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SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 22, 2009
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Pakistan Finds Passports Linked to 9/11

Discovery suggests suspects hiding in South Waziristan

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(AP) – Pakistani soldiers battling their way into a Taliban stronghold along the Afghan border have seized passports that may be linked to 9/11 suspects. One is a German document belonging to a man named Said Bahaji, believed to be a member of the Hamburg cell that conceived the attacks. The passport indicates he arrived in Karachi on Sept. 4, 2001.

Another, from Spain, bears the name of Raquel Burgos Garcia. She is reportedly married to Amer Azizi, an al-Qaeda member suspected in both the 9/11 attacks and the Madrid train bombings. The US has long charged that the South Waziristan region has sheltered 9/11 suspects, and Hillary Clinton today blasted Pakistan for not doing enough. "I find it hard to believe that nobody in your government knows where they are and couldn't get them if they really wanted to."

Seized weapons and ammunition recovered during Pakistani military operations.
Seized weapons and ammunition recovered during Pakistani military operations.   (NICOLAS ASFOURI)
A seized Moroccan document of Spanish citizen Raquel Burgos Garcia.
A seized Moroccan document of Spanish citizen Raquel Burgos Garcia.   (NICOLAS ASFOURI)
The passport of Spanish citizen Raquel Burgos Garcia, believed to be married to an al-Qaeda member suspected in the 9/11 attacks.
The passport of Spanish citizen Raquel Burgos Garcia, believed to be married to an al-Qaeda member suspected in the 9/11 attacks.   (NICOLAS ASFOURI)
Seized photos and passport of Spanish citizen Raquel Burgos Garcia recovered during military operations against Taliban militants are displayed by Pakistani forces on a table at the Sherwangi Tor village in South Waziristan, on Thursday Oct 29, 2009. The authenticity of the documents could not be verified. Garcia Burgos, whose...
Seized photos and passport of Spanish citizen Raquel Burgos Garcia recovered during military operations against Taliban militants are displayed by Pakistani forces on a table at the Sherwangi Tor village...   (NICOLAS ASFOURI)
Seized photos, documents and ammunition recovered during Pakistani military operations.
Seized photos, documents and ammunition recovered during Pakistani military operations.   (NICOLAS ASFOURI)
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7 comments
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Spudsy
Oct 29, 09 6:43 PM CDT
Hillary made some sensible, honest statements in that speech and I applaud her for it. Pakistanis are just sitting and watching their country be absorbed by Afghans and middle eastern jihadists. Be it from stupidity, fear or just laziness, someone needed to call them on it. Reply
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tomodachi
Oct 29, 09 7:42 PM CDT
it's worse than that... they have nuclear weapons... if the Taliban Al Queda take over Pakistan... they'll have their nukes.
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ultramarine13
Oct 29, 09 8:34 PM CDT
The Taliban Al Qaeda? Aside from your statement making no sense since Al Qaeda and the Taliban are two separate entities, I don't think either will take over Pakistan. I'd be more worried about them buying or stealing them from the Pakistanis, and even then that's a pretty remote possibility.
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RogerMohajir
Oct 29, 09 6:43 PM CDT
"I find it hard to believe that nobody in your government knows where they are and couldn't get them if they really wanted to." And the Pakistani Foreign Minister could reasonably have replied: "I find it hard to believe that the world's only superpower couldn't defeat a few thousand Taliban thugs in Afghanistan if they really wanted to." Guess what? Pakistan/Afghanistan is a deeply weird area of the world where it is entirely possible for 100,000 of the world's best trained and armed military personnel to be stymied by a few thousand illiterate tribesmen and equally possible for highly wanted criminals to be able to stay beyond the reach of "government." It is, of course possible that Pakistani ISI do know where these folks are, but it is also possible that they don't. And Secretary Clinton ought to know this. She also ought to know that accusing the Pakistani government of such a serious crime while a guest in their country is diplomatic and cultural ignorance of the first order. Reply
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Spudsy
Oct 29, 09 6:49 PM CDT
I think she is done talking to the corrupt government of Pakistan and was speaking to the people of Pakistan who might not want to become part of a taliban controlled Afghanistan.
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Afghanistan • Hillary Clinton • Madrid bombings • Taliban • Pakistan • al-Qaeda • South Waziristan • 9/11 attacks • Amer Azizi • Said Bahaji • passports

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