Turkish Terrorists Interrogated - Turkish Daily News

[MosJan]

Turkish Daily News

Jan 17, 2002

 

Turkish Terrorists Interrogated at Centers in Kuwait and Pakistan, None

Sent to Cuba

 

Al Qaeda Turks in US Custody

BY ILNUR CEVIK

 

An unspecified number of Turks, suspected of being members of Osama bin

Laden's al Qaeda terrorist organization, have been caught in Afghanistan

and are being interrogated by U.S. experts in special centers in Kuwait

and Pakistan, Turkish government sources reported.

 

The sources who asked not to be named said that the Turks were caught

during security operations on al Qaeda hideouts and during clashes in

various parts of Afghanistan.

 

They said the Turks were not sent to Cuba as they were not regarded as

key al Qaeda people. The Turkish Daily News was told that the Americans

had been moving the most important and "dangerous" al Qaeda terrorists

to the U.S. Guantanamo Navy Base as a safety precaution. However,

Turkish sources also said that the Americans had not ruled out some

Turkish terrorists being sent to Cuba as the interrogation process was

continuing.

 

Sources said the al Qaeda captives were regarded as "unlawful

combatants" as the U.S. refuses to designate them "prisoners of war"

(POWs).

 

Sources said the relatively less important al Qaeda terrorist suspects

like the Turks were being held at special interrogation centers in

Pakistan and Kuwait. The sources said how many Turks were under custody

was not known but added that their numbers could increase with new

prisoners coming from Afghanistan.

 

The Turks along with all other al Qaeda suspects were being interrogated

by American experts and their fate would eventually be discussed with

Turkey. Sources said the Turks could face American military tribunals.

 

Initial information from the Turks reportedly showed that they were not

key personnel in al Qaeda and that they were generally foot soldiers who

were not privy to sensitive information. Besides this the interrogations

showed that the al Qaeda people operated on a cell system and many of

the foot soldiers were not given sensitive information.

 

However, Turkish sources said they were told the prisoners taken to Cuba

had furnished the Americans with vital information about al Qaeda's

terrorist operations and its plans.