ABC AUSTRALIA, 23/05/2002 21:54:19
US security official says al Qaeda network is operating in
Indonesia
A top U.S. security official says there's evidence that Osama bin Laden's al Qaeda
militant network had established a base in Indonesia, the world's most populous
Muslim nation.
Paul Fujimura, the U.S. State Department's counter-terrorism officer for East Asia and
the Pacific, says the network is creating new bases after fleeing Afghanistan during a
U.S.-led assault to retaliate for the September 11 terror attacks on America.
He says the fragmented geography of Indonesia and the presence of some terrorist
sympathisers is ideal for al Qaeda militants.
The statement came after the State Department released its annual global terrorism
report on Tuesday, cautioning the battle against al Qaeda is far from over.
Indonesian officials generally deny there is proof of a current al Qaeda presence in the
archipelago.
23/05/2002 21:54:19 | ABC Radio Australia News
© 2001 Australian Broadcasting Corporation |
