[iwar] Bin Laden's voice detected (fwd)

From: Fred Cohen (fc@all.net)
Date: 2001-12-15 17:31:50
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From: Fred Cohen <fc@all.net>
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Date: Sat, 15 Dec 2001 17:31:50 -0800 (PST)
Subject: [iwar] Bin Laden's voice detected (fwd)
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http://www.washtimes.com/national/20011215-68264047.htm

The U.S. has detected the distinctive voice of Osama bin Laden on =
hand-held radio in the mountains of Tora Bora giving orders to his al =
Qaeda troops, U.S. officials say.=20
     The officials say the voice has been positively matched to known =
recordings of bin Laden. The intelligence represents the best proof that =
America's most wanted man has been, and remains, in the cave complexes =
in the Tora Bora region of the White Mountains in eastern Afghanistan.
     The sources say the electronic monitoring is being carried out by =
Special Operations troops on the ground, and by spy planes and =
satellites. The intelligence sweep is one part of an air-ground manhunt =
that is using virtually every military and CIA tool available to kill or =
capture the terrorist leader.
     "They have picked him up on very short-range radio," said a senior =
U.S. official, adding that al Qaeda soldiers have been detected =
responding to their leader.
     Army Gen. Tommy Franks, the commander of the Afghanistan campaign, =
told reporters yesterday, "Obviously we use all sorts of technical means =
to gain insights into where he may be. We also listen to what these =
opposition leaders on the ground have to say, because they each have =
their own intelligence capability. "
     U.S. military officials say a concentration of bin Laden's al Qaeda =
army is contained in the mountains between two parallel valleys, Agam =
and Wazir, leading to Jalalabad in the north and going toward the =
Pakistan border in the south. U.S. officials believe bin Laden is moving =
between the valleys with an entourage of troops.
     Pakistani troops are attempting to block escape routes to the =
south. Anti-Taliban eastern alliance fighters, lured by a U.S. offer of =
$25 million for bin Laden and his aides, are trying to seal passages on =
the north, east and west. Still, officials caution there are many routes =
out of Tora Bora.
     While the indigenous forces do their work, small teams of U.S. Army =
Delta Force and British Special Air Services (SAS) are operating on =
their own, gathering intelligence and looking for bin Laden at night. =
Collectively, the two units comprise the world's best military =
anti-terror personnel. They use all forms of special operations and are =
outfitted with high-tech equipment, including thermal imaging and =
signal-monitoring gear, that allows them to locate the enemy and plan =
raids.
     Delta teams carry a heavy sniper rifle that is both highly accurate =
and powerful. A sniper equipped with a Barret 50-caliber rifle can take =
out a person =97 or a vehicle =97 at 1,500 yards.
     The units also use a classified eavesdropping system that allows =
the covert warriors to monitor a wide area of wireless communication.
     "They are using all of the skills they have been waiting to use: =
ambushes, sniper shots, close air support, [unmanned aerial vehicles], =
surrogate warfare," said an Army officer familiar with special =
operations tactics.
     U.S. officials privately have told The Washington Times in the past =
10 days that they were convinced bin Laden has remained in the Tora Bora =
region. Since basing his global terror network in Afghanistan in 1996, =
Tora Bora has served as a major base, complete with elaborate cave =
dwellings, ammunition stockpiles and training camps.
     Sources had declined to discuss specific intelligence. But =
yesterday, two officials acknowledged that bin Laden's voice has been =
heard in the region and that he knows the United States has the =
capability to listen in. One source said the ex-Saudi citizen may have =
judged he has no other choice if he wants to command his last remaining =
troops, who are thought to number about 400 to 500 non-Afghan =
foreigners, mostly Arabs.
     For the past 10 days, Gen. Franks has focused virtually all his =
firepower and intelligence apparatus on Tora Bora.
     Each day, heavy Air Force bombers and Navy jets have dropped bombs =
on cave openings and bunkers. Many targets are found by Army Special =
Forces soldiers working alongside the opposition fighters. The CIA also =
is operating Predator spy drones whose video pictures of al Qaeda troops =
are relayed to AC-130 gunships, where gunners rain cannon fire on the =
moving foot soldiers and vehicles.
     A big plus for Delta Force manhunters is the time of year, when =
Afghanistan experiences less than 10 hours of daylight. The night gives =
the warriors an opportunity to exploit night-vision goggles that trap =
ambient light to provide a clear view and a big tactical advantage over =
the primitive al Qaeda soldiers. Thermal gun sights also allow snipers =
to kill at night.

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