Translator’s notes:
1) In the previous document ISGP-2003-00014127 a first meeting between Taha Yassin Ramadan (Vice-President of Iraq) and a Pakistani islamist leader Fadl Ur Rahman was translated. At the end of the meeting the Pakistani suggests that the Iraqis should send a delegation to Kandahar. Ramadan says that the Iraqis will study the issue.
2) This whole 7 pages document 2RAD-2004-600760-ELC reads like intelligence instructions to a group of Arabs (including women and children) living in Afghanistan and specifically Kandahar.(sounds like a delegation!)
3) Kandahar was the capital of the Taliban regime. It is mentioned 3 times in the document (twice in page 3 and once in page 7)
4) The Arabs are called “brothers” in the documents. This is a typical way of calling between islamists.
5) This group of Arabs is running “hosting places” (as per translation) that look more like safe houses for other Arabs. Moreover they are instructed to hide their arab identity and to look like Afghanis.
6) Even though Afghanistan was teeming with boasting Arab volunteers the instructions given to the “brothers” is to keep a very low profile and they are told to behave as if enemies would strike at any moment.
6) They are running some kind of “work” with multiple intelligence precaution instructions.
7) It could be that the Iraqi intelligence Service has established a secret base in Kandahar (and other cities) under the cover of families. I am saying “has established” because anybody reading arabic can tell from the first sentence of the paragraph of “Public meetings security” (page 7) that the “brothers” are already present in Kandahar:” Al Maoujoudin Fi Kandahar”. Therefore this document is targeting people already in Afghanistan and not people that would probably go there.
In the Name of God the Merciful
Personnel security:
Respected brother know that one of the main reasons of information leak is personnel (translator’s note: personnel making a mistake and causing the leak), this is why we try to cooperate with you so that neither you or one of your brothers becomes the cause of a catastrophe that might hit one of the brothers or all of them.
Please follow the following instructions:
1- Know as much as you need (translator’s note: don’t ask too many questions)
2- Don’t talk too much and it is said that “silence is wisdom”
3- It is recommended that all personnel be wearing Afghani clothing so they do not show out between people.
4- All the brothers should go to the market by themselves, alone.
5- It is not advised to move alone at night. (At night walk the streets on foot)
6- As much as possible do not disclose your identity as an Arab.
7- Avoid excitement (translator’s note: in a conservation) whether by glorifying or bashing.
8- Avoid being observed (translator’s note: being followed and observed) and always notice who is walking behind you or following you from a distance. (review the observation manual)
9- All brothers should be always armed even if with a small knife in their pockets.
10- Check your pockets and never leave important papers in them when moving around.
11- Always be careful in personal relations with Afghanis or Pakistanis.
12- Avoid giving any information about the locations of your brothers.
13- It is forbidden to discuss work issues with the women.
14- It is forbidden to take children to parks and offices.
15- It is forbidden to talk about your work or the nature of your mission with anybody who is not related to it. (translator’s note: the work or mission)
16- Beware from taking a habit in your daily routine because the rule says”Routine is the enemy of security”.
17- If you are moving and have a large amount of money, beware from showing it in the market so you do not incite robbers on you. (pull back).
18- Always beware when you are talking about the work because somebody not related to your work, the women or the children might hear you.
19- Beware of rapid and spontaneous friendships with Afghanis who speak Arabic.
20- In public places beware from talking about work issues because some Afghanis know Arabic but you cannot notice this.
21- Always be forgiving when you are buying from, selling to or dealing with Afghanis and avoid trouble.
22- Children are not allowed to go out by themselves whether to buy stuff or play.
23- Always make sure about the identity of your neighbors and classify them as regular people, opponents or allies.
Security of compounds
The security of the house or the living quarters is one of the most important aspects of security because the house contains the personnel, the equipment and the important documents. Making the house secure is securing all those issues and it is advisable that these measures be taken seriously.
