trained them and then dispatched them to destroy the

Soviet army - they watched unsmiling as the Sudanese villagers of

Almatig lined up to thank the Saudi businessman who is about to complete

the highway linking their homes to Khartoum for the first time in

history.

With his high cheekbones, narrow eyes and long brown robe, Mr Bin Laden

looks every inch the mountain warrior of mujahedin legend. Chadored

children danced in front of him, preachers acknowledged his wisdom. "We

have been waiting for this road through all the revolutions in Sudan," a

sheikh said. "We waited until we had given up on everybody - and then

Osama Bin Laden came along."

Outside Sudan, Mr Bin Laden is not regarded with such high esteem. The

Egyptian press claims he brought hundreds of former Arab fighters back

to Sudan from Afghanistan, while the Western embassy circuit in Khartoum

has suggested that some of the "Afghans" whom this Saudi enterpreneur

flew to Sudan are now busy training for further jihad wars in Algeria,

Tunisia and Egypt. Mr Bin Laden is well aware of this. "The rubbish of

the media and the embassies," he calls it. "I am a construction engineer

and an agriculturist. If I had training camps here in Sudan, I couldn't

possibly do this job."

And "this job" is certainly an ambitious one: a brand-new highway

stretching from Khartoum to Port Sudan, a distance of 1,200km (745

miles) on the old road, now shortened to 800km by the new Bin Laden

route that will turn the coastal run from the capital into a mere day's

journey. Into a country that is despised by Saudi Arabia for its support

of Saddam Hussein in the Gulf war almost as much as it is condemned by

the United States, Mr Bin Laden has brought the very construction

equipment that he used only five years ago to build the guerilla trails

of Afghanistan.

He is a shy man. Maintaining a home in Khartoum and only a small

apartment in his home city of Jeddah, he is married - with four wives -

but wary of the press. His interview with the Independant was the first

he has ever given to a Western journalist, and he initially refused to

talk about Afghanistan, sitting silently on a chair at the back of

makeshift tent, brushing his teeth in the Arab fashion with a stick of

miswak wood. But talk he eventually did about a war which he helped to

win for the Afghan mujahideen: "What I lived in two years there, I could

not have lived in a hundred years elsewhere." he said.

When the history of the Afghan resistance movement is written, Mr Bin

Laden's own contribution to the mujahedin - and the indirect result of

his training and assistance - may turn out to be a turning point in the

recent history of militant fundamentalism; even if today, he tries to

minimise his role.

"When the invasion of Afghanistan started, I was enraged and went there

at once - I arrived within days, before the end of 1979," he said. "Yes,

I fought there , but my fellow Muslims did much more than I. Many of

them died and I am still alive."

Within months, however, Mr Bin Laden was sending Arab fighters -

Egyptians, Algerians, Lebanese, Kuwaitis, Turks and Tunisians - into

Afghanistan; "not hundreds but thousands," he said. He supported them

with weapons and his own construction equipment. Along with his Iraqi

engineer Mohamed Saad - who is now building the Port Sudan road - Mr Bin

Laden blasted massive tunnels into the Zazi mountains of Bakhtiar

province for guerilla hospitals and arms dumps and cut a mujahedin trail

across the country to within 15 miles of Kabul.

No I was never afraid of death. As Muslims we belivve that when we die,

we go to heaven. Before a batttle, God sends us "seqina", tranquility.

Once I was only 30 metres from the Russians and they were trying to

capture me. I was under bombardment but I was so peaceful in my heart

that I fell asleep. This experience has been written about in our

earliest books. I saw a 120mm mortar shell land in front of me, but it

did not blow up. Four more bombs were dropped from a Russian plane on

our headquuarters but they did not explode. We beat the Soviet union.

The Russians fled."

But what of the Arab mujahedin he took to Afghanistan - members of a

guerilla army who were also encouraged and armed by the United States -

and who were forgotten when that war was over? "Personally neither I nor

my brothers saw evidence of American help. When my mujahedin were

victorious and the Russsians were driven out, differences started

(between the guerilla movements) so I returned to road construction in

Taif and Abha. I brrought back the equipment I had used to build tunnels

and roads for the mujahedin in Afghanistan. Yes, I helped soem of my

comrades to come here to Sudan after the war."

How many? "I don't want to say. But they are here with me right here,

building this road to Port Sudan." I told him that Bosnian Muslim

fighters in the Bosnian town of Travnik had mentioned his name to me. "I

feel the same about Bosnia," he said. "But the situation there does not

provide me with the same opportunities as Afghanistan. A small number of

mujahedin have gone to fight in Bosnia-Hercegovina but the Croats wont

allow the mujahedin in through Croatia as the Pakistanis did with

Afghanistan."

Thus did Mr Bin Laden reflect upon jihad while his former fellow

combatants looked on. Was it not a bit anti-climatic for them, I asked

to fight the Russians and end up road-building in Sudan? "They like this

work and so do I. This is a great plan which we are achieving for the

people here, it helps the Muslims and improves their lives."

