CLASSIFIED ANNEX TO UAE 2003 ANNUAL

S E C R E T SECTION 01 OF 02 ABU DHABI 005062 SIPDIS NOFORN STATE FOR S/CT-REAP E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/22/13 TAGS: PTER PREL PGOV TC SUBJECT: CLASSIFIED ANNEX TO UAE 2003 ANNUAL TERRORISM REPORT REF: A) State 301352; B) Unclassified Submission ¶1. (U) Classified by Richard A. Albright, Charg d'Affaires, a.i., Reasons 1.5 (B) and (D). ¶2. (SBU) Post provides additional responses to complement the unclassified portion of the 2003 annual terrorism report. The information included in this classified annex is considered highly sensitive and its revelation could negatively impact on future U.S.-UAE bilateral relations. ¶3. (S/NF) This paragraph supplements the unclassified contribution to section 2 (a) of ref SIPDIS B: The UAE provided exceptional military cooperation for the Global War on Terrorism, including continued support for the deployment of sensitive U.S. reconnaissance assets (five U-2s and two Global Hawk UAVs) at Al Dhafra Air Base. The UAE directly supported Operation Enduring Freedom with an August 2003 deployment of a 130-man Special Operations Task Force currently operating out of Bagram Air Base, Afghanistan. Additionally, UAE and US forces are currently planning for the spring 2004 deployment of a UAE squadron of Seeker II UAVs to Bagram Air Base. The UAE provided logistical support to Operation Iraqi Freedom with UAE assets transporting an entire Bulgarian infantry battalion to Kuwait as part of the Polish multi-national division deployment. Additionally, the UAE provided timely humanitarian relief with the deployment of an entire hospital in Baghdad during Phase III of Operation of Iraqi Freedom. The UAE also continued to be a key refueling center for Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom. The northern emirate of Fujairah maintained its status as a logistics hub for USNAVCENT command operations in the Gulf of Oman and Arabian Sea. Jebel Ali Port continued its superb logistics support for U.S. naval operations in the Gulf and Dubai continued to serve as a primary port of call for U.S. sailors in the Gulf. The UAE provided extensive humanitarian assistance to Afghanistan and Pakistan and provided $50 million in assistance- in-kind to the Afghan National Army. ¶4. (S/NF) This paragraph supplements the unclassified contribution to section 2 (e) of ref SIPDIS B: The FBI has occasional operations activity in the UAE, either when there is a nexus to the UAE, or an operational necessity. The FBI also tracks funds between individuals and groups which are believed to be connected to, or support, terror. The FBI will be executing search and seizure warrants in the UAE during the fall for bank/business records and computers. The UAE government provided thousands of pages of bank records, including the unusual provision of original documents for forensics and evidentiary purposes and agreed to institutionalize a process for the securing of certified true copies of records that would assist in more easily admitting them into a U.S. court. The UAE continued to provide intelligence sharing in Abu Dhabi and Dubai regarding the links between the September 11, 2001 attacks and the UAE. State Security, the UAE's FBI-CIA amalgam, coordinated with ORCA on intelligence leads and with the FBI in criminal investigations. Following the attacks, the UAE government rounded up approximately 160 individuals; the majority has since been released. Post has learned that the UAEG, at the highest levels, engaged in an unprecedented internal review regarding the extent of the conservative influence on the young. A by-product of this review was the sidelining or early retirement of a number of officials at the Ministries of Education and Justice, Awqaf and Islamic Affairs, as well as at UAE University. The Security Services continue to monitor the local mosques and scrutinize the work of Islamic charities. De facto Dubai ruler and UAE Defense Minister Shaykh Muhammad Bin Rashid Al-Maktoum continues to provide the USG intelligence on the whereabouts of Al-Qaida and Taliban leaders gleaned from his sources on the ground in Afghanistan. ALBRIGHT