Al-Qaeda's Plot Against Peacekeepers - 2002-04-20

Al-Qaeda's Plot Against Peacekeepers - 2002-04-20. Tom Round, the military spokesperson for Britain, states that information gathered over the past two weeks indicates that Al-Qaeda terrorists are attempting to infiltrate military bases and government facilities in Afghanistan disguised as journalists. This is the same tactic they used to assassinate Ahmad Shah Massoud, the leader of the Northern Alliance in Afghanistan, who was killed by a bomb placed in a camera. Two days before the September 11 attacks in the U.S., two men posing as members of a Belgian television group detonated a bomb against Ahmad Shah Massoud. It is reported that the terrorist network Al-Qaeda planned such a scheme to strike at the structure of the Northern Alliance. Tom Round states that while last month's military operations led by the U.S. may have dismantled Al-Qaeda's network in the eastern mountains of Afghanistan, the organization still has operatives scattered throughout the country. Coalition officials believe that Mohammad Zahir Shah, the former king of Afghanistan, may also be a target of Al-Qaeda attacks. Zahir Shah returned to Afghanistan two days ago after about thirty years in exile. The main goal of his return is to inaugurate the Loya Jirga, or Council of Elders, which will convene in June to elect a new government. Currently, all journalists in Afghanistan are facing severe security measures and must carry identification and press cards at all times. Americans in Afghanistan have also been warned that Al-Qaeda has reiterated its previous directive offering a reward of fifty thousand dollars for anyone who captures an American alive. Additionally, thirty thousand dollars is offered for the killing of any Westerner. In Kabul, armed men have targeted international peacekeepers during routine patrols. A spokesperson for the international peacekeepers reported that on Friday night, four armed men opened fire on French peacekeepers near the airport, resulting in minor injuries to one of them. The attackers managed to escape the scene.