Monday, December 06, 2004
'Musharraf: Bin Laden's Location Is Unknown Pakistani Presses U.S. on Rebuilding Afghan Army
By Robin Wright and Peter BakerWashington Post Staff WritersSunday, December 5, 2004; Page A01
Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf said yesterday that the search for Osama bin Laden has gone completely cold, with no recent intelligence indicating where he and his top lieutenants are hiding.
More than three years after al Qaeda's attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon killed almost 3,000 people, Musharraf insisted that Pakistani forces are still aggressively pursuing the world's most notorious terrorist. But he acknowledged that recent security force operations and interrogations have been able to determine only one fact -- that bin Laden is still alive.
"He is alive, but more than that, where he is, no, it'll be just a guess and it won't have much basis," Musharraf said in an interview with Washington Post editors and reporters. Pressed on whether the trail had gone cold, he said, "Yes, if you mean we don't know, from that point of view, we don't know where he is."
The United States shares major responsibility, Musharraf suggested, because the U.S.-led coalition does not have enough troops in Afghanistan, which has left "voids." The United States and its allies need to expedite the training and expansion of the new Afghan army as the only viable alternative, he said.
Challenges in Afghanistan would be better dealt with "if the Afghan national army is raised faster, in more strength, so that they can reach out to fill these voids that I am talking about, where U.S. forces or coalition forces are not there," he said.
The hunt for al Qaeda is also foundering because of the diffuse array of groups under its umbrella. Pakistani forces are usually not even certain who or what factions they are pursuing in the treacherous tribal regions along the border with Afghanistan, Musharraf said, speaking shortly after a meeting with President Bush.
"Now, when we operate in many areas, we don't know who we are operating against and suddenly we find out that, okay, we've got [or] we've killed so-and-so," Musharraf said. Sometimes Pakistani forces just "bump into them," he added.
In a raid over the past week, Pakistani security forces captured the mastermind behind the month-long seizure of three United Nations workers in Afghanistan, "but we didn't know we were operating against him," Musharraf added. In another recent raid on an unidentified target, Pakistani troops killed a member of a Chinese East Turkistan Islamic Movement, a group of Uighur Muslims challenging Chinese control over an area around Xinjiang, he said.
The Pakistani leader, who has been the most pivotal ally in the war on terrorism, denied news reports yesterday that his troops were withdrawing from south Waziristan, a tense tribal area along the mountainous border that was considered a possible hiding place for bin Laden, a wealthy Saudi renegade, and his Egyptian deputy, Ayman Zawahri.
Pakistan instead has ordered a "relocation" and tactical shift of its forces now that extremists have been flushed out of five valleys in south Waziristan and forced into remote mountains, where they will be pursued by Pakistan's helicopter-borne Special Operations Task Force, Musharraf said.
As many as 8,000 troops have been deployed there in recent operations to nab extremists who cross from Afghanistan or use the border region. The Pakistani government's military operation, combined with a political push to win cooperation from the local population, has been a recent victory. "They're on the run now," he said.
After their White House talks, Bush yesterday defended Musharraf and said he was "very pleased" with Pakistan's efforts to fight al Qaeda.
"His army has been incredibly active and very brave in southern Waziristan, flushing out an enemy that had thought they had found safe haven," Bush told reporters in the Oval Office with Musharraf at his side. Noting two failed assassination attempts on Musharraf, Bush added "there is nobody more dedicated" to tracking down bin Laden or other extremists.
The Bush administration played down any tension over continuing efforts by U.S. investigators to learn more about the black market nuclear technology network run by Pakistan's premier scientist, Abdul Qadeer Khan. U.S. officials believe Khan has not been fully candid in disclosing the scope of his help to nations such as Libya seeking to develop nuclear bombs. But Pakistan has refused to allow U.S. or International Atomic Energy Agency investigators to interrogate Khan, who was pardoned by Musharraf and remains in Pakistan under what officials call house arrest.
During their closed meeting, attended by Vice President Cheney, Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld, outgoing Secretary of State Colin L. Powell and his designated successor, national security adviser Condoleezza Rice, Bush talked with Musharraf about obtaining more information from Khan but did not ask for direct access, according to a senior administration official.
The official, who briefed reporters afterward on the condition that he not be identified, said the United States has already "obtained a treasure trove of information" from Pakistan about Khan's network but added that "we need to go back and make sure we've gotten every nook and cranny." Musharraf, he said, promised "that he was going to take this on when he got back to Islamabad and make sure that the information that is available is fully shared."
During the Post interview, Musharraf ruled out granting any outsiders access to Khan because it would ignite anger among a public that has long revered Khan, the father of Pakistan's nuclear bomb. "It's a very sensitive issue inside Pakistan," he said. "The man has been a hero for the masses." In addition, Musharraf said he considers any such request a personal affront. "It shows a lack of trust."
