US doubles bounty on bin Laden to $58m
Pastor Dale Morgan
*US doubles bounty on bin Laden to $58m*
From correspondents in Washington
July 14, 2007 02:01am
Article from: AAP
THE US Senate today doubled the bounty on the head of al-Qaeda
mastermind Osama bin Laden, offering $US50 million ($57.78 million) for
his capture or death.
The vote followed a flurry of reports that the group behind the
September 11 attacks in 2001 had rebuilt much of its capacity to train
and plot terror strikes and was again trying to sneak operatives into
the US.
The bill, boosting the price on bin Laden's head under the US State
Department Rewards for Justice Program, passed by an 87-1 vote.
It directs Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice “to authorise a reward of
$50 million for the capture or death or information leading to the
capture or death of Osama bin Laden”.
North Dakota Senator Byron Dorgan, who wrote the amendment to a defence
policy bill, said “it has been six years, and al-Qaeda is now rebuilding
its terrorist training camps, along with the Taliban, in a safe harbor”.
“It has been six years and they are reconstituing their ability to
attack us,” he said.
Mr Dorgan warned that al-Qaeda “remains the greatest threat to the US,
even after these six long years; after two wars ... after trillions of
dollars spent on those wars and for homeland security, after the deaths
of thousands of our military, and after the wounding of tens of
thousands of our military”.
Senators who spoke on the amendment mentioned a leaked draft of a new
National Intelligence Estimate, which reportedly warned al-Qaeda had
rebuilt a safe haven and leadership in Pakistani border areas.
As debate about a possible future attack by al-Qaeda on US territory
mounted in Washington, Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff said
this week that he had a “gut” feeling there was a heightened current
risk of an attack.
President George W. Bush yesterday denied reports that the intelligence
assessment found al-Qaeda was back to its pre-September 11 strength.
“There is a perception in the coverage that al-Qaeda may be as strong
today as they were prior to September 11th. That's simply not the case,”
Mr Bush said.
The Washington Post reported yesterday that the group had rebuilt itself
despite extensive US efforts to destroy the network.
The CIA's deputy director for intelligence, John Kringen, told a
congressional committee on Wednesday that al-Qaeda appears to be “fairly
well-settled into the safe haven in the ungoverned spaces of Pakistan”.