His Bin Laden company - not to be confused with the larger construction

business run by his cousins - is paid in Sudanese currency which is then

used to purchase sesame and other products for export; profits are

clearly not Mr Bin Ladens top priority.

How did he feel about Algeria, I asked? But a man in a green suit

calling himself Mohamed Moussa - he claimed to be a Nigerian although he

was a Sudanese security officer - tapped me on the arm. "You have asked

nore than enough questions," he a said. At which Mr Bin Laden went off

to inspect his new road.

Excerpted from the ENN Daily Intelligence Report-02/21/97-Vol. 3, No.052

Saudi Dissident and Fundamentalist Supporter Threatens U.S. ...

By Amy Grant, ENN Correspondent

CHICAGO (ENN) - According to reports from the British television

documentary show, "Dispatches", and the Reuter's News Service, Osama bin

Laden, Saudi dissident exile and alleged Islamic Fundamentalist terror

financier, has again threatened United States forces in Saudi Arabia. In

a television interview from Afghanistan, Bin Laden said that 1996

attacks on the Khobar Towers housing complex in Dhahran and a November,

1995 military assistance unit in Riyadh were carried out as "a warning

to Washington." Bin Laden went on to threaten additional attacks on U.S.

personnel, unless all American and allied military forces are

immediately withdrawn from Saudi Arabia.

ERRI analysts say that Bin Laden issued a similar warning near the end

of 1996, threatening that attacks would take place unless U.S. forces

were withdrawn by the end of the Islamic Holy month of Ramadan.

Obviously that has not occurred, and some experts see this interview as

Bin Laden making his threat public prior to carrying it out.

"If Bin Laden publicly says there will be attacks, I would suggest that

U.S. forces should take that threat seriously," according to Clark

Staten, Executive Director of the Chicago-based Emergency Response &

Research Institute. Staten, who has been studying, analyzing, and

reporting on terrorism issues for more than 12 years, said that Bin

Laden is well-known in counter-terrorism circles as "a very dangerous

religious zealot," who is probably one of the most important independent

sponsors of terrorism in the Mid-East and parts of Asia.

"It is also possible that this latest threat by Bin Laden is in response

to and with intent to confuse any possible U.S. links being drawn to

Iran or Syria for their alleged participation in the Dhahran Barracks

bombing." Staten continued. "By essentially accepting responsibility for

these acts, Bin Laden may feel that he can obfuscate and/or forestall

American retaliatory efforts, which may be forthcoming in the near

future," Staten added.

According to Staten, terrorist financiers like Bin Laden may be part of

an emerging trend in "stateless warfare", where the insurgent objectives

and policies of identifiable nation-states such as Iran, Iraq, Syria,

Libya, Sudan, and others are being carried out by specially put together

teams of "deniable" political and religious fanatics. These terrorists,

after carrying out a terrorist act, can easily melt back into the

civilian population of any sympathetic nation and make it next to

impossible for the United States or her allies to trace and "legally"

take action against the nation that actually condoned or sponsored the

atrocity.

The resulting circumstances of this trend may explain the difficulty we

have seen encountered by the FBI investigation of the Dhahran bombing

and in several other recent terrorist acts, according to Staten. It may

also explain the reason why no one group has claimed responsibility for

several recent terrorist events. "There is no recognizable cell/group

before the attack, and there is no recognizable cell or group after the

attack...they only exist as an very compartmentalized organization

during the planning and conduct of the operation," Staten continued.

"This makes detection, prevention or apprehension very difficult, at

best...and limits the public ability of the victim nation to engage in

legitimate retaliation for what could be considered 'acts of war',"

Staten concluded.

(C) Copyright, EmergencyNet NEWS Service, 1997. All Rights

Reserved. Redistribution without permission is prohibited by law.

The ENN DAILY INTELLIGENCE REPORT is a subscription publication of

the EmergencyNet NEWS Service, which is a part of the Chicago-based

Emergency Response and Research Institute. This publication specializes

in Security/Terrorism/Intelligence/Military and National Security

issues.

Emergency Response and Research Institute

6348 N Milwaukee Ave, Suite 312, Chicago, Illinois 60646 USA

773-631-ERRI Voice/Voice Mail

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Return to the Counter-Terrorism Page

------------------------------------------------------------

Ussamah Bin Laden ... a closer look at the man, the phenomenon ...

MSA (msaosu@magnus.acs.ohio-state.edu)

Mon, 17 Oct 1994 02:04:32 -0400 (EDT)

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The Independent December 6, 1993, Monday

HEADLINE: Anti-Soviet warrior puts his army on the road to peace;

The Saudi businessman who recruited mujahedin now uses them for

large-scale building projects in Sudan. Robert Fisk met him in Almatig

By ROBERT FISK

OSAMA Bin Laden sat in his gold- fringed robe, guarded by the loyal Arab

mujahedin who fought alongside him in Afghanistan. Bearded, taciturn

figures - unarmed, but never more than a few yards from the man who recruited

them, trained them and then dispatched them to destroy the Soviet army -

they watched unsmiling as the Sudanese villagers of Almatig lined up to thank

the Saudi businessman who is about to complete the highway linking their

homes to Khartoum for the first time in history.

