U.S. Defense Dept: Top Terrorist Nabbed

Al Qaeda's Mohammad Rahim Reportedly Helped Osama Bin Laden Flee Afghanistan In 2001

(CBS/AP)  Authorities have captured a high-level al Qaeda figure who helped Osama bin Laden escape from Afghanistan in 2001, the Pentagon announced Friday.

Defense Department spokesman Bryan Whitman declined to say when or where Mohammad Rahim al-Afghani was captured - or by whom - announcing only that he was handed over by the CIA to the Pentagon earlier this week and is being held at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.

But in a memo obtained by The Associated Press, CIA Director Michael Hayden told agency employees that Rahim was detained in the summer of 2007. CBS News has learned that Rahim's capture was coordinated by Pakistan who then handed the suspect over to the CIA.

"Rahim is a tough, seasoned jihadist," Hayden said. "His combat experience, which dates back to the 1980s, includes plots against U.S. and Afghan targets."

Rahim is a close associate of bin Laden and has ties to al Qaeda organizations throughout the Middle East, Whitman said.

He said Rahim helped prepare the al Qaeda hideout at Tora Bora - a mountain area full of warrens used by bin Laden during the 2001 U.S. invasion of Afghanistan. He assisted al Qaeda's escape from the area during the U.S. operation to try to catch the al Qaeda leader, officials said.

"Rahim's detention in the summer of 2007 was a blow to more than one terrorist network," Hayden said. "He gave aid to al Qaeda, the Taliban, and other anti-Coalition militants.

CBS News national security correspondent David Martin reports that while it is not known what interrogation techniques were used on Rahim, it is safe to assume that the decision to transfer him from the CIA to the U.S. military was made after he had been drained of all useful information.

Since Rahim was involved in al Qaida's escape from the mountains of Tora Bora in late 2001, Martin said, he might have known exactly how close the U.S. came to getting bin Laden before he fled into Pakistan. And since he also served as a courier for bin Laden in 2002, he must have also known something about where the world's most wanted man was hiding.

A statement from the Pentagon said Rahim al-Afghani is now under Department of Defense custody and control and will be treated appropriately and in accordance with policy and procedures for other DoD detainees at Guantanamo.

He will be treated in accordance with U.S. law and international obligations under treaties to include the Convention Against Torture, Common Article 3 of the Geneva Conventions, the Detainee Treatment Act, the Military Commissions Act, and applicable Department of Defense directives and instructions governing detainee operations, the statement said.

As a result of this latest transfer, there are now approximately 280 detainees at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.

[libsrweak]

the liberals turn terrorists are SQUIRMING..creating juvenile wishy washy fantasies..like i said..these terrorists are lucky..they have the DNC protecting thier rights..the liberal media giving them secrets and the liberal masses for rallying a diversion tactics..

[candide777]

Hey, did you hear Cheney is in Irag checking up on his investments???
Posted by truth-hurts at 03:16 PM : Mar 17, 2008

Of course, when you have no bid contracts that get paid regardless of whether your projects are complete failures, there''s really not much to check up on, just gotta make sure none of the crooks who work for you are looting the company, selling materials to Al Quaeda or something and not giving your cut of the booty.

[leftyintexas]

Saw the headline... thought for second they captured cheney or bush.

[joe-louis-2009]

The time is right now. Place; were on the floor above where the plane hit at the World Trade Tower. We are scared! There is fire everywhere! We are about to jump! We look with our binoculars to the church Obama attends. We see people looking at us laughing as we are about to jump to our deaths! And we cry are they the ones? Then we jump. As we are falling clutching the air we again hear the laughter coming from Obama%u2019s church! We hit the pavement and we are no more. A few feet away from the impact of our bodies there stands a man who is smiling. He smiles because he attends the same church Barack Obama attends. Do you still hear the laughing? As the months go by they find our body limbs and still that church Obama attends is laughing. Seven years later Barack Obama is running for president and all the years of laughing comes out in a victory chant by the church Obama is sitting right now in the front pew of this magnificent church? Look closely now do you see him? Do you still hear the laughter? The pastor for at least the last seven years shouts from his pulpit %u201CWhite America" had the 9/11 attacks coming.%u201D Do you still hear the laughter?

[rickstas]

LOL tucanofulano!!

[tucano2]

When I saw the Headline "Top Terrorist Nabbed" I thought Geo. W. Bush had been arrested, again, for being drunk, or further sabotaging the USA, or getting caught with Spitzer''s little black book. What a letdown to find it was only the Zillionith "#2 al queda" guy...all of them are #2, right?

[dorian_grey-2009]

The time is right now. Place where on the floor above where the plane hit at the World Trade Tower. We are about to jump! We look with our binoculars to the church Obama attends. We see people looking at us laughing at us as we are about to jump to our deaths! And we cry are they the ones? Then we jump.

[thestranger_]

In America today we have this knight in shinny armor coming towards us promising us deliverance! He never fought a battle, He was present when the other knights fought the battles, and keeps His armor very shinny. When He is with the other knights He speaks as one who fought battles, remember now He never did He was only present, that He can conquer lions and dragons and bring this land America to tranquility. The other knights ask Him of His experience and He just points to the fact that He has shinny armor. These other knights see His shinny armor and wonder why this so called knight calls Himself a knight. This knight in shinny armor states %u201CI can bring CHANGE%u201D. The people without experience in fighting the real battles on issues are transfix on His shinny armor that they do not bother with the issue that He has no experience. The people see this knight as their hope. They point to the other knight who is in charge for now and say this is the reason why we need a knight with shinny armor (with no experience) the knight who is there now had no experience either and we want another one like Him!!!!!!!!!!!