Musharraf, an army general who seized power in a bloodless coup in 1999, signaled again that he may break his promise to surrender his position as head of the Pakistani military by the end of the year. Although he made the promise in an attempt to demonstrate his commitment to restoring full democracy to Pakistan, Musharraf said in the interview that he may retain his dual roles as civilian and military leader to guarantee "the sustainability of our policies."
But he grew testy at the suggestion that such a move would undermine his country's democratic development, saying he had taken many steps to empower women and minorities and guarantee a lively and free media. "The amount that I, in uniform, have done for democracy has never been done in the past in Pakistan," he said. "So let's not see democracy in the limited scope of [a] uniform. I don't believe that is the end-all of democracy." Under his rule, he added, "there is total democracy in Pakistan."
As he often has in the past, Musharraf characterized himself as the indispensable figure holding together a fractious country that needed to find unity among its political, bureaucratic and military establishments to confront its problems. "At this moment," he said, "I provide that unity."
Musharraf said Bush did not push him to relinquish his army post or take any new steps toward democracy. A senior administration official said Musharraf has committed to moving toward full democracy "at a pace that works for Pakistan" and praised his moves so far. "The institutions of democracy are strong; he's making them stronger," the official said in a briefing. "He's made it clear he intends to go the full way."
On other issues, Musharraf expressed hope about renewed peace efforts with neighboring India over the disputed region of Kashmir. "I think we've broken new ground," he said, noting a joint statement issued in New York recently. "I see this very optimistically. But as I said, these are mere words. We need to convert them into action."
Musharraf also pressed the White House to more aggressively press for resolution of the Israeli-Palestinian dispute, which he said is the key to defusing tensions in Iraq, Afghanistan and elsewhere in the Islamic world. "This is the source of all problems," he said. Bush, he added, now appears "more focused and serious" about ending the Middle East conflict.
© 2004 The Washington Post Company
'
By Robin Wright and Peter BakerWashington Post Staff WritersSunday, December 5, 2004; Page A01
Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf said yesterday that the search for Osama bin Laden has gone completely cold, with no recent intelligence indicating where he and his top lieutenants are hiding.
More than three years after al Qaeda's attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon killed almost 3,000 people, Musharraf insisted that Pakistani forces are still aggressively pursuing the world's most notorious terrorist. But he acknowledged that recent security force operations and interrogations have been able to determine only one fact -- that bin Laden is still alive.
"He is alive, but more than that, where he is, no, it'll be just a guess and it won't have much basis," Musharraf said in an interview with Washington Post editors and reporters. Pressed on whether the trail had gone cold, he said, "Yes, if you mean we don't know, from that point of view, we don't know where he is."
The United States shares major responsibility, Musharraf suggested, because the U.S.-led coalition does not have enough troops in Afghanistan, which has left "voids." The United States and its allies need to expedite the training and expansion of the new Afghan army as the only viable alternative, he said.
Challenges in Afghanistan would be better dealt with "if the Afghan national army is raised faster, in more strength, so that they can reach out to fill these voids that I am talking about, where U.S. forces or coalition forces are not there," he said.
The hunt for al Qaeda is also foundering because of the diffuse array of groups under its umbrella. Pakistani forces are usually not even certain who or what factions they are pursuing in the treacherous tribal regions along the border with Afghanistan, Musharraf said, speaking shortly after a meeting with President Bush.
"Now, when we operate in many areas, we don't know who we are operating against and suddenly we find out that, okay, we've got [or] we've killed so-and-so," Musharraf said. Sometimes Pakistani forces just "bump into them," he added.
In a raid over the past week, Pakistani security forces captured the mastermind behind the month-long seizure of three United Nations workers in Afghanistan, "but we didn't know we were operating against him," Musharraf added. In another recent raid on an unidentified target, Pakistani troops killed a member of a Chinese East Turkistan Islamic Movement, a group of Uighur Muslims challenging Chinese control over an area around Xinjiang, he said.
The Pakistani leader, who has been the most pivotal ally in the war on terrorism, denied news reports yesterday that his troops were withdrawing from south Waziristan, a tense tribal area along the mountainous border that was considered a possible hiding place for bin Laden, a wealthy Saudi renegade, and his Egyptian deputy, Ayman Zawahri.
Pakistan instead has ordered a "relocation" and tactical shift of its forces now that extremists have been flushed out of five valleys in south Waziristan and forced into remote mountains, where they will be pursued by Pakistan's helicopter-borne Special Operations Task Force, Musharraf said.
As many as 8,000 troops have been deployed there in recent operations to nab extremists who cross from Afghanistan or use the border region. The Pakistani government's military operation, combined with a political push to win cooperation from the local population, has been a recent victory. "They're on the run now," he said.
