Washington wobbles:does this explain today's nuke talk?

[Randy Earnest]

Hard to evaluate, of course, but ran across this at the London Times
http://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/0,,2001350025-2001372097,00.html
"OSAMA BIN LADEN and his al-Qaeda network have acquired nuclear materials
for possible use in their terrorism war against the West, intelligence
sources have disclosed.The Western sources say that the suspected mastermind
of the September 11 attacks on America does not have the capability to mount
a nuclear attack but fear he would do so if he could.They believe that he
obtained the materials illegally from Pakistan, which has a nuclear
capability. The knowledge that bin Laden has components for a nuclear
weapons device in his arsenal is believed to lie behind the regular warnings
from President Bush and Tony Blair that he would commit worse atrocities
than the suicide assaults on New York and Washington if he were able to.
They may also explain the speed with which the decision was taken to go
after bin Laden and his terrorist network, even if that meant toppling the
Taleban regime in Afghanistan first."

The only thing really 'new' was elaborated in a story in the Times of India:
http://www.timesofindia.com/articleshow.asp?art_id=1862859664
"Accounts of Bin Laden's pursuit of nuclear weapons has been in the air for
some time, but they acquired an added urgency this week following the arrest
in Islamabad of two retired Pakistani nuclear scientists whose activities in
Afghanistan were being scrutinised by western intelligence agencies. The
scientists were reportedly taken into custody for questioning by Pakistani
authorities at Washington's behest.
According to reports from Islamabad, the two scientists -- Sultan
Bashiruddin Mahmood and Chaudhury Abdul Majid -- have been "detained for
questioning" by Pakistani authorities. Proliferation experts in Washington
say Mahmood and Majid are experts on plutonium technology. Mahmood is known
for his contribution in setting up Pakistan's first "unsafeguarded"
plutonium reactor in Khushab in central Pakistan. Majid is one of the few
Pakistani scientists who had been trained at a plutonium facility in Belgium
in the 1960s."

So, are they trying to correct the wobble by using the arrests to pump up
nuke fears?
Randy

----- Original Message -----

From: "Chris Burford" <cburford at gn.apc.org>
To: <lbo-talk at lists.panix.com>
Sent: Thursday, October 25, 2001 7:00 PM
Subject: Washington wobbles


> BBC's influential Newsnight programme tonight reports a strong perception
> that the US administration is struggling with its Afghan campaign.
> Rumsfeld's contradictory statements about bin Laden sounded confused
> compared to Blair's apparent candour in stating that he will probably be
> killed.
>
> The Brits are preparing public opinion for British troops to go in for a
> long time, no doubt with casualites inevitable. By contrast the perception
> is that the US administration may not have prepared public opinion for
> anything more than hit and run raids. Meanwhile the present US strategy is
> seen as running out of options.
>
> There was some humour that the Pentagon ?? had announced a competition for
> whoever could come up with the most creative solution to pursuing the war
> in Afghanistan - closure date 23rd December - surely a hoax??? but
> Newsnight thought it could be one of a piece with US confusion.
>
> The series of reports also were explicit about how even Oman does not want
> to be publically seen as the launching pad for invading troops. It also
> deepened its reporting on the demographic, political, and economic changes
> that make the Saudi regime unstable, and had Prof Fred Halliday
> contributing (former left wing writer).
>
> The brits seem ready to send in a highly specialised unit of 600 men
> trained in fighting in arctic conditions, assuming that they will be
> supported by heat detecting aircraft information systems.
>
> The implication tonight was that they are holding back for a lead from the
> USA about how this war is going to be won.
>
> If at all???
>
> Chris Burford
>
> London
>
>