There are important precautions, to the security of the house, that have to be taken before renting but it is not practical to list them here.
• Security personnel will patrol the houses of the brothers at different times.
• It is preferable that there should be a parking in the house
• It is preferable that two families should live in a house and it is warned against one family only living in a house.
• The house should be in a quiet place and not crowded so observing the house and its activity will not be easy.
• The house should be away from suspected places.
• The house should have more than a visible entrance and exit and also an invisible entrance and exit.
• Live away from important places like ministries and others.
• It is preferable that the one who rents the house be an Afghani and not an Arab.
• Every house should have a weapon while making sure it is away from children.
• Irregular patrols should be set up between now and then to uncover any strange object close to the house or a car parking close to the house.
• Measures to uncover observation of the house should be taken:
-Look out for persons or cars who constantly observe the house (static observation)
- Observe the house from a distant place or from inside the house without anybody noticing to uncover static observation.
• At night it is advised to light the court of the house if possible.
• Firmly close doors and windows when sleeping.
• Windows should be reinforced with iron rods.
• It is preferable that women should not be left alone in the house for a long time.
• All the brothers should not leave the house at the same time.
• If an urgency happens and all the brothers should leave the house then it is advisable to:
-Firmly close the windows and doors.
-Take necessary precautions in case the house is secretly searched
• If there are three or more families in a house a night guard should be organized, and a brother should at least go out 2 or 3 times to make sure the house is safe.
• An emergency plan should be established for the house where every person in the house should be assigned a location and a role.
• It is advisable that there will be some kind of communication between the houses of the brothers and if not possible at least between the houses of a different compound.
• It is forbidden to open the door before making sure who is knocking, and identifying who is knocking takes place from a proper distance.
• It is forbidden for the children to play outside.
• Children should be forbidden from opening the door.
• Groupings at the front of the house are forbidden, anything should take place inside the house and not on the road.
Security of the hosting places:
A hosting place is the place where most infiltration takes place. What we mean by hosting place is a public place where people, who most of the time are not related to the work, are received. But in case we are receiving special guests or others, it is not considered a hosting place but it is affiliated to the security of the special offices.
*At the hosting place a room for the security unit is necessary for observation:
1- The hosting place should be away from the housings of the brothers and their grouping areas.
2- Brothers should not go often to the hosting place except for a purpose.
3-It is forbidden to practice any private or secret matter in the hosting place.
4-The hosting place where our brothers are grouped, like Kandahar
*Anybody who enters it should be known
*Nobody lives in it unless a known party recommends him
*Persons living in the hosting place should be organized and be allowed by the brother in charge of the hosting place. It should be known where the brother is going and when he is coming back.
5-Brothers living in Kandahar and who repetitively visit the hosting place should abide by the Holy Hadith ”The virtue of one’s Islam is to leave what does not belong to him”, and not to start a relation with the brothers living in the hosting place.
6-The brother in charge of the hosting place should assign a private place for each brother living in the hosting place and not leave the decision to the visitor
7-There should be a schedule for night guard in the hosting place.
8-The communication room should be isolated in the hosting place and not close to the visitor’s rooms.
9- The hosting place should have a reception room where the visiting brother is dealt with, before entering the hosting place, and decide if he is going to stay in it.
10- Public meetings are strictly forbidden in the hosting place.
11- The person in charge of the hosting place should be living in it or he should assign a deputy who is always living in it.
12- Visiting brothers are warned not to bring cameras or video cameras.
13- The brother in charge of the hosting place should decide who opens the door and who receives visitors only in the reception room.
14- Groups are forbidden in front of the hosting place.
15- Make sure you identify and classify the neighbors.
16- An emergency plan should be implemented for the hosting place and everybody should be assigned a responsibility.
17- the hosting place should be away from suspect places.
18- the hosting place should be away from important places like ministries and others.
19-It is forbidden to leave visitors alone in the hosting place.
20- It is forbidden to completely empty the hosting place.