After their White House talks, Bush yesterday defended Musharraf and said he was "very pleased" with Pakistan's efforts to fight al Qaeda.
"His army has been incredibly active and very brave in southern Waziristan, flushing out an enemy that had thought they had found safe haven," Bush told reporters in the Oval Office with Musharraf at his side. Noting two failed assassination attempts on Musharraf, Bush added "there is nobody more dedicated" to tracking down bin Laden or other extremists.
The Bush administration played down any tension over continuing efforts by U.S. investigators to learn more about the black market nuclear technology network run by Pakistan's premier scientist, Abdul Qadeer Khan. U.S. officials believe Khan has not been fully candid in disclosing the scope of his help to nations such as Libya seeking to develop nuclear bombs. But Pakistan has refused to allow U.S. or International Atomic Energy Agency investigators to interrogate Khan, who was pardoned by Musharraf and remains in Pakistan under what officials call house arrest.
During their closed meeting, attended by Vice President Cheney, Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld, outgoing Secretary of State Colin L. Powell and his designated successor, national security adviser Condoleezza Rice, Bush talked with Musharraf about obtaining more information from Khan but did not ask for direct access, according to a senior administration official.
The official, who briefed reporters afterward on the condition that he not be identified, said the United States has already "obtained a treasure trove of information" from Pakistan about Khan's network but added that "we need to go back and make sure we've gotten every nook and cranny." Musharraf, he said, promised "that he was going to take this on when he got back to Islamabad and make sure that the information that is available is fully shared."
During the Post interview, Musharraf ruled out granting any outsiders access to Khan because it would ignite anger among a public that has long revered Khan, the father of Pakistan's nuclear bomb. "It's a very sensitive issue inside Pakistan," he said. "The man has been a hero for the masses." In addition, Musharraf said he considers any such request a personal affront. "It shows a lack of trust."
Musharraf, an army general who seized power in a bloodless coup in 1999, signaled again that he may break his promise to surrender his position as head of the Pakistani military by the end of the year. Although he made the promise in an attempt to demonstrate his commitment to restoring full democracy to Pakistan, Musharraf said in the interview that he may retain his dual roles as civilian and military leader to guarantee "the sustainability of our policies."
But he grew testy at the suggestion that such a move would undermine his country's democratic development, saying he had taken many steps to empower women and minorities and guarantee a lively and free media. "The amount that I, in uniform, have done for democracy has never been done in the past in Pakistan," he said. "So let's not see democracy in the limited scope of [a] uniform. I don't believe that is the end-all of democracy." Under his rule, he added, "there is total democracy in Pakistan."
As he often has in the past, Musharraf characterized himself as the indispensable figure holding together a fractious country that needed to find unity among its political, bureaucratic and military establishments to confront its problems. "At this moment," he said, "I provide that unity."
Musharraf said Bush did not push him to relinquish his army post or take any new steps toward democracy. A senior administration official said Musharraf has committed to moving toward full democracy "at a pace that works for Pakistan" and praised his moves so far. "The institutions of democracy are strong; he's making them stronger," the official said in a briefing. "He's made it clear he intends to go the full way."
On other issues, Musharraf expressed hope about renewed peace efforts with neighboring India over the disputed region of Kashmir. "I think we've broken new ground," he said, noting a joint statement issued in New York recently. "I see this very optimistically. But as I said, these are mere words. We need to convert them into action."
Musharraf also pressed the White House to more aggressively press for resolution of the Israeli-Palestinian dispute, which he said is the key to defusing tensions in Iraq, Afghanistan and elsewhere in the Islamic world. "This is the source of all problems," he said. Bush, he added, now appears "more focused and serious" about ending the Middle East conflict.
© 2004 The Washington Post Company
'
Ecclestone sets Silverstone deadlineMon 06 Dec, 8:03 PM
LONDON (Reuters) - Silverstone's owners have been given a two-day deadline to agree a deal to keep next year's British Grand Prix on the Formula One calendar.
"If it (the contract) is done before Thursday, they are on the calendar. If it's not, they're not," Formula One supremo Bernie Ecclestone said at meeting of team principals in London on Monday.
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"They can't be on the calendar unless they've got a contract."
Failure would mean Britain's absence from the calendar for the first time since the championship started at Silverstone in 1950 but Ecclestone, 74, said he was sure the troubled race would be held.
"I guarantee there will be Silverstone. Bernie's word," he said.
Team bosses were divided, with Frank Williams sounding a lone dissenting voice against the optimism of McLaren's Ron Dennis and six other principals attending a meeting at London's Heathrow airport.
"There won't be a race next year," said Williams.
