News (Media Awareness Project) - Middle East: Taliban Thugs Still Bullion-Aires |
| Title: | Middle East: Taliban Thugs Still Bullion-Aires |
| Published On: | 2002-09-03 |
| Source: | New York Post (NY) |
| Fetched On: | 2008-01-22 03:09:11 |
TALIBAN THUGS STILL BULLION-AIRES
September 3, 2002 -- Financial officers of al Qaeda and the Taliban have
quietly shipped large quantities of gold out of Pakistan to Sudan in recent
weeks, transiting through the United Arab Emirates and Iran, according to
European, Pakistani and U.S. investigators.
Sources said several shipments of gold, usually disguised as other
products, were taken by small boat from the Pakistani port of Karachi to
either Iran or Dubai, and from there mixed with other goods and flown by
chartered planes to Khartoum, the Sudanese capital.
Although it is unclear how much gold has been moved, U.S. and European
officials said the quantity was significant and was an important indicator
that the al Qaeda network and members of Afghanistan's deposed Taliban
militia still had access to large financial reserves.
European and U.S. intelligence officials said the movement of gold also
highlighted three significant developments:
* The growing role of Iranian intelligence units allied with the country's
clerics in aiding al Qaeda.
* The potential re-emergence of Sudan as a financial center.
* The ability of the terrorist group to generate new sources of revenue
despite the global crackdown on its finances.
The sources said Sudan may have been chosen because Osama bin Laden and
other members of the network are familiar with the country and retain
business contacts there.
They said traditional havens for al Qaeda money on the Arabian peninsula
such as Saudi Arabia and United Arab Emirates were under intense
international scrutiny, while transactions in Sudan could more easily pass
unnoticed.
Gold has for years been the preferred financial instrument of the Taliban
and al Qaeda.
Most of the Taliban treasury was kept in gold when the militia ruled
Afghanistan, and taxes were often collected in gold. Just before the
Taliban and al Qaeda were driven from Afghanistan last year, they shipped
large amounts of gold to Dubai, and from there to other safe havens,
according to U.S., European and Arab officials.
Washington Post
September 3, 2002 -- Financial officers of al Qaeda and the Taliban have
quietly shipped large quantities of gold out of Pakistan to Sudan in recent
weeks, transiting through the United Arab Emirates and Iran, according to
European, Pakistani and U.S. investigators.
Sources said several shipments of gold, usually disguised as other
products, were taken by small boat from the Pakistani port of Karachi to
either Iran or Dubai, and from there mixed with other goods and flown by
chartered planes to Khartoum, the Sudanese capital.
Although it is unclear how much gold has been moved, U.S. and European
officials said the quantity was significant and was an important indicator
that the al Qaeda network and members of Afghanistan's deposed Taliban
militia still had access to large financial reserves.
European and U.S. intelligence officials said the movement of gold also
highlighted three significant developments:
* The growing role of Iranian intelligence units allied with the country's
clerics in aiding al Qaeda.
* The potential re-emergence of Sudan as a financial center.
* The ability of the terrorist group to generate new sources of revenue
despite the global crackdown on its finances.
The sources said Sudan may have been chosen because Osama bin Laden and
other members of the network are familiar with the country and retain
business contacts there.
They said traditional havens for al Qaeda money on the Arabian peninsula
such as Saudi Arabia and United Arab Emirates were under intense
international scrutiny, while transactions in Sudan could more easily pass
unnoticed.
Gold has for years been the preferred financial instrument of the Taliban
and al Qaeda.
Most of the Taliban treasury was kept in gold when the militia ruled
Afghanistan, and taxes were often collected in gold. Just before the
Taliban and al Qaeda were driven from Afghanistan last year, they shipped
large amounts of gold to Dubai, and from there to other safe havens,
according to U.S., European and Arab officials.
Washington Post
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