[caramia_]

Dare we trust Obama with the helm of the country with all its problems when he cannot even know what%u2019s going on in his own church? For twenty years his pastor
Jeremiah Wright has been shouting racial epitaphs, America and Israel cause of 911 etc. etc., and now just yesterday Obama wakes up and washes his hands of him? Will it take twenty years for him to bring about change that America needs? Obama must either be very naive to the things around him or he is two faced.
I can no longer support him.
I cannot have faith in his leadership!
I cannot have faith in his vision, seeing that he could not realize the racial bigotry earlier on and he appears dumbfounded of finding all of this out now.
I cannot have faith in his understanding of people, world leaders!
With this said I question his motives for running for president!

[caramia_]

What you believe is different of what your color is!

[faultytowers]

Look at me in the picture above. Yes I have been found out about my racism ideas. Will you not overlook these ideas for my vision to change you!

Message of Obama which he endorses!

[faultytowers]

Time: After the Election
Winner Barack Hussein Obama 44th President of the United States! Amazing!
Jesse Louis Jackson Vice President! Who else!
His Cabinet:
Louis Farrakhan, a known anti-Semite, Secretary of Defense.
Mrs. Obama: Secretary of Education: Teaching black children that white people keep them down! Reverse bigotry! Remember you have to keep the hatred alive from generation to generation! She is proud now!
Al" Sharpton Jr. National Security Adviser
Jeremiah Wright Homeland security:
Vision for America?
White America" had the 9/11 attacks coming, while calling for business "divestment from Israel," a "racist" state along with America.

Day 2
OSAMA receives a pardon from Obama to show tolerance towards Muslims for Love?

[faultytowers]

Time: After the Election
Winner Barack Hussein Obama 44th President of the United States! Amazing!
Jesse Louis Jackson Vice President! Who else!
His Cabinet:
Louis Farrakhan, a known anti-Semite, Secretary of Defense.
Mrs. Obama: Secretary of Education: Teaching black children that white people keep them down! Reverse bigotry! Remember you have to keep the hatred alive from generation to generation! She is proud now!
Al" Sharpton Jr. National Security Adviser
Jeremiah Wright Homeland security:
Vision for America?
White America" had the 9/11 attacks coming, while calling for business "divestment from Israel," a "racist" state along with America.

Day 2
OSAMA receives a pardon to show tolerance towards Muslims for Love?

[faultytowers]

tawpdawg1 - I question why an intellectual like him would care to work for a knuckle-dragger like YOU. Yet my wish is that survival of the fittest has provided enough of us to elect him to serve US in spite of YOU ! Sorry to post off topic.
Posted by at 12:55 PM : Mar 15, 2008

It is easy to mislead people as an intellectual.
But to show core values is a lot of better taste when running for president!

Are you tellin me then someone whos wife and kids as well as him laugh on 911 day that it was OK?

[Latrocinor]

One by one professional career terrorists are put out of business.

Congratulations to the men and women who risked much to gain the capture of this death and destruction teacher, merchant and leader.

[seeuinawhile]

Posted by tawpdawg1 at 12:55 PM : Mar 15, 2008

Look within yourself. I hope you are able to do this?

[seeuinawhile]

Posted by neoconism at 01:02 PM : Mar 15, 2008

[tawpdawg1]

How can we trust Obama with the helm of the country with all its problems when he cannot even know what%u2019s going on in his own church? For twenty years his pastor
Jeremiah Wright has been shouting racial epitaphs and now just yesterday Obama wakes up and washes his hands of him? Will it take twenty years for him to bring about change that America needs? Obama must either be very naive to the things around him or he is two faced.
I can no longer support him.
I cannot have faith in his leadership!
I cannot have faith in his vision, seeing that he could not realize the racial bigotry earlier on.
I cannot have faith in his understanding of people, world leaders!
With this said I question his motives for running for president!

Posted by Kalamazoo_ at 09:41 AM : Mar 15, 2008

Kalamadoof - I question why an intellectual like him would care to work for a knuckle-dragger like YOU. Yet my wish is that survival of the fittest has provided enough of us to elect him to serve US in spite of YOU ! Sorry to post off topic.

[ajmarine1]

Yeah I know IF it''''s the truth and IF the facts are right... with the Bush Administration you never know. Still it''''s not even close to catching the guy who attacked us

Posted by MCVet at 10:35 AM : Mar 15, 2008


Maybe he is waiting until November 1 to run out OBL? Or that is what I have heard said.

It would be a real vote getter.

Semper Fi Marine.

[feelfree1]

ranger1948,

Re: "What branch did you serve in and did you see combat ?"

Army, and no, not while I was in the military, unless you count an isolated incident with 1 fellow soldier.

Re: "Unless you have been in combat you do not have the right to criticize soldiers who have been there."

I could not disagree more, and those who try to lean on their military service to attempt to bully others from forming/sharing their opinions should be ashamed of themselves.

I would like to send a special thanks to the many Viet Nam era dissenters however. They have been among the most sincere and consistent critics of this abomination.

"ranger1948", CBS recently reported that one-third of female soldiers experience sexual harassment. That is an understatement, typical of our corporate controlled press. The fact is that nearly 1 in 3 U.S. military women report being RAPED or attempted rape by their comrades.

I sincerely hope that you will encourage her to get out of there, by whatever means necessary.

The criminal,lie-based debacle against Iraq is a crippling and self-defeating disgrace, plain and simple.