In a rare spirit of openness in the highly secretive world of Formula One, Reuters was invited into the meeting room after the discussions. Such sessions are usually cloaked in secrecy.
CALENDAR DECISION
Ferrari and Sauber were absent but Ecclestone said that he and eight bosses had signed a commercial agreement for the French and British Grands Prix and was confident the other signatures would be forthcoming.
Neither Britain nor France have contracts for the 2005 races and both Grands Prix have been listed with an asterisk on a provisional calendar.
Minardi boss Paul Stoddart said he was sure there would be 19 races, more than ever before, when the official calendar is approved by the governing International Automobile Federation (FIA) in Monaco this week.
"Silverstone and Magny Cours were signed off today. Nothing can destroy Magny Cours and the only thing that can destroy Silverstone is the BRDC (British Racing Drivers' Club)," Stoddart said.
"The teams have done their bit, Bernie has done his bit and its down to the BRDC."
Ecclestone said he had sent the BRDC a contract for next year with an option for a further six years. The circuit owners have said in the past that they would prefer a two-year deal with a five-year option.
"The difference in opinion between FOM (Ecclestone's Formula One Management) and the BRDC is not that big," said Dennis. "All of the teams feel it's not an insurmountable problem."
"Everybody believes it will be done."
Ecclestone said the San Marino Grand Prix at Imola, champions Ferrari's home grand prix which has also been threatened, would go ahead.
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This is so very much an American phenomenon for the most part, and one that I treasure. I love to see the lights and decorations in every part of Las Vegas.
We are a "city of lights" on all of the days of the year, but it is heartwarming and comforting to discover the return of Christmas decorations in different parts of our city.
News Home - Help
Holiday Displays Take Over Neighborhoods
Mon Dec 6, 4:00 AM ET
By DON BABWIN, Associated Press Writer
GENEVA, Ill. - Greg Parcell isn't thinking about the 50,000 lights all around him, or the computer that has them blinking to the beat of "Let it Snow" on the radio.
AP Photo
Instead, his mind is on what's missing as he stands in what seems the one empty spot in his front yard.
"I still have to put up the penguins around the campfire," he says.
Parcell, 47, is a toy soldier in a growing army of Christmas enthusiasts becoming more sophisticated at turning yards into blazing monuments to the holidays.
New companies are cropping up with elaborate, automated decorations and the computer equipment to coordinate them, giving anyone with a wallet the ability to create scenes similar to a theme park.
Tens of thousands of people also have found a way to skip all those hours out in the cold hanging lights — opting to hire private companies to deck their halls for anywhere from a few hundred dollars to thousands. One such company, Texas-based Christmas Decor, has grown from 300 customers to over 32,000 in the past eight years.
For anyone lacking ideas, the Internet has plenty to offer.
PlanetChristmas.com shows displays around the globe and gives homeowners a chance to swap ideas, see the latest gadgets and register for the next "Lights Up" symposium.
"It's taken off like wildfire and I'm quite excited about it," said Chuck Smith, the Web site's creator and a pioneer of huge computerized home displays.
Melissa Williams, an owner of Christmas Done Bright in Sevierville, Tenn., said customers, particularly middle-aged men, "want to decorate everything. They compete with their brothers and neighbors."
For Williams' company, that has translated to well over $1 million in sales of lighted wire silhouettes every year since 1999, up from $42,000 in 1992. The silhouettes range from a simple wreath to an elf that appears to be shooting presents from a cannon into a sack.
Dan Baldwin founded a company called Light-O-Rama two years ago after seeing the fuss people made about the display at his Garfield, N.J., home.
"It's pretty much addictive," Baldwin said. "We have people who say, 'Don't tell my wife. Can you not put the price in the box when you send it?'"
The price tag isn't the only enemy of holiday decoration enthusiasts — there are also the neighbors.
Throughout the country, people upset over the noise, traffic and garbage that comes when people descend on their neighborhoods to view the displays have fought back in recent years.
In Little Rock, Ark., some residents were so upset about a display with 3 million lights — said to be visible from 80 miles away — that they got the state's supreme court to agree it was a public nuisance and order it scaled back.
In Monte Sereno, Calif., a couple whose huge display attracted thousands of passers-by angered neighbors and led the city council to require a permit for any exhibit lasting longer than three days. This year, the yard holds a 10-foot Grinch, its spiny finger pointing at the house of the neighbors who initiated the complaints.
Smith, of PlanetChristmas.com, decided to give his neighbors in Franklin, Tenn., a bit of a break. After the crush of visitors forced him to hire off-duty police officers to direct traffic, he moved his show to a nearby church where there's more room.
Meanwhile, Greg Cornwell has nothing bad to say about Parcell's house across the street, but he's bracing for the crowds and the looks from people when he tries to get his car into his driveway.
