Terrorists prepped for a long conflict

QUETTA, Pakistan — A terrorist survival information kit, obtained by United Press International, reveals how the Taliban, al Qaeda and their sympathizers are preparing to survive a long and drawn-out U.S.-led war against terrorism.

The contents of the kit have been printed in several languages — Arabic, Dari, Pashto and Urdu — and the kit has been distributed secretly among terrorists in Afghanistan and Pakistan.

The contents, consisting of a number of documents, were obtained in Pakistan from people who are associated with the Taliban, al Qaeda and other banned groups that continue to operate in the region. The authenticity was confirmed independently by Afghan and Pakistani sources, who were already familiar with the contents.

They show that the Taliban, al Qaeda and other militant groups are well aware of the changes brought about by the U.S.-led war on terrorism and realize they can no longer work openly, even in areas where there is widespread sympathy in the local population.

Documents in the kit repeatedly emphasize the need for Taliban and al Qaeda terrorists to “merge with the masses” and “become indistinguishable” from the rest of the people.

The instructions explain that large terrorist organizations have already divided themselves into three segments.

The first segment is the central command, which is referred to as “markaz” (center), or “nazm” (leadership).”

The second segment is that of small units, and the third and most important is that of individual members who are called “friends” and are warned “not to meet each other unless they must” and “not to communicate with the nazm.”

“Merge completely in the environment you live in … there will be no personal friendship, not even with the members of your own group,” the kit advises.

The kit contains pictures of 18 terrorists who are on the FBI’s most-wanted list. The first is that of al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden, followed by his deputy, Ayman al-Zawahri, and other top al Qaeda operatives.

A caption above the pictures says: “These are mujahideen, not dangerous religious terrorists.”

The caption refers to a similar list issued recently by the government of Pakistan, which identified the 18 men as “dangerous religious terrorists” and which advised Pakistanis to inform the government if they see or hear anything about them.

An al Qaeda pamphlet in the kit cites a verse from the Koran:

“Those who believed [in God] and migrated and did jihad for Allah’s sake and those who sheltered such people and helped them … indeed, they are the real believers. They will be rewarded [by God].”

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