From IntelWire, an article by J. M. Berger
In spring 2001, a Web site allegedly linked to al Qaeda told visitors that the Taliban needed to raise $10 million a month in order to repel a chemical weapons attack on Afghanistan by the United States. A Web page on the site advised volunteers on how to carry large amounts of cash through international airports. "Trustworthy members" of local Muslim communities were told to deliver cash monthly to Pakistan, from where it would be transported to Afghanistan. The Web site, azzam.com, is detailed in an indictment filed by U.S. prosecutors last week against Babar Ahmad, a British Webmaster alleged to have used the site to raise funds for terrorism. ....
The Web page strongly urges readers to send cash to the Taliban: "Our analysis, it is a bigger priority for Muslim organisations to help the Taliban at this time than to help any other Muslim cause in the World," including the Palestinians. The page also offers advice on moving large amounts of cash across borders and through airports. ... The site also advised those carrying money to take the cash to Pakistan, where it would be transferred through the Taliban's consulate there. .... |