"They think I'm trying to cut in line," he said.
___
On the Net:
http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/ap/ap_on_re_us/storytext/bright_christmas/13623457/SIG=1100fc9jv/*http://www.PlanetChristmas.com
http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/ap/ap_on_re_us/storytext/bright_christmas/13623457/SIG=10r53o4b2/*http://www.Lightorama.com
http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/ap/ap_on_re_us/storytext/bright_christmas/13623457/SIG=114u41fsq/*http://www.ChristmasDoneBright.com
http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/ap/ap_on_re_us/storytext/bright_christmas/13623457/SIG=10vbi47b6/*http://www.ChristmasDecor.net
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Copyright © 2004 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. The information contained in the .Questions or CommentsPrivacy Policy -Terms of Service - Copyright Policy - Ad Feedback
We are a "city of lights" on all of the days of the year, but it is heartwarming and comforting to discover the return of Christmas decorations in different parts of our city.
News Home - Help
Holiday Displays Take Over Neighborhoods
Mon Dec 6, 4:00 AM ET
By DON BABWIN, Associated Press Writer
GENEVA, Ill. - Greg Parcell isn't thinking about the 50,000 lights all around him, or the computer that has them blinking to the beat of "Let it Snow" on the radio.
AP Photo
Instead, his mind is on what's missing as he stands in what seems the one empty spot in his front yard.
"I still have to put up the penguins around the campfire," he says.
Parcell, 47, is a toy soldier in a growing army of Christmas enthusiasts becoming more sophisticated at turning yards into blazing monuments to the holidays.
New companies are cropping up with elaborate, automated decorations and the computer equipment to coordinate them, giving anyone with a wallet the ability to create scenes similar to a theme park.
Tens of thousands of people also have found a way to skip all those hours out in the cold hanging lights — opting to hire private companies to deck their halls for anywhere from a few hundred dollars to thousands. One such company, Texas-based Christmas Decor, has grown from 300 customers to over 32,000 in the past eight years.
For anyone lacking ideas, the Internet has plenty to offer.
PlanetChristmas.com shows displays around the globe and gives homeowners a chance to swap ideas, see the latest gadgets and register for the next "Lights Up" symposium.
"It's taken off like wildfire and I'm quite excited about it," said Chuck Smith, the Web site's creator and a pioneer of huge computerized home displays.
Melissa Williams, an owner of Christmas Done Bright in Sevierville, Tenn., said customers, particularly middle-aged men, "want to decorate everything. They compete with their brothers and neighbors."
For Williams' company, that has translated to well over $1 million in sales of lighted wire silhouettes every year since 1999, up from $42,000 in 1992. The silhouettes range from a simple wreath to an elf that appears to be shooting presents from a cannon into a sack.
Dan Baldwin founded a company called Light-O-Rama two years ago after seeing the fuss people made about the display at his Garfield, N.J., home.
"It's pretty much addictive," Baldwin said. "We have people who say, 'Don't tell my wife. Can you not put the price in the box when you send it?'"
The price tag isn't the only enemy of holiday decoration enthusiasts — there are also the neighbors.
Throughout the country, people upset over the noise, traffic and garbage that comes when people descend on their neighborhoods to view the displays have fought back in recent years.
In Little Rock, Ark., some residents were so upset about a display with 3 million lights — said to be visible from 80 miles away — that they got the state's supreme court to agree it was a public nuisance and order it scaled back.
In Monte Sereno, Calif., a couple whose huge display attracted thousands of passers-by angered neighbors and led the city council to require a permit for any exhibit lasting longer than three days. This year, the yard holds a 10-foot Grinch, its spiny finger pointing at the house of the neighbors who initiated the complaints.
Smith, of PlanetChristmas.com, decided to give his neighbors in Franklin, Tenn., a bit of a break. After the crush of visitors forced him to hire off-duty police officers to direct traffic, he moved his show to a nearby church where there's more room.
Meanwhile, Greg Cornwell has nothing bad to say about Parcell's house across the street, but he's bracing for the crowds and the looks from people when he tries to get his car into his driveway.
"They think I'm trying to cut in line," he said.
___
On the Net:
http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/ap/ap_on_re_us/storytext/bright_christmas/13623457/SIG=1100fc9jv/*http://www.PlanetChristmas.com
http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/ap/ap_on_re_us/storytext/bright_christmas/13623457/SIG=10r53o4b2/*http://www.Lightorama.com
http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/ap/ap_on_re_us/storytext/bright_christmas/13623457/SIG=114u41fsq/*http://www.ChristmasDoneBright.com
http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/ap/ap_on_re_us/storytext/bright_christmas/13623457/SIG=10vbi47b6/*http://www.ChristmasDecor.net
Story Tools
Email Story
Post/Read Msgs (859)
Formatted Story
Ratings: Would you recommend this story?
