Mousa Stone, Kavkaz-Center

This week the US Department of Justice will introduce the proposal to fingerprint all citizens of Muslim countries entering the US territory. This was reported by the New York Times referring to the government officials. According to the newspaper, the proposal is now being actively discussed in the Administration. This measure was offered for "private individuals who pose an higher risk to the US security", including citizens of Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and other Muslim countries. According to the available estimates, this measure may apply to as many as 100 thousand foreigners.

Fingerprinting is planned during the entry into the US in airports or sea ports. After 30 days of staying in the country, these individuals must register with the Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS). Violators will be fined, deprived of the right of the second entry into the US, or even deported. The preparation of the new initiative by the Department of Justice has already met the objections from some other offices. For instance, the Department of State fears that such a step may adversely affect the relations with Muslim countries, which cooperate with the US in the fight against so-called "international terrorism".

In the meantime the head of the Pentagon Donald Rumsfeld made a sudden statement that Osama ben Laden does not pose a threat for the US anymore. According to him, Osama ben Laden is most likely not formally in charge of Al-Qaeda’s operations in Afghanistan, however the organization itself is still active all across the planet. This is what Donald Rumsfeld told Washington Post the other day.

"My guess is, if he were active, we would know it", - he said, he also added that Ben Laden is now hiding. The Chief of the Pentagon does not know the exact reason why the US enemy number one is so passive. However, his network is continuing to raise money, it’s maintaining broad connections, even though it is experiencing considerable difficulties. They are caused by the losses in Afghanistan and arrests made in many countries.

"We know they're in enough countries and have enough money and have enough leadership that you've got to expect they, in fact, are going to be back again", - Rumsfeld says. He acknowledged that the main goals of the US in Afghanistan were not attained. Ben Laden is alive, and many Al-Qaeda fighters left Afghanistan through the Pakistani border, since centers of resistance to the Americans and their allies are located on both sides of it. He also specified that "the Pakistanis have moved away some small elements but not major forces yet" and regardless of the escalating tensions with India, "The (Pakistani) forces are still reasonably in place along the Afghan border".

Along with that, it’s not quite clear what Rumsfeld had in mind, saying that "Osama bin Laden does not seem to be formally directing al Qaeda operations". If under the word "directing" the Defense Secretary means contacts with his subordinates using proper means of communications, then Ben Laden "resigned from the leadership" of his organization ever since the memorable missiles attack on Afghanistan by Clinton back in 1998. And if Rumsfeld meant removal Ben Laden from the control of the organization, then more convincing data should have been brought up, which the US intelligence does not have, and who do not really know where Ben Laden actually is.