With his high cheekbones, narrow eyes and long brown robe, Mr Bin Laden

looks every inch the mountain warrior of mujahedin legend. Chadored

children danced in front of him, preachers acknowledged his wisdom.

''We have been waiting for this road through all the revolutions in Sudan,''

a sheikh said. ''We waited until we had given up on everybody - and then

Osama Bin Laden came along.'

Outside Sudan, Mr Bin Laden is not regarded with quite such high esteem.

The

Egyptian press claims he brought hundreds of former Arab fighters back

to Sudan

from Afghanistan, while the Western embassy circuit in Khartoum has

suggested th

at some of the ''Afghans'' whom this Saudi entrepreneur flew to Sudan

are now bu

sy training for further jihad wars in Algeria, Tunisia and Egypt. Mr Bin

Laden

is well aware of this. ''The rubbish of the media and the embassies,''

he calls

it. ''I am a construction engineer and an agriculturalist. If I had

training ca

mps here in Sudan, I couldn't possibly do this job.''

And ''this job'' is certainly an ambitious one: a brand-new highway

stretching all the way from Khartoum to Port Sudan, a distance of

1,200km (745

miles) on the old road, now shortened to 800km by the new Bin Laden

route that

will turn the coastal run from the capital into a mere day's journey.

Into a

country that is despised by Saudi Arabia for its support of Saddam

Hussein in

the Gulf war almost as much as it is condemned by the United States, Mr

Bin

Laden has brought the very construction equipment that he used only five

years

ago to build the guerrilla trails of Afghanistan.

He is a shy man. Maintaining a home in Khartoum and only a small

apartment

in his home city of Jeddah, he is married - with four wives - but wary

of the

press. His interview with the Independent was the first he has ever

given to a

Western journalist, and he initially refused to talk about Afghanistan,

sitting

silently on a chair at the back of a makeshift tent, brushing his teeth

in the

Arab fashion with a stick of miswak wood. But talk he eventually did

about a war

which he helped to win for the Afghan mujahedin: ''What I lived in two

years

there, I could not have lived in a hundred years elsewhere,'' he said.

When the history of the Afghan resistance movement is written, Mr Bin

Laden's own contribution to the mujahedin - and the indirect result of

his

training and assistance - may turn out to be a turning- point in the

recent

history of militant fundamentalism; even if, today, he tries to minimise

his

role. ''When the invasion of Afghanistan started, I was enraged and went

there

at once - I arrived within days, before the end of 1979,'' he said.

''Yes, I

fought there, but my fellow Muslims did much more than I. Many of them

died and

I am still alive.''

Within months, however, Mr Bin Laden was sending Arab fighters -

Egyptians,

Algerians, Lebanese, Kuwaitis, Turks and Tunisians - into Afghanistan;

''not

hundreds but thousands,'' he said. He supported them with weapons and

his own

construction equipment. Along with his Iraqi engineer, Mohamed Saad -

who is now

building the Port Sudan road - Mr Bin Laden blasted massive tunnels into

the

Zazi mountains of Bakhtiar province for guerrilla hospitals and arms

dumps, then

cut a mujahedin trail across the country to within 15 miles of Kabul.

''No, I was never afraid of death. As Muslims, we believe that when we

die,

we go to heaven. Before a battle, God sends us seqina, tranquillity.

''Once I was only 30 metres from the Russians and they were trying to

capture me. I was under bombardment but I was so peaceful in my heart

that I

fell asleep. This experience has been written about in our earliest

books. I saw

a 120mm mortar shell land in front of me, but it did not blow up. Four

more

bombs were dropped from a Russian plane on our headquarters but they did

not

explode. We beat the Soviet Union. The Russians fled.''

But what of the Arab mujahedin whom he took to Afghanistan - members of

a

guerrilla army who were also encouraged and armed by the United States -

and who

were forgotten when that war was over? ''Personally neither I nor my

brothers sa

w evidence of American help. When my mujahedin were victorious and

the Russians were driven out, differences started between the guerrilla

movement

s soI returned to road construction in Taif and Abha. I brought back the

equipme

nt Ihad used to build tunnels and roads for the mujahedin in

Afghanistan. Yes, I

helped some of my comrades to come here to Sudan after the war.''

How many? Osama Bin Laden shakes his head. ''I don't want to say. But

they

are here now with me, they are working right here, building this road to

Port

Sudan.'' I told him that Bosnian Muslim fighters in the Bosnian town of

Travnik

had mentioned his name to me. ''I feel the same about Bosnia,'' he said.

''But

the situation there does not provide the same opportunities as

Afghanistan. A

small number of mujahedin have gone to fight in Bosnia-Herzegovina but

the

Croats won't allow the mujahedin in through Croatia as the Pakistanis

did with

Afghanistan.''

Thus did Mr Bin Laden reflect upon jihad while his former fellow

combatants

looked on. Was it not a little bit anti-climactic for them, I asked, to

fight

the Russians and end up road-building in Sudan? ''They like this work

and so do

I. This is a great plan which we are achieving for the people here, it

helps the

Muslims and improves their lives.''

