Washington: Pakistan`s Army sponsored
military-style training camps where terrorists including a
bodyguard of al Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden were given lessons
in aquatic drills way back in 2000, secret interrogation
reports of a Guantanamo Bay detainee have said.
The report pertains to the interrogation of Yemen
citizen Abd al-Malik Abd al-Wahab, who belonged to the `Dirty
30` squad of bin Laden.
The `Dirty 30` squad term is used by US intelligence
agencies for bin Laden`s bodyguards and other members of his
security detail.
The detainee was arrested by Pakistani forces on
December 15 2001 while attempting to cross the Af-Pak border
near Parachinar, Pakistan after fleeing from Bin Laden`s Tora
Bora mountain complex.
The report brought out by whistle-blower Wikileaks
said al-Wahab decided to travel to Afghanistan along with his
pregnant wife, leaving Yemen in the middle of 2000.
They first stopped in Karachi, where he and his wife
stayed at the home of Muhammad Iqbal, a friend of al-Wahab`s
father.
"Muhammad Iqbal had a son, Ahmed Muhammad Iqbal, who
was a fighter with the mujahideen in Kashmir, PK (used to
signify Pakistan). Ahmed Iqbal attempted to recruit detainee
to fight with the mujahideen in Kashmir. Detainee informed
Ahmed that he would not fight in Kashmir but would accept the
training," the report said.
It added, "Detainee attended a 15 day military-style
training camp in Pakistan sponsored by the Pakistani Army.
The camp concentrated on aquatics training and did not involve
weapons training. The training consisted of swimming above
the water while dragging a bag or a small raft, both of which
were filled with rocks symbolising personal belongings and
weapons."
Students at the camp were also trained on how to
operate small rubber boats and were taught how to avoid
detection by flipping the boat.
As per the report, al-Wahab had also later trained for
an aborted al Qaeda operation in Southeast Asia to hijack US
airliners and crash them into US military facilities in the
region in coordination with September 11 attack.
PTI
