WASHINGTON, Aug 2: The Al Qaeda has neither lost its strength nor its ability to hit selected targets, even in the United States, concluded a group of US and Pakistani intelligence officials after interrogating key operatives arrested in Pakistan last week.
The conclusion led to the declaration of high security alert in New York and Washington after officials identified five possible Al Qaeda targets: the Citicorp Center, Stock Exchange and Prudential Financial buildings in New York and the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund offices in Washington.
The information about Al Qaeda's operational capabilities and its organization structure came from two main sources, a government official arrested in Karachi, who has been identified as Mohammed Naeem Noor Khan, and Ahmad Khalfan Ghailani and his accomplices arrested in Gujrat last week.
Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge also told reporters in Washington on Sunday afternoon that the reports that led to the high security alert, also known as orange alert, were the result of "offensive intelligence and military operations overseas as well as strong partnerships with our allies around the world, such as Pakistan".
He repeated the comments when asked whether the arrest of Ghailani and his fellow suspects had led to the current alert. Almost all major American newspapers, including the Washington Post and the New York Times, carried reports on Monday saying that Al Qaeda's attack plans were discovered in raids in Pakistan.
A senior US intelligence official told the Post that US and Pakistani security officials hit a "treasure trove" when they retrieved two laptop computers, floppy discs and cell phones from the suspects arrested in Gujrat.
More information was retrieved from the official, Mohammed Naeem Noor Khan, who was arrested in Karachi in connection with the attempt on the Karachi corps commander two months ago.
Put together, the two sets of information gave investigators valuable details about the network's operational activities, such as how Al Qaeda surveillance teams work, how the group's operatives use phony couriers and how delivery people are sent inside a building they want to target.
The documents also provide fresh insight into the roles of high-ranking Al Qaeda leaders who issue directives and handle logistical details. The investigators also have learned that at least 10,000 Taliban fighters are still active in Afghanistan and they keep shuttling between Pakistan and Afghanistan to avoid arrest. At one stage, at least half of them were hiding in Pakistan, the investigators said.
They said that as many as 35,000 Pakistanis received military training in Afghanistan during the Taliban rule, from 1996 to Dec 2001. Almost 30,000 of these trained and battle-hardened fighters returned to Pakistan after the collapse of the Taliban.
Some of them are still actively involved with various militant groups but the majority has stayed away from terrorist activities. Reports in the US media also have identified the two suicide bombers who carried out an attack on President Pervez Musharraf on Dec 25. Both _ Mohammed Jamil and Mohammed Sultan _ were from Azad Kashmir and had links to Al Qaeda, according to these reports.
An official of the Islamabad police, Mohammed Naeem, tipped the bombers when President Musharraf left Islamabad for Rawalpindi, the newspapers said. Naeem, too, is from Azad Kashmir. Pakistani and US intelligence officials are investigating reports that Al Qaeda and affiliated groups are now also recruiting and training women bombers.