"Defense Intelligence Report Details Al Qaeda’s Plans for Russia, Chechnya & WMD"

A declassified Defense Intelligence Report that was released to Judicial Watch in 2004, in response to a Freedom Of Information Act (FOIA) request that had been filed in 2000, details al-Qaeda's plans for Russia, Chechnya and Weapons of Mass Destruction.

A statement from Judicial Watch says the FOIA request concerned the decision of the Clinton administration to bomb the al Shifa pharmaceutical factory in Sudan and suspected al-Qaeda terrorist training camps in the vicinity of Khost, Afghanistan on August 20, 1998 (two years before 9/11).

According to Judicial Watch, the dual-site bombing operation was code-named “Infinite Reach,” and the bombing was reportedly in retaliation for the August 7, 1998 bombings of US embassies in Kenya and Tanzania:  "...The DIA IIR...is derived from handwritten documents obtained through a classified intelligence project with the unclassified nickname 'Swift Knight.'  According to the report, the documents were written during the first two weeks of October 1998. The spellings, references and phrases in the report are verbatim transcriptions from the original handwritten document (e.g. Osama bin Laden [OBL] is referred to as 'Usam ben Laden'). The IIR provides basic biographical information concerning OBL and traces key points in his public, militant activities, resulting in the formation of al Qaeda..."

Judicial Watch explains that the report:

"...includes language from the document that describes how al Qaeda envisions achieving their goals including “ethnic cleansing” and “control over nuclear and biological weapons.” An additional reference is made to “latent penetration,” a reference to so-called “sleeper cells.”

For those unfamiliar with intelligence terminology a "sleeper-cell," is "...a cell, or isolated grouping of sleeper agents that lies dormant until it receives orders or decides to act..." (Wikipedia)

Additionally, such a "cell" or clandestine operatives, (from non-western cultures) "...builds on close personal relationships, often built over years, perhaps involving family or other in-group linkages. Such in-groups are thus extremely hard to infiltrate; infiltration has a serious chance only outside the in-group..." (Wikipedia)

According to the Judicial Watch statement:

"...The confirmed existence of a [secure, reliable, terrorist-sponsored] “direct route to Chechnya from Pakistan and Afghanistan through Turkey and Azerbaijan is a stunning 'information point' within this IIR – especially in light of the date of the information, 1998..."

Judicial Watch President, Tom Fitton describes the report:

"...This report provides a deeply disturbing `snapshot’ of what the US intelligence community knew about the activities of bin Laden and his associates back in 1998. The global scope and rabid fanaticism of these Islamist terrorists is spelled out in no uncertain terms, including their intense interest in WMDs. Documents such as these give the American people some idea of the terror threat facing the West..."

Highlights of the report include the following:

"Among the members of the nucleus of Osama Bin Laden's group, al Qaeda, was his personal friend Amir Khattab, a Jordanian Chechen, whose reputation was distinguished even in their own circle for unmotivated brutality." The report continues:

• "...In 1995, Khattab appeared in Chechnya to carry out a special mission assigned to him by Usam Ben Laden [Osama Bin Laden] to organize training camps for international terrorists...Khattab organized three training camps in the Vedeno and Nojai-Urt areas of the forested mountain zone...They are very well equipped, with firing range facilities and capability for sappers and snipers..."
• "...The goals of the group were, at minimum, to overthrow Fakhd in Saudi Arabia, and to build a 'just Islamic state' there, and at maximum, to establish a worldwide islamic state capable of directly challenging the U.S., China, Russia, and what it views as Judeo-Christain [sic] and Confucian domination...The means by which the above goals are to be met are via terror, ethnic cleansing, 'latent penetration,' ... and control over nuclear and biological weapons (Jikhad).  Further, radical Islamic {predominantly Sunni} regimes are to be established and supported everywhere possible, including Bosnia, Albania, Chechnya, Dagestan, the entire Northern Caucasus 'from sea to sea,' Central Asian Republics, Tatarstan, Bashkortostan, all of Russia, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Turkey, Indonesia, Malaysia, Algeria, Morocco, Egypt, Tunisia, Sudan, and the States of the Persian Gulf..."
• "...Terrorist activities are to be conducted against Americans and Westerners, Israelis, Russians (predominantly Cossacks), Serbs, Chinese, Armenians, and disloyal Muslims..."
• "...Cells are to be created in Azerbaijan, Tatarstan, Bashkortostan, Central Asian Republics, and among Moscow and St. Petersburg Muslim-Chechens ... Training camps are to be established in Chechnya, Ingushetia, Balkaria, Karachai, Adgeya, Tajikistan..."
• "The purpose of all training camps is to prepare 'miners' (the document most likely intends the meaning as sappers), spies, communicators, ideologists, and propagandists, all specialists in spreading false rumors, defamation, and panic to become part of the Tadjik opposition..."
• "...Specific attention should be given to the Northern Caucasus, and especially Chechnya since they are regarded as areas unreachable by strikes from the West.  The intent is to create a newly developed base for training terrorists.  Amir Khatab  and nine other militants of Usam Ben Laden were sent there with passports of Arab countries...They work as military instructors in Khattab's three schools; they also work as instructors in the Army of Chechnya.  Two more schools are being organized in Ingushetia and Dagestan..."
• "...They stressed the necessity of training terrorists drawn from among 'converted' Europeans, Russians, Ukrainians, Cossacks, and Ossetians in Khattab's training camps to conduct kidnappings and terrorist acts against French, Israeli, U.S., and English citizens..."
• "...The kidnapping of Vincent Cochetel, a UNHCR official in Vladikarkaz earlier this year was performed by these graduates of Khattab's school in Veneno.  These militants will be used in the interest of the 'Armed Islamic Group' and 'Muslim Brothers', and for spreading terror in the Central Asian Republics, Crimea, and Russia..."
• "...Volunteers from...Ben Laden's 'charity societies' from Pakistan and Afghanistan have gone to Chechnya and to the Northern Caucasus for the New round of Jikhad against Cossacks and Russia...Financial crisis is to be used for creating disorder, and new strikes and kidnapping conducted for the purpose of provoking a unified uprising against Russia, and creating an Islamic State of Northern Caucasus..."
• "...A direct route has been established to Chechnya from Pakistan and Afghanistan through Turkey and Azerbaijan.  Abu Sayaf...coordinates this traffic of 'volunteers,' as wel as drug trafficking, working as a representative of Ben Laden in the Chechen Foreign Ministry under the protection of Movlady Udugov..."
• "...The first party of 25 'Afghan Arabs' appeared in the training camps of Vedeno and Nojai-Urt...Along with traditional preparation, they are learning the Russian Language, with the intent of eventually settling in Russia, supposedly in Tatarstan.  After an adaptation period, they would go to the Central Asian Republics, 'for diversion' and to create Wakhabites and Taliban cells, spreading terror against U.S., Russian, and other Western officials and Businessmen..."
• "...The new program includes topics in:
• 'Diversions' with the help of means of mass destruction, including poisonous, bacteriological, and incendiary mixtures...
• Preparation of False Documents
• Behavior During Interrogation
• parking Bomb Vehicles on bridges and by buildings
• "...All instructors and agents use nicknames and psedonyms (sic); real names of agents are known only to Amir Khattab and Abu Sayaf..."

The points in these excerpts are only alarming to those who have not until now grasped that terrorists intend to kill, bomb, and use weapons of mass destruction, to attain the goal of establishing a Radical Islamic state to challenge the world's current super-powers, i.e., Russia, China, and the U.S. and to ultimately defeat them.

In light of the recent Boston Bombings, and in the context of the terrorist attacks since Obama has taken office, and in the long-range context of 9/11 and attacks leading to it, this information is appalling.  It is appalling when one uses it to gauge the U.S.'s response, specifically the policies of the Obama administration of appeasement, apology, and "leading from behind."

It is appalling in the attempted cover-up in Benghazi, specifically the administration's insistence that it was not a terrorist act, but a result of some video that protesters were responding to.

Time and again, for obvious political reasons the Obama administration has played down the terrorist factor, as in calling the attack at Fort Hood, "work-place" violence, and in Obama's reluctance to utter the "T" word immediately after the Boston Bombings.

It is appalling in view of the immigration policies, in which, for the benefit of the Democrat political party, Obama has carried out a de facto amnesty, refusing to enforce immigration law, and subsequently leaving our borders open and insecure to infiltration and invasion.  The Boston Bombers incident epitomizes not only the lack of vigilance with regard to immigration, but the utter failure of FBI, CIA, Homeland Security, and Defense measures.

The report's information is appalling in view of Obama economic policies that continue to weaken our economy with record unemployment, the penalizing of businesses via the taxation of O'Socialist-Health-Care, the raising of taxes across the boards, the chronically high prices of gasoline that create higher prices of goods and services, because, as the document shows, it is the intent of the terrorists to "use the financial crisis to create disorder."

Please note that the document hails from 1998, ten years before the economic crash of 2008, yet the document states that terrorists will use financial crisis to gain advantage.

The information is also appalling, in that it refers to the use of "ethnic cleansing" as part of the terrorist methodology.  The statements of Iran's Ahmadinejad, who has several times declared that he desired to wipe Israel off the map, ring loud and clear.  The recent actions by the Pentagon intent on sanctioning armed forces personnel for proselytizing or witnessing, as part of their Christian faith, smells too much like the beginnings of religious-ethnic cleansing already.

It is also appalling that the mantra is being chanted that the Boston Bombers were "lone wolves" and that they acted of their own accord without any outside help or influence.  Yet here is the document for all to see that it is the terrorist intent to infiltrate with sleeper cells, which make-up is that of those "converted" to their cause, to be used to create terror inside their host nation.

This document was released to Judicial Watch in 2004.  Someone that year, at that time looked at it, blacked out some of its lines, and then submitted it to an authority for its release.  This is not a document not known about, and yet today we see defense and foreign policy, if not acting completely incompetently, apparently in some cases, acting in concert with enemies to advance the terrorist aims.

It begs the question:  WHY?

You can probably guess that the response might be:  "What does it matter?"

Your response is?