His Bin Laden company - not to be confused with the larger construction

business run by his cousins - is paid in Sudanese currency which is then

used

to purchase sesame and other products for export; profits are clearly

not Mr Bin

Laden's top priority.

How did he feel about Algeria, I asked? But a man in a green suit

calling

himself Mohamed Moussa - he claimed to be Nigerian although he was a

Sudanese

security officer - tapped me on the arm. ''You have asked more than

enough

questions,'' he said. At which Mr Bin Laden went off to inspect his new

road.

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Ussamah Bin Laden ... a closer look at the man, the phenomenon ...

MSA (msaosu@magnus.acs.ohio-state.edu)

Mon, 17 Oct 1994 02:04:32 -0400 (EDT)

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Views expressed on MSANEWS do not necessarily represent those of

MSANEWS, the

Ohio State University or any of our associated staff and "WATCHERS".

MSANEWS

is a medium of exchange of news and analyses (standard and alternative)

on Muslim World affairs. Information provided for "fair use only."

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The Independent December 6, 1993, Monday

HEADLINE: Anti-Soviet warrior puts his army on the road to peace;

The Saudi businessman who recruited mujahedin now uses them for

large-scale

building projects in Sudan. Robert Fisk met him in Almatig

-------------------------------------------------------------------------

US negotiates with Taleban for terrorist financier

April 16th, 1998

According to the London-based Arab language newspaper "Al-Quds

al-Arabi," US Permanent Envoy to the United Nations Bill Richardson is

carrying an offer to Kabul for the US to recognise the Taleban regime as

the official government of Afghanistan in exchange for handing over

Saudi millionaire Sheikh Osama bin Laden. Sheikh bin Laden is accused of

financing terrorist and Islamic militant activities from Bosnia to

Afghanistan, including the bombing of the US military housing complex in

Dhahran, Saudi Arabia. Bin Laden and his supporters, known as Arab

Afghans, have taken shelter at the Taleban headquarters in Kandahar.

Threats faxed by bin Laden from Kandahar in March caused the United

Stated to erect barricades around its embassy in Pakistan.

The Taleban leadership has previously rejected similar offers from both

the US and Saudi Arabia, arguing that it would violate Islamic tradition

to hand over a man who is their guest. According to the Taleban

ambassador to Pakistan, Abdul Hakim Mujahed, that position has not

changed. Al-Quds al- Arabi reported that some factions among the Taleban

support the idea of handing over bin Laden, but they are a minority. The

newspaper suggested that the Taleban might follow the example of Sudan

and ask bin Laden to leave, and bin Laden has reportedly been making

contacts with Somalia and Yemen as possible places of refuge. Sheikh bin

Laden recently declared a "state of emergency," following reports that

the US and Pakistan were planning to kidnap him, with the assistance of

anti-Taleban mujahidin.

Richardson, the highest-ranking American official to visit Afghanistan

since the Soviet invasion of that country in 1979, will meet with

Taleban officials in Kabul on Friday, before flying to northern

Afghanistan to meet with leaders of the anti-Taleban opposition. His

visit to Afghanistan, while publicly aimed at pressing ahead with the

Afghan peace process and gaining custody over Sheikh bin Laden, also

sends a pointed signal to Tehran. Iran supports the anti-Taleban

alliance, particularly the Shi'ite Hezb-e-Wahdat. The Khatami regime has

also been making tentative steps toward improving relations with the

United States. That Washington would be willing to throw its public

support behind the Taleban suggests back- channel relations with Tehran

may be breaking down. Further evidence of a reversal in the US-Iranian

thaw came Tuesday, when the Clinton administration assented to

Congressional demands to create a Persian-language radio service to

broadcast anti-government propaganda into Iran.

If Washington has decided once again to put pressure on Iran, it could

affect the Clinton administration's hesitance to impose Congressionally

mandated sanctions on foreign companies doing business in Iran. Lack of

movement on imposing and enforcing sanctions has led a number of

European and Asian companies to press ahead with ventures in Iran,

particularly in the oil sector.

What is most important here is that after an extended period of intense

courtship of Iran, the United States has now done something that

negatively affects a fundamental Iranian interest. Should the Taleban

accept the offer, not only would Iran be furious with the United States,

but both Russia and Saudi Arabia would also be upset. The last thing the

Saudis want is to have this issue stir up its own complex internal

politics. What will save the day here is that the Taleban are hardly

likely to swap bin Laden merely for American recognition, and we can

only assume that Washington is not contemplating shipping weapons to the

Taleban. The only party made happy by this deal would be Pakistan, which

has been close to the Taleban, and we see no reason to want to make

Pakistan happy at this moment.

So we assume that this is simply part of the carrot and stick approach

that Washington has taken to Iran in the recent past. Whether the threat

is credible enough to cause Iran to be more forthcoming is dubious. But

the vision of the US making friends with the Taleban is certainly worth

a chuckle, until we remember that the US helped arm the Taleban in the

first place, making Afghanistan safe for the 15th Century.

