AFGHANISTAN: TALIBAN STALL IN PERMITTING WESTERN

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 PESHAWAR 01059 DEPT ALSO FOR EUR/CEN USIA FOR NEA - LARSEN LONDON FOR TUELLER PARIS FOR RAVELING E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/11/06 TAGS: PTER PINR KISL PREL AF SUBJECT: AFGHANISTAN: TALIBAN STALL IN PERMITTING WESTERN JOURNALISTS ACCESS TO USAMA BIN LADEN REF: FGBIS AMMAN JN 1307072496 ¶1. (U) CLASSIFIED BY BRAD HANSON, PRINCIPAL OFFICER, AMCONSULATE PESHAWAR. REASON: 1.5 D. ¶2. (C) SUMMARY: NANGARHAR TALIBAN PROVINCIAL OFFICIALS HAVE TOLD A RESPECTED PAKISTANI REPORTER THAT USAMA BIN LADEN IS IN JALALABAD. THEY HESITATED TO GRANT THE BBC STRINGER'S REQUEST TO INTERVIEW HIM -- REFERRING IT TO KANDAHAR -- PERHAPS BECAUSE THEY DO NOT WANT TO PUBLICIZE THAT THE TALIBAN HAVE ALLOWED BIN LADEN TO REMAIN IN TALIBAN TERRITORY. LOCAL TALIBAN OFFICIALS JUSTIFY GIVING REFUGE TO BIN LADEN BY STATING HE WAS THERE ALREADY, HE HELPED THE AFGHANS IN THEIR JIHAD AGAINST THE SOVIETS, AND THEY ARE NOT CONVINCED HE HAS BEEN INVOLVED IN TERRORIST ACTIVITIES. END SUMMARY. ¶3. (C) RAHIMULLAH YUSUFZAI (STRICTLY PROTECT),RESPECTED REPORTER FOR PAKISTANI DAILY, "THE NEWS," AND BBC STRINGER, VOLUNTEERED TO PO AT A RECEPTION NOV 8 THAT HE HAD BEEN TRYING TO INTERVIEW TERRORIST FINANCIER USAMA BIN LADEN IN NANGARHAR PROVINCE. HE STATED THAT HE HAD MET WITH THE TALIBAN GOVERNOR, DEPUTY GOVERNOR, AND HEAD OF SECURITY IN JALALABAD ABOUT TEN DAYS PREVIOUSLY. ALL HAD REPORTEDLY SAID THAT BIN LADEN WAS IN JALALABAD. YUSUFZAI WAS TOLD TO WAIT A DAY TO SET UP THE INTERVIEW AND INDEED, HE HAD STAYED AN EXTRA NIGHT IN JALALABAD IN ANTICIPATION. HOWEVER, "THE TALIBAN APPARENTLY GOT COLD FEET," YUSUFZAI CONJECTURED, AND HE WAS TOLD THEY HAD TO GET A DECISION FROM TALIBAN OFFICIALS IN KANDAHAR. AS OF NOV 8, YUSUFZAI HAD NOT HEARD BACK FROM ANY TALIBAN OFFICIAL ON HIS REQUEST. ¶4. (C) YUSUFZAI EXPLAINED THAT BIN LADEN HAD PASSED A MESSAGE TO THE BBC BEFORE THE TALIBAN HAD TAKEN JALALABAD IN SEPT THAT HE WANTED TO BE INTERVIEWED BY BBC TV AND BBC'S ARABIC LANGUAGE SERVICE. YUSUFZAI WAS IN THE PROCESS OF ARRANGING FOR A BBC ARABIC SERVICE TEAM'S VISIT TO AFGHANISTAN TO DO THE INTERVIEW WHEN THE TALIBAN CAPTURED JALALABAD SEPT 11/12. NOW BBC (YUSUFZAI) AND TIME'S NEW DELHI BUREAU CHIEF WERE TRYING TO ARRANGE AN INTERVIEW. YUSUFZAI ALSO EXPLAINED THAT BIN LADEN HAD MADE TRAVEL ARRANGEMENTS FOR THE UK DAILY "INDEPENDENT'S" REPORTER, FISKE, WHOM HE RESPECTED FOR HIS "BALANCED REPORTING" ON ARAB/ISRAELI ISSUES, TO TRAVEL FROM DUBAI TO AFGHANISTAN TO INTERVIEW BIN LADEN THE PAST SUMMER. FISKE HAD NEVER BEEN TO AFGHANISTAN BEFORE, YUSUFZAI SAID. (NOTE: ACCORDING TO REFTEL, "THE INDEPENDENT" INTERVIEWED BIN LADEN IN EARLY JULY 1996.) ¶5. (C) YUSUFZAI SPECULATED THAT THE NANGARHAR TALIBAN OFFICIALS, ON SECOND THOUGHT, HESITATED IN GRANTING HIM ACCESS TO BIN LADEN, BECAUSE THEY REALIZED THAT THE USG AND OTHER GOVERNMENTS WERE AGAINST BIN LADEN AND THE TALIBAN DID NOT WANT TO PUBLICIZE THAT HE WAS IN THEIR TERRITORY, AND THAT THE TALIBAN WERE ALLOWING HIM TO STAY. WHEN YUSUFZAI ASKED NANGARHAR PROVINCIAL OFFICIALS WHY THEY HAD GIVEN REFUGE TO BIN LADEN, THEY REPORTEDLY GAVE THREE REASONS. FIRST, HE WAS ALREADY IN THEIR TERRITORY WHEN THEY TOOK JALALABAD. SECOND, BIN LADEN HAD ASSISTED THE AFGHANS A LOT IN THEIR JIHAD AGAINST THE SOVIETS. THIRD, THE TALIBAN WERE NOT SURE HE WAS INVOLVED IN TERRORIST ACTIVITIES, AND HAD NOT YET SEEN CONVINCING PROOF OF HIS INVOLVEMENT. ¶6. (C) COMMENT: YUSUFZAI IS A WELL-RESPECTED PAKISTANI REPORTER, ONE OF THE FEW WHO COVERS AFGHANISTAN FROM TRAVELING THERE, AND SO HIS REPORT IS CREDIBLE. THIS IS FURTHER CONFIRMATION OF BIN LADEN'S PRESENCE IN NANGARHAR. IF THE TALIBAN LOCAL OFFICIALS' THIRD REASON FOR GIVING BIN LADEN REFUGE IS TRULY A REASON AND NOT A PRETEXT, THEN THERE MAY BE AN OPENING TO CONVINCE THE TALIBAN OF HIS TERRORIST FINANCIER ACTIVITIES. HANSON