Not at all 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5 Highly
Copyright © 2004 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. The information contained in the .Questions or CommentsPrivacy Policy -Terms of Service - Copyright Policy - Ad Feedback
News Home - Help
Saudi Militants Attack U.S. Consulate
44 minutes ago
By FAIZA SALEH AMBAH, Associated Press Writer
JIDDAH, Saudi Arabia - Militants lobbing explosives forced their way into the heavily guarded U.S. consulate in Jiddah on Monday before Saudi security forces stormed the compound and fought a gunbattle to end a four-hour standoff. Eight people, none American, were killed.
AP Photo
AP Photo
Slideshow: Terrorists Attack U.S. Consulate in Saudi Arabia
Attackers Strike U.S. Consulate in Jiddah(AP Video)
Militants Storm U.S. Consulate In Jeddah (Reuters Video)
The bold assault, the worst in the kingdom since May, demonstrated that Saudi Arabia's crackdown on al-Qaida is still far from successful in the native land of terrorist leader Osama bin Laden (news - web sites).
There was no immediate claim of responsibility, but Saudi officials blamed a "deviant" group — the government's way of identifying al-Qaida extremists it holds responsible for a string of terror strikes over the past two years.
President Bush (news - web sites) said the attack showed "terrorists are still on the move," trying to intimidate Americans and force the United States to withdraw from Saudi Arabia and Iraq (news - web sites).
The attack came a week after the deputy leader of al-Qaida, Ayman al-Zawahri, warned in a videotape that Washington must change its policies or face further attacks by the terror group.
Five consulate employees were killed, said a U.S. Embassy spokeswoman in Riyadh. Three of the five attackers also died in the shootout, the Saudi Interior Ministry said. One American was slightly injured.
Saudi security officials initially said four Saudi officers also died in the clash, but Interior Ministry spokesman Brig. Gen. Mansour al-Turki later told The Associated Press no officers were killed. He said one was seriously injured.
The two other attackers were captured wounded, the Interior Ministry said.
The attack prompted the U.S. Embassy in Riyadh to urge thousands of Americans in the country — many of whom already live under extraordinarily tight security — to "exercise utmost security precautions."
Consulate employees rushed to a safe area inside the compound after the attack began, a State Department official said. There were conflicting reports about hostages, but the official said no Americans were held captive.
"We could hear the gunshots outside, but we didn't know what was going on," said a consulate employee who rushed to the safe area and later spoke to The Associated Press by telephone on condition of anonymity. "They were heavy at times and not so heavy at other times."
The attacks, immediately praised on militant Islamic web sites, showed that extremists in Saudi Arabia are still capable of carrying out sophisticated strikes despite the government crackdown.
"This was a very hard target to attack, and they pulled it off," said Diaa Rashwan, a Cairo-based expert on Muslim militants, predicting the attack would boost morale among extremists. "For the government, this was a security failure. For the militants, this was a military victory."
The Saudi Cabinet quickly convened and issued a statement condemning the attack and reaffirming the government's determination "to fight terrorism in all its aspects and to hunt down its perpetrators until they are rooted out and the society is cleaned of them."
Monday's assault began when the attackers sneaked on foot behind an embassy car that was entering the consulate through a gate, then lobbed hand grenades at guards to take control of the gate area, said al-Turki, the Interior Ministry spokesman.
He said the attackers also used incendiary grenades designed to create fires and to send up heavy smoke. Plumes of black smoke could be seen rising in the air shortly after the attack.
After getting inside the compound's outer security wall, the attackers held about 18 people hostage at gunpoint, said a senior Saudi official in Washington, who spoke on condition of anonymity. Those held at gunpoint were mostly either in the courtyard-like area to apply for visas, or were employees who worked in that area, the official said.
The attackers never made it inside the consulate's buildings, al-Turki said.
The Saudi official in Washington said the attackers then called a local police station to report they had hostages and would begin killing them unless Saudi security forces backed away from the compound. As the call was ending, Saudi security forces stormed the area and fought a short gunbattle, the official said.
Al-Turki denied that anyone was held hostage, but said the attackers did hurt those they came across in the courtyard area.
In Riyadh, U.S. Embassy spokeswoman Carol Kalin said four of the five employees killed held administrative jobs and that one was a private contract guard on the consulate's payroll. Four other embassy workers — all hired locally — were hospitalized, Kalin said.
Most were Sudanese and Indian, Saudi officials said.
Asked about the conflicting reports of the 18 hostages, Kalin said: "The investigation of the Saudi authorities is ongoing and the embassy has no comment on this report at this time."
Kalin said it was unclear if any of the U.S. Marine guards inside the consulate were involved in the gunbattle.