REF XQQMA XQQIE XQQGI

Article supplied by STRATFOR Systems, Inc

STRATFOR Systems, Inc's Global Intelligence Update (GIU) provides real

time intelligence reports daily, with quarterly summaries of events

relevant to a particular business or region.

It is also available via a free e-mail service by registration at the

Stratfor site.

Country Channels - Exclusive Reports - Home Page

TERRORISM: Ussama Bin Laden, the Fundamentalists' Banker

Sitting on a fortune estimated at $7 billion, Saudi Arabian-born Ussama

bin Laden (who has been stripped of his nationality) is the main

financier of the Islamist fundamentalist movement. Whether it be the

Jamaa Islamiya in Egypt, Hiz al Islami in Afghanistan or the National

Islamic Front in Sudan, the name of this mysterious 40-year-old

businessman is tied to all of the major fundamentalist movements. Who is

Ussama Bin Laden?

1. EGYPT : EGYPTIANS TAKE THE OFFENSIVE AGAINST TERRORISM

(INTELLIGENCE NEWSLETTER n°338 - 02/07/98 - Article: US$ 1.50 / GB£ 1 /

FF 7.50)

Summary: Egypt's intelligence and security agencies moved swiftly into

action following the arrest of an Egyptian "Afghan," Said Sayyed

Salameh, as he was trying in early June to sneak into Egypt from Tobruk,

Libya, by the frontier post at Salom. [Total = 2585 characters]

2. SAUDI ARABIA : TALAL PROPELS SON INTO THE RUNNING

(INTELLIGENCE NEWSLETTER n°334 - 07/05/98 - Article: US$ 1.50 / GB£ 1 /

FF 7.50)

Summary: An interview that king Fahd's half brother, prince Talal bin

Abdul Aziz, gave to the London-based newspaper Al-Quds al Arbi sent

shock waves through Saudia Arabia, where it was largely distributed by

fax. [Total = 3155 characters]

3. MIDDLE EAST : BIN LADEN ACTS AFTER TREASURER'S DEFECTION

(INTELLIGENCE NEWSLETTER n°331 - 19/03/98 - Article: US$ 1.50 / GB£ 1 /

FF 7.50)

Summary: Intelligence Newsletter has learned from reliable sources that

Saudi Arabian intelligence, helped by its Pakistani counterpart, managed

to arrange the defection of Mohamed bin Moisalih, chief treasurer of

Ussama bin Laden, some months ago. [Total = 2835 characters]

4. PAKISTAN/AFGHANISTAN : REFUGEE CAMPS

(INTELLIGENCE NEWSLETTER n°312 - 29/05/97 - Article: US$ 1.50 / GB£ 1 /

FF 7.50)

Summary: Egyptian intelligence officers who travelled to Islamabad in

late April managed to get Pakistan's Inter Services Intelligence (ISI)

agency to turn over a number of documents seized during a raid against

the big Pabi refugee camp near Jallozai, some 40 km east of Peshawar, on

March 27. [Total = 2715 characters]

5. SAUDI ARABIA : BIN LADEN ON SAUDI DOORSTEP

(INTELLIGENCE NEWSLETTER n°309 - 17/04/97 - Article: US$ 1.50 / GB£ 1 /

FF 7.50)

Summary: An Arab intelligence agency which has spent the last three

years investigating the movements and links of "Arab Afghans" in

Pakistan and Afghanistan has just established a detailed report on the

activities of Saudi opposition figure Ussama bin Laden in Yemen. [Total

= 4407 characters]

6. SAUDI ARABIA : BIN LADENS BACK WHOM IN RIYADH?

(INTELLIGENCE NEWSLETTER n°308 - 27/03/97 - Article: US$ 1.50 / GB£ 1 /

FF 7.50)

Summary: According to reliable sources, the Saudi Arabian crown prince,

Abdullah ibn Abd al Aziz, was highly irritated by the red carpet

treatment handed out to the defense minister, prince Sultan, during his

recent tour of the United States, France and Britain (IN 307). [Total =

1407 characters]

7. SAUDI ARABIA : BIN LADEN'S SHADOWY EMPIRE

(INTELLIGENCE NEWSLETTER n°300 - 28/11/96 - Article: US$ 1.50 / GB£ 1 /

FF 7.50)

Summary: According to a well-informed Arab source, Ussama bin Laden, one

of the main financial backers of fundamentalist movements, is currently

in London and enjoying the protection of Britain's intelligence

agencies. [Total = 2878 characters]

8. SUDAN : USSAMA BIN LADEN BACK IN SUDAN

(INTELLIGENCE NEWSLETTER n°294 - 05/09/96 - Article: US$ 1.50 / GB£ 1 /

FF 7.50)

Summary: According to reliable information from Egyptian diplomatic

sources, Ussama bin Laden, a major funder of fundamentalist movements

across the world, has just returned to Sudan. Bin Laden, who was strip

(...) [Total = 1633 characters]

9. EGYPT/FRANCE : WHAT MUBARAK TOLD CHIRAC

(INTELLIGENCE NEWSLETTER n°291 - 04/07/96 - Article: US$ 1.50 / GB£ 1 /

FF 7.50)

