US embassy cable - 96PESHAWAR1059

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