http://aawsat.com/english/news.asp?section=3
<http://aawsat.com/english/news.asp?section=3&id=10519> &id=10519
Al Qaeda’s Secret Correspondence Part 2
11/10/2007
By Mohammed Al Shafey
London, Asharq Al-Awsat - Letters between members of Al Qaeda intercepted by
the US Army and published on a website affiliated to the US Department of
Defense shows a rare glimpse into the inner workings of the terrorist
organization.
Among these was a letter written by Abu Hafs al Masri (Mohamed Atef) addressed
to Abu Abdullah (Osama Bin Laden). This letter, predating back to the late
nineties, has proven to be an invaluable source of information for US
intelligence. Abu Hafs was one of the organizations top military commanders
before being killed in the Kandahar operations at the end of 2001.
In the aforementioned letter, Abu Hafs refers to what may possibly be
correspondence between training camps in Somalia and Sudan. Included in the
letter is correspondence between two Al Qaeda members whose codenames are
‘Saqr’ and ‘Badr’, in addition to a transcription of radio transceiver
exchanges that took place in the mornings and evenings. The content of these
exchanges varies in accordance with whether the date of the day was odd or
even.
Abu Hafs’s letter also referred to his visit to Luuq Camp, which is located in
southwestern Somalia and lies between 52 degrees longitude and 26 degrees
latitude. The former commander also indicated that from a topographical
perspective, the terrain is ideal for guerilla wars [literally “supported
guerilla platoons” in the original letter], as well as a launch pad zone. He
added that it would be difficult for any regulatory forces to seize control of
the area while extensively elaborating on the area’s landscape citing
mountains, thorny trees and roads, in addition to a number of water springs
that could be used as a water supply for Al Qaeda members.
According to the information gleaned from the letter, the area is inhabited by
the Amrihan tribe, which is a breakaway faction of Siad Barre’s al Daroot
tribe. [Mohamed Farrah] Aidid had tried to seize control of this region but he
failed and lost many of his supporters. No secular parties remain in the
region, only individuals who had formerly been Siad Barre supporters who,
moreover, back the concept of an Islamic Union.
In terms of securing the area, Abu Hafs reassures that the region has optimum
security conditions and is situated in a prime location that can easily receive
supplies from various parties who can deliver them via Kenya or Somalia.
Following the word “conclusion,” Abu Hafs wrote, “The area is suitable and can
be considered an ideal launch pad for guerrilla bases.” Relating to military
capabilities, he said, “There is a quantity of light- and medium-class weapons
and RPJs, in addition to reasonable quantities of ammunition. But, means of
transportation are limited to only one truck.”
Regarding the financial situation, Abu Hafs had said, “We have agreed on a
fixed budget for the camp, which is attached to this report. It ranges between
US $5,000-$6,000 a month.” He also pointed out that earlier expenses have been
sent in a previous report. Furthermore, Abu Hafs wrote of the “trained”
brothers’ needs; those residing in Luuq Camp and cited the names: Abu Nour, Abu
Haitham, Abu al Fateh, Abu Ammar al Yamani and Abu Humam al Saeedy. He also
mentioned the need for a set of large-scale communication equipment and 15
smaller ones.
Among the stated objectives of the brothers in Luuq Camp: the formation of
guerilla gangs, reconnaissance, an intermittent flow of information about the
enemy and a good knowledge of the topography so that, “we may always be
prepared for action at any time,” he said.
As for the situation on Ogaden, Abu Hafs said, “We have liaised with the
brother Seif using Hamd’s [transceiver] device, and thank God the situation is
reassuring. The news reporting that they were trapped was not entirely
accurate. We have sent a letter via Sheikh Saleh that includes all the
necessary warnings.”
He also added that the brothers in Ogaden are in dire need of funds because
they had only received US $21,000 and that they were equally in need of
communication devices. Concerning the situation in Nairobi, Abu Hafs said, “Our
office in Nairobi is receiving brothers before dispatching them to camps. Two
houses were leased for the two brothers Tawfiq and Salem at a cost of US $500.
The fixed budget for the house in Nairobi used as the administrative
headquarters has been set at US $1,200. There is tight security in Kenya and
all Arabs are under heavy surveillance. Relief workers have been arrested on
charges of backing Muslim extremists.”
Abu Hafs reported that Kenya was not a suitable place for families to live in
since it had a high standard of living and was corrupt to a large extent,
adding that the political situation is unstable and a mutiny is expected. He
revealed that brother Salem only had US $7,900 left, also pointing out that
transporting the brothers from Nairobi to Luuq would be expensive and that the
terrestrial road was not suitable for travel.
Attached to the letter was a financial report for the situation in Djibouti,
Abu Hafs maintained that the state is vital for their operations and demanded
the presence of a brother in the area to coordinate with. However, he specifies
that the aforesaid member must be married, moreover requesting the replacement
of brother Khaled by Abu Ahmed al Raji (Abdul Salam) along with his Somali wife
to fulfill the task.
Concerning the financial situation, he reveals that brother Khaled’s debts had
reached US $4,000, while the remaining funds in Nairobi amounted to US $7,000
and that the camp in Luuq had only one month’s budget remaining, adding that
the brothers in Ogadem were in desperate need of funds. He also revealed that
the salaries of Abu Youssef, Abu Khadija and Abu Ahmed were US $150 each.
Abu Hafs urged Bin Laden to quickly settle the issue of salaries of the trained
members of al Qaeda because the majority of them were thinking about marriage
and “it is their central preoccupation,” he said. He added that they had raised
the issue with him and that he had promised them special treatment.
But it was not only that letter that was published on the website; there were
also other documents that included Abu Hafs’s passport on which his wife
Maimouna and his son were added, in addition to an airline ticket on Kenyan
Airways dated November 4, 1997. The return journey was planned as:
Nairobi-Khartoum-Dubai-Karachi.
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