2007 SIDtoday on Bin Laden Message to Al Qaeda Leader in Iraq

DYNAMIC PAGE -- HIGHEST POSSIBLE CLASSIFICATION IS TOP SECRET // SI / TK // REL TO USA AUS CAN GBR NZL Welcome! Friday, 09 Nov 2012 • • • • • • • • • • • Web search Agency-all Emails SID-all Emails NSA Rolodex SCQAWK: The SID Mailbag SIDtoday Blog SIDtoday Series SIGINT Worldwide VTC SIDtoday Article Letter to the Editor SIGINT-y Social Media Page (TS//SI//REL) SIGINT Obtains Details of Usama bin Laden Message to Top al-Qa'ida Leader in Iraq FROM: Chief, Global Jihad Support Network Branch (S2I13) Run Date: 07/18/2007 (TS//SI//REL) In late April 2007, SIGINTers uncovered a message from Usama bin Laden (UBL) intended for al-Qa'ida's #1 man in Iraq: Abu-Ayyub al-Misri. The resulting SIGINT report provided a crucial window into al-Qa'ida's strategic plans and intentions for Iraq and the United Arab Emirates (UAE). (TS//SI//REL) The message shed light on UBL's mindset and revealed his knowledge of the current U.S. political situation. Much of the letter presented a timetable for the expansion of the authority of the "Islamic State of Iraq," with UBL apparently believing that they should delay until after an expected US "clash" with Iran or until the US President leaves office or loses authority in Congress. He felt that these events would leave the US in a weak position. Therefore, UBL advised Abu-Ayyub to try to prolong the war until these events took place. (U//FOUO) Abu-Ayyub al-Misri, the al-Qa'ida leader in Iraq (AFP photo) (TS//SI//REL) In addition, the letter revealed UBL's great anger towards the UAE for allowing Coalition forces to use UAE's airports and seaports. It further identified the new chief of al-Qa'ida's

external operations as Abu-'Ubaydah al-Misri, who had been charged with directing al-Qahda's plans against the UAE, (TS//SI//REL) UBL's missive was dated 12 February 2007 and was passed via a communications conduit. The movement of the letter from Pakistan to Iran provided the U.S. Intelligence Community with unique insights into the communications path used by senior al-Qa'ida leaders in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) of Pakistan to communicate with al-Qa'ida leaders in Iran and Iraq, (TS//SI//REL) The full text of the report (3/00/9464-07) can be found here: UBL report. (TS//SI//REL) A team of dedicated linguists and analysts in the Global Jihad Support Network Branch (S2i 1 3) collaborated to process this key piece of traffic and partnered with their counterparts in S21 11 (Al-Qa'ida Leadership and Target Pursuit Branch) and S2I2 (CT's Middle East and Iraq Division) to ensure the production of an analytically accurate and comprehensive SIG1NT intelligence report, (TS//REL) The report received rave reviews from senior U.S. policymakers, including the Vice President, the Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, and the Attorney General, who retained a copy of the report - a step that was described as "unprecedented," (LV/FOUO) If you have specific questions or comments on this topic, please visit our homepage Or contact us at DL S2I13, (U//FQUO) POC: Chief/S2f 1 3 (Global Jihad Support Network), (S) This report includes information from FBI FISA collection. Such information, and any information derived therefrom, may only be used in a U.S. legal or administrative proceeding with the advance authorization of the Attorney General. Any such recipient interested in obtaining authorization far such use in a U.S. legal or administrative proceeding should contact FBI Headquarters. Any further dissemination for any other purpose must be made through NSA. Any reproduction, dissemination, or communication (including, but not limited to, oral briefings) of this information must be accompanied by these restrictions. Comments/Suggestions about this article? "(U//FOUO) SI Dtod ay articles may not be republished or reposted outside NSANei without the consent of SO 121 fDL sid_commskri SOI Page Publisher 121. (email) ÿÿÿ ÿemail) Last Modified: 11/09/2012 / Last Reviewed: 11/09/2012 DYNAMIC PAGE - HIGHEST POSSIBLE CLASSIFICATION IS TOP SECRET U SI / TK II REL TO USA AUS CAN GBR NZL DERIVED FROM; NSA/CSSM 1-52, DATED OS JAN 2007 DECLASSIFY ON: 20320108