The consulate — like all U.S. diplomatic buildings and other Western compounds in Saudi Arabia — has been heavily fortified and guarded since last year's series of bombings against targets housing foreigners. Guard posts are located on the corners of the compound and a road open to civilian traffic runs along part of the wall.
Saudi and U.S. officials have blamed al-Qaida, led by bin Laden, for all major militant attacks in the kingdom since May 2003.
The Saudi government has cracked down hard, arresting and killing many key militants, and quieting the attacks somewhat.
Last May, however, 22 people were killed, including 19 foreigners, by militants who took over a resort complex in Khobar and held hostages for 25 hours.
In June, militants in Riyadh, the capital, kidnapped and beheaded Paul M. Johnson Jr., an engineer for a U.S. defense company.
About 9,000 Americans live in the Jiddah consular district, which encompasses western Saudi Arabia from Yemen to Jordan. The population of Jiddah is estimated at more than 2 million.
____
Associated Press writers Tarek Al-Issawi in Dubai and John Solomon in Washington contributed to this report.
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today's papersSurgin' InsurgenceBy David SarnoPosted Monday, Dec. 6, 2004, at 6:03 AM PT
The New York Times, Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, and the Wall Street Journal's world-wide newsbox lead with the extraordinary wave of violence in Iraq. At least 80 Iraqis and 11 U.S. soldiers have been killed since Friday—bringing the U.S.'s one-week toll to 23. In Sunday's deadliest attack (the papers report a total of four), insurgents ambushed a bus of Iraqi civilian contractors in Tikrit and killed 17 by "open[ing] fire on the bus with AK-47 rifles until they ran out of ammunition" (NYT). USA Today stuffs Iraq and leads with baseball: Under pressure from Commissioner Bud Selig and Sen. John McCain, the players union will consider instituting stricter drug-test policies.
The WP's Iraq coverage examines the U.S. military's claim that they've "gained ground" in recent months as a result of several offensives. U.S. officers are citing a decrease in the average number of rebel attacks nationwide from 130 in early November when the Fallujah invasion began to around 60 this week. But, the piece is quick to note, "intelligence officers expect the number to rise again before the national elections set for Jan. 30." A few less sanguine facts are these: The insurgents, mostly minority Sunnis, have succeeded in assassinating 338 Iraqi officials with ties to Americans since Oct. 1 and, according to the NYT, "have also made unmistakable efforts to foment ethnic and sectarian conflict by striking at Shiite Muslims and Kurds." Moreover, the groups are now splintering into smaller guerrilla units that will be more difficult for U.S. forces to combat.
In that vein, NYT Iraq correspondent John Burns takes a front-line look at the challenges facing a Marine battalion charged with locating and neutralizing militant cells in a rebel stronghold outside Baghdad.
On Sunday, Sunni leaders representing dozens of political parties became the latest to call for delaying the elections, raising the now-familiar objection that a legitimate result would be impossible in such a violent climate. Most Shiite parties, by contrast, want to see the elections happen on time. As one leader cautioned, the timing issue is starting to look like "the first seed of civil war." (A Sunday NYT piece went a bit further and argued that a civil war has already started.)
Both the LAT and WP front updates on the Army's cover-up of NFL star Cpl. Pat Tillman's death by friendly fire. The Army first claimed that Tillman was killed in an "intense fire fight" with enemy combatants (LAT), but it's since come to light that his death was the result of an ill-conceived order by a commander that moved Tillman's group into the line of fire of a heavily armed Army Humvee, whose gunners mistook Tillman and company for Afghan soldiers and opened fire. The WP's report is the second in a two-part series.
The NYT fronts an exclusive interview with current Ukrainian President Leonid Kuchma in which the outbound leader attacks opposition head Viktor Yushchenko for backing out of a signed agreement to "to pursue the constitutional changes in exchange for new laws for conducting a new election." Kuchma also advises Yushchenko's opponent, Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovich, to consider dropping out of the two-man race. Unopposed candidates must win 50 percent of the vote, and Yushchenko could conceivably fail to do so.
The WP fronts a look at the phenomenon of advocacy groups who pose as media sources to advance their agendas. One such publication is The Madison County Record, a legal newspaper in Illinois "that bills itself as the county's legal journal." Though you couldn't tell from reading it, the Record is actually co-owned by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and only covers absurdly frivolous lawsuits against businesses (woman sues restaurant for $50k after hurting her teeth on a piece of chicken): Not coincidentally, these are just the kind of suits the chamber has launched a massive campaign to get rid of.
