Tapes show al Qaeda trained for urban jihad on West
 

ATLANTA, Georgia (CNN) -- Osama bin Laden's al Qaeda network has trained recruits in urban terrorist tactics that could be used to bring the group's brand of jihad to Western cities, according to experts who viewed tapes obtained by CNN in Afghanistan.

The tapes show that the terrorist organization replicated a small Western-style city on a hillside in eastern Afghanistan, using canvas and stone.

"Al Qaeda has created a series of exercises to train the recruits who came to Afghanistan, to come to the West, and to conduct terrorist operations...in the urban environment. That is, they are able to operate in cities," said Rohan Gunaratna, an international expert on terrorism and author of "Inside Al Qaeda."

The training tapes are among an archive of 64 al Qaeda videos obtained by CNN from a source in Afghanistan who said they were found in a house where bin Laden himself had stayed. Experts and a senior Bush administration official said the tapes shed new light on the terror group's capabilities.

"I don't think anyone ever fathomed, even in the intelligence community, how sophisticated their training was, how well-prepared they were and how they were working away secretly in imparting this advice," said Magnus Ranstorp, deputy director of the Center for the Study of Terrorism and Political Violence at the University of St. Andrew's in Scotland.

The tapes show al Qaeda's trainees using explosives to destroy simulated houses, office buildings and bridges.

"It is more advanced than training," Gunaratna said. "It is almost like doing the operation so that when they go to the real operational theater, they will be a hundred percent confident."

The training tapes also include step-by-step instructions on how to use a surface-to-air missile, raising concerns about the implications for civil aviation. Lessons on complex hostage-taking techniques and assassination operations are also featured.

Some of the procedures exactly match diagrams in hand-written manuals recovered by CNN earlier this year from a former al Qaeda safe house in Kabul.

"They are really training for specific missions," Ranstorp said. "And it's weeding out the elite of the elite, the crème de la crème, who may be deployed for even more specialized training, to even maybe be deployed [to] the West for terrorist purposes."

To retired Army Maj. Gen. David Grange, a CNN military analyst, al Qaeda's tactics as captured on the tapes present a clear and present danger.

"Just the intensity of the training that's described in these tapes. Very determined. Covered a lot of different areas," Grange said. "Information on warfare, bomb making, assassinations, raids, snatches, destruction of bridges, of lines of communication."

Grange said the tapes, however, also may point to al Qaeda's weaknesses, exposing vulnerabilities in their organization and tactics. "Throughout that whole process, there are vulnerabilities," he said. "And, again, they teach offensive, not defensive measures."

Nearly all the tapes in the archive obtained by CNN pre-date last year's September 11 terror attacks, and the training shown on the tapes is at least four years old. That time lag gives al Qaeda a substantial head start, experts said, in putting trained operatives in place to launch terrorist strikes.

"In terms of preparation, in terms of planning, al Qaeda has created a large number of terrorists, who will, over the years...go in for action," Gunaratna said.

Come on FWB, gives some more anti CNN bullshit. You know you want too.

Back on track now...

Very interesting, very scary aswell, to know they are capable of such advanced operations. Most of what they have learned has been probably completely distorted since they recieved their first days training back when Russia still occupied Afghanistan. SAS and CIA training has seemed to pay off for the old Mujahideen who have passed on the info to a younger more brainwashed and fanatical Muslim population who join al-Qaeda.

<-----hates the middle east!! fire1: fire2:

<---- Loves Arabian ASS! evil:

I think the Middle East should be seperated by a big, HUGE wall from the rest of the world...Bunch of savages.

Arabs r dirty bastards. my ex used 2 b a airhostess for emirates n on this 9hr flight this arab shit his pants just after take off and refused 2 move ot go n wipe his arse cos his "arse wiper" wasnt wit him. F**kin dirty mutha!

[quote="Cantona 7":528f3]Arabs r dirty bastards. my ex used 2 b a airhostess for emirates n on this 9hr flight this arab shit his pants just after take off and refused 2 move ot go n wipe his arse cos his "arse wiper" wasnt wit him. F**kin dirty mutha![/quote:528f3]

Ummm...Yeah.... oOo:

fuck you, one of my best friends is half Arab, so fuck off

thats fine if u think sittin wit shit in ur pants for 9 hours is normal

[quote="Cantona 7":646fd]thats fine if u think sittin wit shit in ur pants for 9 hours is normal[/quote:646fd]

why are you generalizing them.....fuck the hell of mother fucker

racist asshole.....so what it doesn't make them ALL dirty understand moron

I think the point Pyro was making is that not all Arabs are like that....So, maybe you should pipe down... M16:

woah calm down........attitude problem or wot geez.......i wasnt generalising them i was talking about a specific person, 1 a them rich shi'ite muslims who beat the crap outa themselves. i happen 2 know a lot of muslims and arabs cos of where i live and most of them r decent, friendly jus that there r a minority who r ignorant like in any other race. im only racist 2 the people racist towards me. And anyway u dont know the situation so dont go off 1st impressions and chillllllll

manchester sux oOo:

no one has ever came to the US for a street level war. They would be crazy to try. Japan was afraid to try it because the people are so well armed same with Hitler. If they tried that it would be a huge mistake. I am prepared for this type of crap and many others are too.
US RULES!!!!!!
mb

...relax guys...I'm sure FWB will be along soon...
and he will show how the al queada guys are just preparing kiddies lunches or arranging a "tidy town" type cleanup...etc.....[img]http://aff.ne-rangers.net/images/smiles/icon_rolleyes.gif[/img]

...represent cool: