Bush, Blair lose talking war

By Robert Fisk

Whether it be a Lebanese minister, a Saudi journalist, a Jordanian bank clerk or an Egyptian resident, the response is always the same: Mr bin Laden's voice, repeatedly beamed into millions of homes, articulates the demands and grievances – and fury – of Middle East Muslims who have seen their pro-Western presidents and kings and princes wriggling out of any serious criticism of the Anglo-American bombardment of Afghanistan.

Viewing Mr. bin Laden's latest video tape, Western nations concentrated on his remarks about the atrocities in the United States. If he expressed his approval, though denied any personal responsibility, didn't this mean that he was really behind the mass slaughter of 11 September?

Arabs listened with different ears. They heard a voice which accused the West of double standards and "arrogance'' towards the Middle East, a voice which addressed the central issue in the lives of so many Arabs: the Palestinian- Israeli conflict and the continuation of Israeli occupation. Now, as a long-time resident of Cairo put it, Arabs believe America "is trying to kill the one man ready to tell the truth''.

Arab civilians, usually uneasy about identifying themselves when their views conflict with their government, are now speaking more freely about their anger. "They say their target is bin Laden,'' Samar al-Naji said in Jordan. "Then they strike at innocent people in Afghanistan who have nothing to do with terrorism. "They strike Muslims while ignoring the acts of Israel, the terrorist state which is demolishing Palestinian homes and killing women and children.'' Mr al-Naji is only a bank clerk, at 29 hardly a seasoned politician.

At the Ain Shams University in Cairo, prayers were performed for the dead of Afghanistan and in the Nile delta town of Zagazig, students went to the heart of the problem. "Our rulers, why are you silent?'' they chanted. "Have you got orders from America?'' This is rubbish, of course. Rulers of what we like to call "moderate" Arab states don't need orders to give their discreet support to the West. And Mr bin Laden is, after all, calling for their own overthrow.

Only in the freer Arab countries could ministers speak their minds. The Lebanese information minister, Ghazi Aridi, regards Mr bin Laden's video tape as "a stroke of intelligence''. There was, he said, "an international incitement against one person. If he is killed, he will become a symbol and if he survives he will become a stronger symbol.''

In the Gulf, feelings are very fragile. "Look, I know old women who are staying up late at night to say prayers for Mr bin Laden,'' a Saudi journalist says. "His appearance on television was good public relations for him, especially when he talked about Palestine. In public, people don't praise him. But in private, they are all talking about him.''

A Lebanese construction manager shouted at me, "When you have enemies, they are 'terrorists' or 'madmen' or 'evildoers'. When we have enemies, we are asked to compromise with them. You have bin Laden. We have Sharon – who is your friend and whose hand Mr Bush shakes". - Independent, London

Search on for 10 more terrorists

Evidence has emerged on both sides of the Atlantic that indicates there were plans to hijack two more airliners on September 11 and that several of the would-be hijackers have yet to be caught. 

Since September 11 there has been speculation over the existence of more hijack cells, apart from the 19 terrorists who took over four airliners and crashed them into the World Trade Centre, the Pentagon, and a rural area in Pennsylvania. 

Following the discovery of fresh documentary evidence, investigators in the US and Europe are working on the assumption that 30 terrorists, in six teams, were intended to have taken part in the onslaught. It is thought at least one plane was to have been aimed at the White House. 

An intelligence source in the US said another plane due to have been hijacked was a Continental Airlines flight from Newark on the morning of September 11. Retractable knives (similar to Stanley knives) of the same type used in the four successful hijackings were found taped to the backs of fold-down trays. 

The source did not give details of the sixth plane. However, similar knives were found stashed in the seats on a plane which had been due to leave Logan airport in Boston the same morning, and which was delayed and then cancelled. 

The new evidence specified the number of hijackers involved but did not provide all their names, an intelligence source in the US said. Two suspected members of the Hamburg-based cell where the plot is thought to have been hatched are missing. 

Both men, Said Bahaji and Ramzi bin al-Shibh, are thought to have formed part of the operation's back-up structure and are thought to have fled to Pakistan. 

The only named suspect thought to have been part of the September 11 team is a Moroccan-French man in custody in New York. Zacarias Moussaoui is seen as a possible fifth member of the hijack team which seized United Airlines flight 93, the plane that crashed in Pennsylvania. 

