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American Morning

Al Qaeda Officials May Be Hiding in Iraq, Iran

Aired August 28, 2002 - 08:01   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: Our sources are telling CNN that al Qaeda fighters are hiding out in Iran and some deputies of Osama bin Laden may be among that group.
Our Barbara Starr is following the story. She is, of course, at her post at the Pentagon -- Barbara, good morning.

BARBARA STARR, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Daryn.

Well, there are growing reports today that there are top level al Qaeda officials hiding out in both Iraq and Iran. Now, perhaps the most important thing to note right at the top here is nobody is certain because, of course, no U.S. intelligence officials have laid eyes on any of these people. But there is a new intelligence assessment that top level officials of al Qaeda who have fled Afghanistan may be hiding out across the border in Iran.

And one of them is a man nicknamed Abu Huff (ph). He is a top bin Laden lieutenant who the U.S. originally thought was killed in a military action earlier this winter in Afghanistan. There is a new assessment that he may be alive and in Iran. There are credible reports, they say. But again, at the moment the U.S. itself has certainly not laid eyes on this man and cannot verify that.

In Iraq, U.S. officials believe there are also top level al Qaeda officials. One of them is a man named Abu Musab-Zacari (ph). He is said to be hiding in northern Iraq under the protection of militant Kurdish groups.

Now, of course, the question in both countries is whether or not those governments are officially sanctioning the harboring of al Qaeda inside their own borders. That is not clear.

But Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld has publicly said in recent weeks that he believes, at least in the case of Saddam Hussein, his security apparatus knows that there are al Qaeda in Iraq and is simply not doing anything about it. He also feels that some elements of the Iranian government are aware that there are al Qaeda in their country. No indications so far that the U.S. has any plans to do anything about this -- Daryn.

KAGAN: Barbara Starr at the Pentagon.

Barbara, thank you very much.

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