Summary: During talks with President Jacques Chirac in Paris on July 1,

Egypt's Hosni Mubarak revealed that several extremist movements staged a

"parallel" conclave in Tehran on June 21-22 to coincide with the summit

meeting a conclave of Arab leaders in Cairo on the same dates. [Total =

1287 characters]

10. AFGHANISTAN : USSAMA BIN LADEN IN AFGHANISTAN

(INTELLIGENCE NEWSLETTER n°290 - 26/06/96 - Brief: US$ 0.50 / GB£ 0.30 /

FF 2.50)

Summary: Contrary to "revelations" by the government-controlled Egyptian

magazine Khoz al Yussef, Egypt's fundamentalist leader, Ussama bin

Laden, is currently living in Afghanistan. In its latest issue, the m

(...) [Total = 1011 characters]

11. PAKISTAN/SAUDI ARABIA : TRACING AL SARAI'S BACKGROUND

(INTELLIGENCE NEWSLETTER n°281 - 08/02/96 - Brief: US$ 0.50 / GB£ 0.30 /

FF 2.50)

Summary: According to information obtained by Intelligence Newsletter,

Hassan al Sarai (whose exact name is Hassan al Srihi), who was

extradited from Pakistan to Saudi Arabia last week, was a Saudi

Mujahideen during the Afghanistan war. [Total = 895 characters]

12. UNITED STATES/MIDDLE EAST : RIYAD PLAYS TEHRAN OFF U.S.

(INTELLIGENCE NEWSLETTER n°263 - 26/04/95 - Article: US$ 1.50 / GB£ 1 /

FF 7.50)

Summary: Imad Mughniyah, the second-ranking figure in Hezbollah's

security service who is believed to have helped organize the bomb attack

on a building housing Marines in Beirut in 1983 (243 were killed) and

the hi-jacking of a TWA aircraft in 1985, managed to escape from a trap

laid for him by American int (...) [Total = 4947 characters]

13. PAKISTAN : PAKISTAN CRACKS DOWN ON AL-ANSAR

(INTELLIGENCE NEWSLETTER n°261 - 29/03/95 - Article: US$ 1.50 / GB£ 1 /

FF 7.50)

Summary: An international crisis team has been set up under the powerful

Pakistani interior minister Nasirullah Babar since the assassination of

two American diplomats in Karachi on March 8. Other members of t (...)

[Total = 3718 characters]

14. MIDDLE EAST : GULF MUJAHIDEEN BRIGADE

(INTELLIGENCE NEWSLETTER n°259 - 01/03/95 - Article: US$ 1.50 / GB£ 1 /

FF 7.50)

Summary: The spiritual leader of Lebanon's Hezbollah movement, sheik

Mohamed Hussein Fadlallah, presided over a series of meetings in

February at his residence in the southern Beirut suburb of Bir al-Abed

regarding "lessons to be drawn from the failure of the Shi'ite rebellion

in Bahrain" in January. [Total = 3190 characters]

15. PALESTINE/SUDAN : HAMAS BEEFS UP MAJD

(INTELLIGENCE NEWSLETTER n°258 - 15/02/95 - Article: US$ 1.50 / GB£ 1 /

FF 7.50)

Summary: The Hamas movement's security and intelligence service, known

by the name of Majd ("glory") was recently beefed up following a flurry

of meetings held last December in the Amarat district in the Sudanese

capital, Khartoum. [Total = 2241 characters]

16. YEMEN : BASES OF THE 2,000 "AFGHANS"

(INTELLIGENCE NEWSLETTER n°240 - 04/05/94 - Article: US$ 1.50 / GB£ 1 /

FF 7.50)

Summary: Based on information obtained from fundamentalist militants of

Jamaa Islamya arrested over the past few months, the Egyptian

intelligence services recently managed to update their files on the

bases of the "Afghan Arabs" in Yemen. [Total = 3349 characters]

17. MIDDLE EAST : FUNDAMENTALIST MONEY-MAN

(INTELLIGENCE NEWSLETTER n°239 - 20/04/94 - Article: US$ 1.50 / GB£ 1 /

FF 7.50)

Summary: Early this month Saudi authorities took an extraordinary step

by depriving businessman Ussama ibn Laden of his Saudi nationality.

Living in Omdurman in the suburbs of Khartoum in Sudan since 1992, he

[text lost]

Week of July 18, 1997

Afghanistan's International Vortex

Chaos beckons in Afghanistan. Its neighbors, allies and enemies seem

incapable of keeping themselves from the maelstrom. Set aside the

country's civil war with its array of fiefdoms and warlords, and

consider this list of international players: Predominantly Sunni Muslim

Pakistan and Shia Iran, friends over the years despite their religious

differences, are rapidly becoming antagonistic toward each other. The

alliance of Pakistan, the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia in

support of the Taliban - in control of most of Afghanistan, including

Kabul - clearly threatens Tehran. "We were hoping that there would be

some way of resuming our friendship with Iran, but the strain is very

severe," a senior Pakistani official told Asiaweek in Islamabad. And

within Pakistan PM Nawaz Sharif faces resentment from military

commanders over his increased involvement in Afghanistan. They are wary

of a peaceable solution that might undermine the Taliban. Tehran

distances itself from Islamabad's high-profile efforts to broker some

sort of Afghan peace agreement and pursues its own line. The Taliban

shut down Iran's embassy in Kabul last month. Rebels in Mazar-i-Sharif

closed Pakistan's consulate there, saying they feared anti-Pakistan

demonstrations from the city's residents.

