Heard this on Fox, don't have details, except end of Ramadan is this Sunday.

You have to ask, why would Walker know this, being the foot soldier that he was?

-- Anonymous, December 12, 2001

Answers

December 12, 2001

American in Taliban: Biological strike on U.S. near

By Bill Gertz THE WASHINGTON TIMES

An American Taliban fighter held captive by Marines in Afghanistan has told American officials that al Qaeda's next attack on the United States will take place in days and involve biological weapons, U.S. intelligence officials told The Washington Times.

John Walker Lindh, the Taliban guerrilla captured near Mazar-e-Sharif, said in intelligence debriefings at the U.S. Marine Corps base near Kandahar that "Phase II" of al Qaeda's war against the United States will occur at the end of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, which ends Sunday.

Mr. Lindh told U.S. intelligence officials that the Ramadan attack will involve the use of biological weapons.

A third phase of al Qaeda's war on the United States will result in the destruction of the entire country, the Islamic convert stated.

The officials said they have questioned the credibility of Mr. Lindh's claim because of his relatively low-level position. Still, the information was among other intelligence reports that led the Bush administration to issue a public warning last week about a possible terrorist attack, the officials said.

No other details were available about Mr. Lindh's debriefing. However, the intelligence about the impending attack is an indication Mr. Lindh may have been part of the al Qaeda network in addition to fighting on behalf of the Taliban militia.

A CIA spokesman declined to comment.

Gen. Richard B. Myers, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said on Sunday that Mr. Lindh was providing information.

"He's been pretty close to the action, and he has provided from the Afghan perspective some useful information," Gen. Myers said on "Fox News Sunday."

"I think the evidence is pretty strong that he was right in the middle of it."

Deputy Defense Secretary Paul Wolfowitz told reporters the American had provided information that has been "very helpful" to the United States, including information on the prisoner uprising at Mazar-e-Sharif that led to the death of CIA officer Johnny "Mike" Spann.

"Obviously the people who really have the information that we really want to get are those top al Qaeda leaders and maybe some of the Taliban leaders and maybe we'll find it in documents in places we are now able to get into," Mr. Wolfowitz said Sunday.

"But I think anyone who knows anything about that organization is a potentially valuable source of information."

The Pentagon has not decided how to handle Mr. Lindh and whether he will be charged with treason.

The U.S. Central Command in Tampa, Fla., said in a statement that Mr. Lindh was being treated as an enemy prisoner of war.

Mr. Lindh, 20, was videotaped as he was interrogated by the CIA officer hours before his death at the hands of rebelling Taliban and al Qaeda prisoners at a fortress near Mazar-e-Sharif. He initially gave his name as Abdul Hamid.

The Marines are using a large green metal shipping container to hold Mr. Lindh at their base in southern Afghanistan, according to pool reports from the base.

Marine Corps spokesman Capt. Stewart Upton said he had no information about Mr. Lindh being held in the container, which is surrounded by barbed wire and Marine guards.

A second Marine spokesman, Capt. David Romley, said later that the only detainee at the camp was Mr. Lindh.

At the Pentagon, Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld told reporters that valuable intelligence is being collected as U.S. and Afghan opposition forces take over areas once ruled by the Taliban.

"There's documentation being found and discovered and analyzed and translated, so that each day we learn more and know more," Mr. Rumsfeld said. "As more address books are found and phone books are found and computer hard drives are found as people have left areas, clearly our knowledge base is going up."

-- Anonymous, December 12, 2001

How do we know that this dirt bag hasn't been fed disinformation?

I will go out on a LONG limb. Here is my educated guess: if "nothing" major happens tomorrow (Dec. 13) in the US [that's planes falling from the sky, large trains derailing for no reason, etc], then the terrorist activity is finished until the weather warms up (April/May).

You heard it here, first. (:

-- Anonymous, December 12, 2001

Weather warms up? It's cold outside? Really?

should I turn off the a/c and open some windows then?

-- Anonymous, December 12, 2001

Just for you, Barefoot, I shall put on my linguistics hat, grab a fresh cup of coffee, and attempt to be less ambigious.

Restatement: If terrorist acts don't occur tomorrow anywhere in the US, then they probably won't happen again before April/May.

