THE DAILY COLLEGIAN Arafat evacuates to bunker Israel targeted the Palestinian leaders compound and symbol of authority. By Hadeel Wandan ASSOCIATED PRESS WRITER RAMALLAH, West Bank Body guards whisked Yasser Arafat into an underground bunker at the sight of Israeli attack helicopters approaching his compound yesterday. Seconds later when the missiles struck a few dozen yards from where he had been sitting the Palestinian leader was safely hidden away with advisers and bodyguards in a window less underground office. "You should not forget that Arafat is a fighter," said Ahmed Abdel Rahman, secretary general of the Palestinian Cabinet, who stayed in the shelter with hint "ne was very quiet.... Although he was very surprised, he did not stop giv ing directions.... We took all the natural Pakistan, CIA team up to hunt for bin Laden By Munir Ahmed ASSOCIATED PRESS WRITER ISLAMABAD, Pakistan Pakistan has agreed to step up cooperation with the CIA in the hunt for Osama bin Laden, which is now centering on the rugged mountains along Pakistan's border with Afghanistan, Pakistani intelligence officials said yesterday. The agreement followed weekend meetings with CIA Director George Tenet, who also urged Pakistan to crack down on religious schools seen as training grounds for Islamic mili tants. U.S. officials confirmed Tenet's visit, but refused to discuss the content of his meetings. Pakistani intelligence officials said Pakistani officials, including President Pervez Musharraf, told Tenet their government would enhance coopera tion with the CIA, joining the hunt for bin Laden and giving American spies access to seven arrested members of bin Laden's al-Qaida network. In return, Tenet said the United States would provide surveillance equipment, according to the officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity measures that we used to take when we were in Lebanon." Rahman said Arafat ordered employ ees of the compound to evacuate, keep ing only his personal bodyguards. Although Israel says it is not target ing Arafat, its attacks have looked per sonal, aimed squarely at the symbols of his authority. In addition to hitting the Ramallah compound, Israel has dam aged three of Arafat's helicopters and torn up the landing strip at Gaza Inter national Airport. With troops sealing off the West Bank and Gaza, the Palestinian leader has been left a virtual prisoner in Ramallah. The tactic further complicates Arafat's daunting task confronting and controlling increasingly popular Islamic militants when he has little to offer his people in return. When he emerged from his shelter, Pakistan's intelligence agents, many of whom are of the Pashtun ethnic group that straddles the country's bor der with Afghanistan, have a larger presence in Afghanistan than anyone else. The United States considers their cooperation essential in tracking down bin Laden and his al-Qaida terror net work. Despite Pakistan's support for the U.S.-led war in Afghanistan, only a few of the country's Inter-Service Intelli gence agents have been sharing infor mation with their CIA counterparts. The' agency's director, Lt. Gen. Ehsan ul Haq, told Tenet that would change, the officials said Haq told Tenet his agency would join the hunt for bin Laden possibly in joint operations with the CIA and would increase security along the bor der to prevent the terrorist suspect from fleeing, they said. Haq also assured Tenet he would have access to seven men in Pakistani custody who have confessed to mem bership in the al-Qaida network and to two retired nuclear scientists detained for their ties to bin Laden, the officials said. INTERNATIONAL Arafat angrily accused Israel of trying to sabotage his crackdown on Islamic mili tants, which Israel dismisses as a sham. The Israelis "don't want me to suc ceed and for this (Prime Minister Ariel Sharon) is escalating his military activi ties against our people,- against our towns, against our cities, against our establishments," Arafat said. "He doesn't want a peace process to start." The Palestinian Authority has round ed up some 130 members of the militant Islamic Jihad and Hamas groups in response to weekend suicide bombings and shootings in Israel that killed 26 people. Jibril Rajoub, Palestinian security chief in the West Bank, said arrests would continue, although none have been made since the Israeli airstrikes began Monday. ush attacks Hamas backers The president cracked down on financial supporters of the militant group. By Ron Foumler ASSOCIATED PRESS WRITER WASHINGTON, D.C. The Bush administration yesterday froze the financial assets and closed the offices of a Texas-based foundation accused of funneling money to llamas, the militant Palestinian group that claimed respon sibility for last weekend's deadly attacks in Israel. In a display of solidarity with Israel, President Bush also ordered a crack down on two Palestinian groups accused of financing llamas. "The message is this: Those who do business with terror will do no business with the United States or anywhere else the United States can reach," the president said in a Rose Garden announcement with Treasury Secre tary Paul O'Neill and Attornex General John Ashcroft. Bush called llamas one of the dead liest terrorist organizations in the world and said it supports "the total destruc tion of Israel." The Texas-based Holy Land Founda tion for Relief and Development, with offices in Illinois, California and New Jersey, denied having ties to Harnas. Palestinian police officers search through burning remains inside Arafat's compound The group, registered with the Internal Revenue Service as a tax-exempt char ity, raised $l3 million last year and calls itself the largest Muslim charity in the United States. Foundation president Shukri Abu- Baker said the action was "the work of special interest groups working for Israel in Washing- "If the Holy Land Foundation has vio- lated any U.S. law, they would have charged us in a court of law. They wouldn't need to seize our assets. We intend to pursue this in a court of law," he said "The decision by the U.S. govern ment to seize the charitable donations of Muslims during the holy month of Ramadan is an affront to millions of Muslim Americans who entrust chari ties like ours to assist in fulfilling their religious obligations," the foundation said in a statement. Bush said Hamas uses money raised by the foundation to indoctrinate chil- It's a Boy! "And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace." Nearly 2,oo6years ago, God became one of us in the person of Jesus Christ. If you have any questions about this incredible event or its implications for your life, see EveryStudent.com WWW.PENNSTATECRU.COM WEDNESDAY, Dec. 5, 2001 I dren to become suicide bombers and to support the families of suicide attack ers. Most donors don't know how the money is used, Bush said, "but the facts are clear, the terrorists benefit from the Holy Land Foundation, and we're not going to allow it." Hamas, already on the State Depart ment terrorist list, said through a spokesman that it gets no money from U.S. groups. The action marked the administra tion's third round of orders against groups suspected of funneling money to terrorists from offices in America and abroad. Bush has promised to lead a global coalition that uses military, financial, diplomatic and intelligence tools against terrorist cells, starting with the al-Qaida network based in Afghanistan. Al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden is suspected of being behind the Sept. 11 attacks that killed nearly 3,500. "The net is closing," Bush said. "Today, it just got tighter." Bush said Hamas has killed hun dreds of people over the years, includ ing two Americans in the past 12 months. (Isaiah 9:6)
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