Now, toss in the American factor, in which any enemy of Iran's is a

friend of Washington's. Even though the Taliban's militant Sunni version

of Islam is as threatening to U.S. long-term interests as Iran's Shia

version, Washington is trying to learn to live with the Taliban. The

U.S. wants a chance to nab Saudi millionaire-turned-pan-Islamist Osama

bin Laden, the man Washington says masterminded the bombing of the U.S.

military barracks in Saudi Arabia in 1996. Bin Laden, they say, is

living under Taliban protection in Kandahar, in southern Afghanistan. It

wants to replicate the FBI's snatch-and-grab inside Pakistan last month

of Amil Kansi, the man they accuse of killing two agents in an attack

outside the CIA's headquarters in 1994. According to reports in

Islamabad, the Taliban moved bin Laden to Kandahar from Jalalabad, which

was too close to the Pakistan border. Bin Laden's calls for a jihad

against the West left his hosts uncomfortable and vulnerable.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

Saudi Bomb Suspect is Anti-U.S. Financier

Friday October 25 4:55 AM EDT

DUBAI (Reuter) - Osama bin Laden, named by U.S. officials as a prime

suspect in two deadly bombings in Saudi Arabia, is a renegade

businessman who has warned of a holy war against Americans in the

homeland of Islam. Counter-terrorism officials in Washington said

Thursday they had received a report from a foreign intelligence service

that bin Laden had taken credit for the bombings in telephone

conversations and had vowed to strike again. Some 24 American military

personnel and two Indians were killed in the blasts in Riyadh last

November and at a barracks in the eastern city of al-Khobar in June.

Bin Laden has denied involvement in the bombings but said they were

warnings that the United States should withdraw its forces from Saudi

Arabia. Four Saudis who said in confessions on Saudi television that

they were influenced by bin Laden and other Saudi dissidents were

beheaded in May for the Riyadh bombing. A Beirut newspaper close to

Saudi circles said Thursday Saudi authorities had arrested 11 people in

connection with the June blast. "They are being interrogated minutely

and in utmost secrecy," al-Bayrak daily said, adding that Saudi Interior

Minister Prince Nayef was following up the interrogation closely. Saudi

authorities have said nothing about the report. In a 12-page statement

published in the London-based Arabic-language newspaper al-Quds al-Arabi

in August, bin Laden called for a jihad, or holy war, "against the

Americans who are occupying the land of the two shrines" -- Saudi

Arabia. He referred to the American forces in the Gulf -- more than

20,000 with scores of aircraft and warships according to the United

States -- as a "crusader" army. Saudi Arabia is home to Islam's two most

sacred shrines in the cities of Mecca and Medina. King Fahd styles

himself Custodian of the Two Holy Shrines. Bin Laden had earlier said:

"I believe that sooner or later the Americans will leave Saudi Arabia

and that the war declared by America against the Saudi people means war

against all Muslims everywhere."

"Resistance against America will spread in many, many places in Muslim

countries. Our trusted leaders, the ulema (clerics), have given us a

fatwa (Islamic edict) that we must drive out the Americans. The solution

to this crisis is the withdrawal of American troops...their military

presence is an insult for the Saudi people," he was quoted saying in an

interview in Afghanistan in July with The Independent newspaper of

London. The U.S. State Department recently called bin Laden "one of the

most significant sponsors of Islamic extremist activities in the world

today."

The rebel financier, son of a Saudi construction magnate, was stripped

of his Saudi citizenship in 1994. He is reckoned by some Middle East

sources to command a fortune of $300 million. He was last reported to be

in Afghanistan living under the protection of the Taleban radical

Islamic student militia who seized control of the Afghan capital Kabul

last month. London-based Saudi newspaper al-Hayat said on October 5 that

sources close to the Taleban had reported him near the city of Jalalabad

in eastern Afghanistan. Bin Laden, who is in his mid-40s, fought with

mujahideen guerrillas against Soviet troops in Afghanistan in the 1980s,

commanding a force of so-called "Arab Afghans" backed by Saudi money and

U.S. military arms and training. Three of the four Saudis executed for

the Riyadh bombing were veterans of the Afghan war. Some Arab Afghans

returned to their homelands after the Afghanistan war and have joined

other Muslim militants waging a violent campaign to topple Arab

governments and replace them with strict Islamic states. Underground

Muslim militants in Saudi Arabia have challenged the royal family's

Islamic credentials and condemned its close ties with the United States.