USAT fronts a discussion of the predatory housing loan problem in America. In recent years, increasing numbers of people—most of whom are minorities and immigrants—have been victimized by so-called subprime mortgage lenders: those who offer expensive loans to borrowers with weak credit ratings. The subprime industry is weakly regulated because there's no federal law governing the practice, and without legal safeguards, borrowers rack up huge debts without ever paying off their homes
And I've Got a Bridge To Sell You: According to USAT, Ohio's vote recount is complete, though another is forthcoming. The state will certify a Bush win by 119,000 votes, or about 2.2 percent of the turnout, then starting Dec. 13, the Green and Libertarian Parties will pay for another set of recounts covering all of Ohio's 88 counties. The cost? A mere $113,600.David Sarno is a writer in Iowa City.Article URL: http://slate.msn.com/id/2110700/
The New York Times, Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, and the Wall Street Journal's world-wide newsbox lead with the extraordinary wave of violence in Iraq. At least 80 Iraqis and 11 U.S. soldiers have been killed since Friday—bringing the U.S.'s one-week toll to 23. In Sunday's deadliest attack (the papers report a total of four), insurgents ambushed a bus of Iraqi civilian contractors in Tikrit and killed 17 by "open[ing] fire on the bus with AK-47 rifles until they ran out of ammunition" (NYT). USA Today stuffs Iraq and leads with baseball: Under pressure from Commissioner Bud Selig and Sen. John McCain, the players union will consider instituting stricter drug-test policies.
The WP's Iraq coverage examines the U.S. military's claim that they've "gained ground" in recent months as a result of several offensives. U.S. officers are citing a decrease in the average number of rebel attacks nationwide from 130 in early November when the Fallujah invasion began to around 60 this week. But, the piece is quick to note, "intelligence officers expect the number to rise again before the national elections set for Jan. 30." A few less sanguine facts are these: The insurgents, mostly minority Sunnis, have succeeded in assassinating 338 Iraqi officials with ties to Americans since Oct. 1 and, according to the NYT, "have also made unmistakable efforts to foment ethnic and sectarian conflict by striking at Shiite Muslims and Kurds." Moreover, the groups are now splintering into smaller guerrilla units that will be more difficult for U.S. forces to combat.
In that vein, NYT Iraq correspondent John Burns takes a front-line look at the challenges facing a Marine battalion charged with locating and neutralizing militant cells in a rebel stronghold outside Baghdad.
On Sunday, Sunni leaders representing dozens of political parties became the latest to call for delaying the elections, raising the now-familiar objection that a legitimate result would be impossible in such a violent climate. Most Shiite parties, by contrast, want to see the elections happen on time. As one leader cautioned, the timing issue is starting to look like "the first seed of civil war." (A Sunday NYT piece went a bit further and argued that a civil war has already started.)
Both the LAT and WP front updates on the Army's cover-up of NFL star Cpl. Pat Tillman's death by friendly fire. The Army first claimed that Tillman was killed in an "intense fire fight" with enemy combatants (LAT), but it's since come to light that his death was the result of an ill-conceived order by a commander that moved Tillman's group into the line of fire of a heavily armed Army Humvee, whose gunners mistook Tillman and company for Afghan soldiers and opened fire. The WP's report is the second in a two-part series.
The NYT fronts an exclusive interview with current Ukrainian President Leonid Kuchma in which the outbound leader attacks opposition head Viktor Yushchenko for backing out of a signed agreement to "to pursue the constitutional changes in exchange for new laws for conducting a new election." Kuchma also advises Yushchenko's opponent, Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovich, to consider dropping out of the two-man race. Unopposed candidates must win 50 percent of the vote, and Yushchenko could conceivably fail to do so.
The WP fronts a look at the phenomenon of advocacy groups who pose as media sources to advance their agendas. One such publication is The Madison County Record, a legal newspaper in Illinois "that bills itself as the county's legal journal." Though you couldn't tell from reading it, the Record is actually co-owned by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and only covers absurdly frivolous lawsuits against businesses (woman sues restaurant for $50k after hurting her teeth on a piece of chicken): Not coincidentally, these are just the kind of suits the chamber has launched a massive campaign to get rid of.
USAT fronts a discussion of the predatory housing loan problem in America. In recent years, increasing numbers of people—most of whom are minorities and immigrants—have been victimized by so-called subprime mortgage lenders: those who offer expensive loans to borrowers with weak credit ratings. The subprime industry is weakly regulated because there's no federal law governing the practice, and without legal safeguards, borrowers rack up huge debts without ever paying off their homes
And I've Got a Bridge To Sell You: According to USAT, Ohio's vote recount is complete, though another is forthcoming. The state will certify a Bush win by 119,000 votes, or about 2.2 percent of the turnout, then starting Dec. 13, the Green and Libertarian Parties will pay for another set of recounts covering all of Ohio's 88 counties. The cost? A mere $113,600.David Sarno is a writer in Iowa City.Article URL: http://slate.msn.com/id/2110700/