21- Take necessary precautions to discover static observations of the hosting place
22-Always patrol around the hosting place to uncover any foreign object.
23-establish an administration list to the hosting place because a good administration is the basis for applying all the previous security rules.
Security of movement
First: Security of cars and vehicles:
Constant movement of cars between the houses of the brothers and their workplace is a big breach which might lead to uncovering and locating all those places if the brother driving was not aware of observation and other. (it is possible that the car itself, with its occupiers be a target) therefore:
• Check (technical) the cars daily, because if a car breaks in a dangerous location this could lead to the enemy getting to the car’s occupiers.
• The brothers driving the cars should their cars daily to make sure it does not contain any foreign material or device.
• All the brothers driving the cars should be armed and should have their weapons license.
• It is preferable that the cars should not look different from other cars in the city.
• Cars should be handed to specific people so they would be careful to the security of the movement.
• Brothers driving the cars should always be careful to any vehicle behind them and should take necessary precautions to uncover observation while driving.
• Brothers driving the cars should always be wearing afghani clothing so their identity cannot be easily discovered.
• Brothers driving the cars should not always follow one path and should not have a constant habit in choosing their way.
• Cars should not be left in front of houses or hosting places and if this happens for an emergency, a brother should stay in the car.
• It is advisable that if the brothers go to the market, a brother should always stay in the car.
• It is absolutely forbidden to keep the car outside the house during nighttime. They should be inside the house or in the hosting place.
• It is advisable to lock the cars well in the houses and in the hosting place.
• If possible change the cars every now and then for more safety.
• Pick-ups should always have a tarp on them to hide what’s in them and not to uncover the transport.
• It is advisable to reduce car movements because the more we move the more we encounter danger, and generally moving at night is much better than moving in daylight.
• Brothers in charge of the cars should avoid trouble while driving inside the city and should abide by the driving regulations.
• All cars should be provided with a security key in a secret location as an anti-theft measure.
• If it is possible all cars should be provided with a talkie warlike since they are in constant movement.
• If you are using a taxi in your movements, make sure you get in it from a place distant from where you left and do not step out of it directly in front of the place you’re going to.
Second: security of movement and travel inside Afghanistan
Travel is one of the most important security breaches that we should be careful of because of the long absence from the brothers and facing the dangers of the road.
• Do not forget to mention the prayers of travel
• It is absolutely forbidden for a person to travel by himself, and it is preferable that the number of travelers be at least three including a trusted Afghani.
• In rest areas a brother should not show his military ID.
• The security office should be informed about the travel before the travel, and when you reach your destination you should inform the office for follow up.
• It is advisable that a personal weapon be carried even if it is a pocket knife.
• If travel includes a sleep over
• (Translator’s notes: several instructions for sleeping during travel follow)
Mail and Communications security:
(Translator’s notes: several instructions for mail and communications security are listed, right out of an intelligence personnel book)
Public meetings security:
The danger of public meetings is that it often groups the personnel present in Kandahar, and if the enemy manages to know and reach the meeting place he would have got a dangerous opportunity and to be able to let him miss this chance we should follow some precautions.
(Translator’s notes: several instructions concerning public meetings security follow)
All original tranlsations by "Sammi" are copyrighted intellectual property of "Sammi" for purposes of print media publishing. Free use for internet sources.
Nice job Ray,
any names on this document at all? is it on official iraqi letterhead?
Posted by: Mark | Thursday, March 30, 2006 at 10:39 AM
They've had to learn about security the hard way, and they seem to practice it scrupulously, but whent the time comes, it won't save them from being rounded up en masse, which is the only logical course of action.
Posted by: Improbulus Maximus | Thursday, March 30, 2006 at 05:21 PM
From Sammi: As an answer for Mark: there are no names in the document, it is a general instructions document. There is no official letterhead.
Posted by: Ray Robison | Friday, March 31, 2006 at 11:07 AM