Subject: ABCNews Special on Ussamah Bin Laden Online:

Talking with Terror’s Banker

__ __________ _ _______ ______

/ |/ / __/ _ | / |/ / __/ | /| / / __/

/ /|_/ / / __ |/ / _/ | |/ |/ /

/_/ /_/___/_/ |_/_/|_/___/ |__/|__/___/

Support MSANEWS, a project of learning and enlightenment

"A Mind is a Terrible Thing to Waste"

Source: ABC News

Type: Web Announcement; Special Program

URL: http://www.abcnews.com/sections/world/DailyNews/terrormain980610.html

Title: A Visit with the World's Most Dangerous Terrorist

TEXT:

On June 10, 1998, ABCNews run a special story (Nightline with Ted Coppel)

on dissident Saudi millionaire Ussamah Bin Laden. Now the full transcript

of the interview, with picture and sound, is available as indicated.

Please note that the capital of Afghanistan is 'Kabul' and not 'Kabal' as

the map at the site indicates. Please also note that retransmission of the

ABCNews Special by any means is restricted by copyright laws. We include

the highlight as per these restrictions and invite you to visit the site.

A graphic link to it is now available via the MSANEWS ScholarsBase

for Bin Laden at URL: http://msanews.mynet.net/Scholars/Laden/

___________________

From the Highlight:

___________________

ABCNEWS.com

SOMEWHERE INSIDE AFGHANISTAN, May 28 — Armed

Islamic militants led ABCNEWS

Correspondent John Miller and his crew by

foot through the mountains of southern

Afghanistan to the secret hideaway of Osama

Bin Ladin. The Saudi Arabian

multimillionaire has ordered his private

terror network to kill Americans and Jews

within the next few weeks. Here is Miller’s

interview with the man the U.S. government

considers the world’s most dangerous

terrorist. [...]

From US State Dept. Website

WORLDWIDE CAUTION

IN LIGHT OF THE RECENT BOMBINGS IN EAST AFRICA AND SUBSEQUENT THREATS TO AMERICAN INTERESTS OVERSEAS, THE DEPARTMENT OF STATE URGES U.S. CITIZENS TRAVELING OR RESIDING ABROAD TO EXERCISE MUCH GREATER THAN USUAL CAUTION AND REVIEW SECURITY PRACTICES. U.S. DIPLOMATIC POSTS WORLDWIDE ARE TAKING APPROPRIATE SECURITY PRECAUTIONS. BECAUSE OF THE POSSIBILITY THAT U.S. FACILITIES AND U.S. CITIZENS IN A NUMBER OF LOCATIONS COULD BE TARGETED, TRAVELERS SHOULD REMAIN ALERT TO THE CHANGING SITUATION AND EXERCISE EXTREME CAUTION.

CURRENTLY, EMBASSY OPERATIONS ARE SUSPENDED IN SOMALIA, SUDAN, REPUBLIC OF CONGO-BRAZZAVILLE, DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO AND GUINEA-BISSAU. NO UNITED STATES CONSULAR SERVICES ARE AVAILABLE IN THESE COUNTRIES.

FAMILY MEMBERS AND NON-EMERGENCY PERSONNEL IN KENYA AND TANZANIA HAVE BEEN AUTHORIZED TO DEPART. IN ALBANIA, ERITREA, AND PAKISTAN, NON-EMERGENCY PERSONNEL AND FAMILY MEMBERS ARE ON ORDERED DEPARTURE.

CONSULAR SERVICES AT THE ABOVE POSTS HAVE BEEN REDUCED TO MINIMAL LEVELS AND IN MOST CASES TO EMERGENCY CITIZENS SERVICES ONLY.

THE UNITED STATES DOES NOT MAINTAIN DIPLOMATIC OR CONSULAR POSTS IN AFGHANISTAN, IRAQ, IRAN, LIBYA AND NORTH KOREA AND THEREFORE NO SUPPORT SERVICES ARE AVAILABLE TO AMERICANS IN THESE COUNTRIES. IN LIGHT OF THE ABOVE, AMERICANS NEED TO TAKE ADDITIONAL AND ENHANCED PRECAUTIONS WITH REGARD TO THESE AREAS.

AMERICAN CITIZENS TRAVELING ABROAD SHOULD CONTACT THE NEAREST U.S. EMBASSY OR CONSULATE BY TELEPHONE OR FAX FOR UP-TO-DATE INFORMATION ON SECURITY CONDITIONS. CURRENT INFORMATION ON POST OPERATIONS IS ALSO

AVAILABLE ON THE INTERNET AT TRAVEL.STATE.GOV DEPARTMENT OF STATE TRAVEL INFORMATION AND PUBLICATIONS ARE AVAILABLE AT INTERNET ADDRESS: http://travel.state.gov/

U.S. TRAVELLERS MAY HEAR RECORDED INFORMATION BY CALLING THE DEPARTMENT OF STATE IN WASHINGTON, D.C. AT 202-647-5225 FROM THEIR TOUCH-TONE TELEPHONE, OR RECEIVE INFORMATION BY AUTOMATED TELEFAX BY DIALLING 202-647-3000 FROM THEIR FAX MACHINE.

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Taliban & Bin Ladin Archive