The supposition is that NYC, DC, and Chicago are highest on their list. It is now averaging in the 40s and below in these cities. Cold temps adversely affect homegrown nukes, many biologicals (they may be released indoors, but they still must be transported), and many chemical weapons. Not all. If they want the biggest bang for their buck in the East, they'll have to wait several months. I'm going out on a limb about tomorrow because many people brighter and better connected than I are concerned about it, more so than Friday/Saturday, which is the end of Ramadan and seems like it would be a date that would be of concern, too.

Obviously, this doesn't take into account mischief that could occur in the sunbelt states where it is still quite warm. However, stiking Miami -- albeit horrible -- would not give them the biggest bang for their buck in terms of knocking holes in the US economy, which seems to have been a goal so far.

Now, I could further speculate about Disney World and the concerns about trashing American Cultural Icons, but I'm not going to do that today. A massive number of suspects have been rounded up. I plan on enjoying the rest of the week.

-- Anonymous, December 12, 2001

Thank you Meemur. I was actually being facetious.

It's hot outside around here, and seems like it will be this way for some time to come. this is why I was wondering about it being cold outside.

Y'all are welcome to take some of this warm weather home, ya know. We don't need all of it. I'd hazard a guess that most of us are wasting it by being inside in the a/c, whether at work or home. I know I am inside cuz I can see the dirty windows from the inside. LOL [Hey! They were supposed to clean those! Dammit!!!]

-- Anonymous, December 12, 2001

I know you're yanking my chains, Barefoot. I was yanking back. The routine works better in person when I use my best "professor" voice.

Please note, though, that I did not discount things from happening tomorrow. I just answered Shakey on the Taliban Surrenders thread. He's hearing stuff, too, but he didn't put a date with his.

Onward. I guess I'd better get the rest of my paint and stain in the event I'm stuck inside for the next few days. Even if I'm not, I have house renovatations to do . . . . . .

-- Anonymous, December 12, 2001

Officials Doubt Walker Knows Secrets

By JOHN J. LUMPKIN, Associated Press Writer

WASHINGTON (AP) - American Taliban fighter John Walker told interrogators an al-Qaida attack on the United States was imminent, but U.S. officials say they have little reason to believe he would have specific information about impending terrorism.

Walker said an attack using biological weapons sometime before the end of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan was possible, said a U.S. official, speaking on the condition of anonymity. But officials think it most likely that he was only passing on rumors heard in the Taliban trenches.

American Muslims will generally celebrate the end of Ramadan Sunday morning.

Defense and other officials described Walker as a foot soldier within the Taliban, and said he would have no reason to be privy to details of future terrorist attacks by al-Qaida, a somewhat separate organization. One likened it to a sailor on an aircraft carrier claiming to know the mind of Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld.

Another official noted Osama bin Laden (news - web sites) is known for closely guarding information about future terrorist attacks, even among his closest associates. The as-yet unreleased videotape of bin Laden talking to a Saudi sheik shows the terrorist leader poking fun at one of his senior lieutenants who did not have advance knowledge of the Sept. 11 attacks on the World Trade Center and Pentagon (news - web sites).

CIA (news - web sites) officers interviewed Walker at Mazar-e-Sharif after his capture during fighting in northern Afghanistan (news - web sites). CIA paramilitary officer Johnny ``Mike'' Spann was killed a short time later in the prison uprising.

Since, Walker, 20, has been taken to the Marine base of Camp Rhino in southern Afghanistan, where the military is interviewing him. He spoke there of possible al-Qaida attacks.

The Marines said Walker, the sole detainee at the base, was recovering from dehydration and a gunshot wound in the leg. It is believed he is being held in a heavily guarded green metal shipping container, about 10 feet high, 20 feet wide and 10 feet deep.

Walker has been providing useful information, and no final decision had been made on his fate, officials have said.

The FBI (news - web sites) and new Office of Homeland Security have issued three warnings about impending attacks. Bin Laden is also seeking weapons of mass destruction, including biological weapons, but U.S. intelligence doesn't think he has the technical ability to deliver a biological weapon attack that would cause widespread casualties.

More likely, officials say, is that bin Laden could conduct such attacks with conventional weapons, or with primitive chemical weapons like chlorine or phosgene gas.

-- Anonymous, December 12, 2001

I wouldn't think that Walker would have much information about future attack plans. But I'm also thinking that an awful lot of arab or muslim types in this country knew with great certainty that hell was about to break loose on 9/11.

-- Anonymous, December 12, 2001