Moussaoui, who lived in London before leaving for the US early this year, was detained on August 17 after his requests for flying lessons on an airliner simulator aroused suspicion. He possessed only a student pilot's licence and wanted to learn how to turn and fly straight, not how to take off or land. Two Indian citizens, Mohamed Azmath and Ayub Khan, have also been under suspicion of involvement. They were arrested on September 12 in Texas on a train from St Louis to San Antonio. – Guardian, London

Bamiyan Buddhas resurrected in China

The project is the idea of Liang Shi-mian, who expects them to be finished early next year. He has begun building a towering red stone version of one of the Bamiyan statues in his country's Buddhist heartland.

Some 375 stonecutters and carvers are working all hours to complete the 121ft sculpture by March, the one year anniversary of the destruction of the originals.

The piece will become the centrepiece of a Buddhist tourist park in China's southwestern province of Sichuan.

The five million yuan (£410,000) Chinese version will be slightly different from the original.

"The lower part of the Buddha's face is in accordance with the remains of the original Buddha," said He Yining, a professor of sculpture at the Sichuan Art Academy.

"But the details on the face are definitely different from the original." Much of the face of the original had been lost to weather and vandalism over the years. The destruction was part of a Taleban attack on what they considered pagan idols.

Although China destroyed most of its own Buddhist relics during the decade-long Cultural Revolution that began in 1966, followers of the faith have since mushroomed.

The new Buddha statue will join 3000 other replicas already on show in Oriental Buddha City, under a mile away from what China claims is the world's largest ancient Buddha - the 233ft Dafo Buddha built 12 centuries ago.- Buddhist News Network

Omar: a method in madness 

By Hamid Mir

Omar came on the scene after he killed the kidnapper of a girl in Spin Boldik and got her released at the request of her father. The incident made him a hero. In those days Gulbuddin Hekmatyar controlled Spin Boldik and the surrounding areas of Kandahar. The city of Kandahar was occupied by Gul Agha, a close aide of Syed Ahmed Gillani (National Islamic Front). Gillani was associated with Burhanuddin Rabbani and Ahmed Shah Masoud, who controlled Kabul at that time. When Omar began his offensive against the warlords of Hekmatyar, Rabbani and Masoud were very happy. 

The American CIA noticed the potential of the young Mullah and the then Prime Minister of Pakistan, Benazir Bhutto, was asked to help this new student militia known as the Taliban. It is interesting that Omar occupied the area from Spin Boldik to western Kandahar with the help of Rabbani and Masoud. Later, he attacked the city of Kandahar, and despite requests from Rabbani and Masoud, the local governor Gul Agha was assassinated publicly because he was a homosexual and had married a young boy. That was a turning point in the life of Omar. The Afghanis realised that the Taliban were against all warlords; they only protected the interests of the poor. 

In the next two years, Taliban captured Kabul, Jalalabad and Herat with the help of Maulvi Younas Khalis and Jalaluddin Haqqani. When Jalalabad came under the control of the Taliban, Osama was living there as the guest of Jalaluddin Haqqani. Their friendship began in September 1996. Next year, the Taliban captured Mazar-e-Sharif with the help of Osama. Those were the days when Pakistan started putting pressure on Omar for the extradition of Osama to the US. 

Americans were angry with Omar because he refused to oblige their oil company, UNOCAL. UNOCAL was interested in a US$5 bn gas pipeline project from Turkmenistan to Pakistan. One UNOCAL official offered big money to Omar through one of his colleagues. Omar got angry and signed the MoU with Bridas, an Argentinian company. That was the beginning of the confrontation between Omar and the US. The Americans used both Pakistani and the Saudi officials to convince Omar. The chief of Saudi Intelligence, Prince Turki, visited Omar in early 1998 and said that if Osama were handed over to America, they would reconstruct the whole of Afghanistan. Omar reacted very angrily and told the prince off. 

The Taliban also refused to be dictated by the Musharraf government. Musharraf is using the same language about the Taliban that Sharif used two years ago. 

Omar was expecting a US attack even before September 11. Some of his extremist policies are not liked in Pakistan but the majority of Pakistanis are opposed to the US and admire him for defying Washington. His vision of Islam is influenced by the Afghan tribal traditions. No one can deny that he brought peace to Taliban-controlled areas after 16 years of civil war. He disarmed the Afghan tribal society, which is a big contribution. 

Omar lost one eye fighting the Soviets. He is ready to sacrifice his life fighting the US. The Taliban are preparing for a long guerrilla war against the US and Omar is waiting for the entry of the US ground troops into Afghanistan. He thinks the war against America will not be restricted to Afghanistan; it will be fought around the globe. 

He was very happy when General Musharraf decided to side with the US. When he heard the decision, he told his commanders in Kandahar "Now the whole world will know that we are not the puppets of Pakistan. We are independent and will fight the superpower independently". He is a typical Pathan. He'd rather the US kill him than be murdered by history. - The Friday Times, Pakistan