Conflicting reports on just where . . . US spy planes seek fugitives [Archives:2002/44/Front Page]

Yemen’s foreign minister has told the New York Times that unmanned US spy planes have been flying in the region to track down two al-Qaeda fugitives, but an unnamed official from Saudi Arabia says Saudi airspace is not being used.
Abu Ali and Abu Asem are two fugitives who in particular have been reported to be on the run from the spy planes. The men are suspected of having links with al-Qaeda.
The New York Times paper said the men are still hiding in the Aroba al-Khali desert, or Empty Quarter, an area shared by Yemen and Saudi Arabia, accompanied by a Bedouin guide along with nothing but a tent for protection.
The New York Times paper said unmanned US military aircraft searching the Empty Quarter, is in the area as part of a global dragnet.
Like the palm of your hand
“They are moving around in a pickup truck with a simple tent on the top and probably a Bedouin who knows the Rub al-Khali (the Saudi name for Empty Quarter) like you know the palm of your hand,” said Abdul Karim Iryani, an adviser to the Yemeni president.
“That is how they have been avoiding the government and your US drones,” he was quoted as saying.
The drones, it is hoped, will detect al-Qaida operatives moving in sufficient number to be tracked. So far they have had no success.
The newspaper also quoted Yemen’s foreign minister Abubaker al-Qirbi saying, “They are basically looking for movement within the desert, unusual movement, of cars and so forth. They are moving in a highly under populated area of the country. It’s mostly desert and mountains.”
It’s believed the fugitives are wanted for terrorist operations in Yemen, including the October 2000 bombing of the US destroyer Cole, and some perhaps have fled to the region from Afghanistan.
They are believed to be living in Yemen but heading north into Saudi Arabia when they need to collect money from their supporters, the officials said.
Other unnamed sources have told the Yemen Times that Abu Ali is still hiding in the desert of the Empty Quarter of the eastern cities such as, Mareb, al-Jawf, and Shabwa, and they say Abu Asem, the second convict has fled and no one knows his whereabouts.
Saudi denies report
A Saudi source, also unnamed, denied the report is linked to Saudi Arabia in any way.
The source said that the Saudi security forces “do not permit any one to make a chase inside the Saudi territories.” He added that “any sneaking operations taking place through the borders between Yemen and Saudi Arabia which extend until the Empty Quarter, are followed up by Saudi security forces.”
The same source ruled out that the “advisor of the Yemeni President Abdul Karim al-Eryani or any other Yemeni officials had talked about such news that pertains to Saudi Arabia.”The paper quoted al-Eryani as saying that the two fugitives move in a small truck with a simple tent, escorted by a Bedouin who knows the empty quarter by heart.
That way, said al-Eryani, the suspected al-Qaeda members “avoid the government and the American planes.”
Meanwhile, the al-Umah Newspaper stated last Thursday that a US helicopter hovered around the adjacent Yemeni coastlines in Hadhramout after the attack against the French supertanker, Limburg two weeks ago.
Consequently, about 100 detainees have been still detained by Yemeni authorities, suspected of having links with the USS Cole destroyer and September 11 terrorist attacks in the US.

——
[archive-e:44-v:2002-y:2002-d:2002-10-28-p:./2002/iss44/front.htm]