WASHINGTON — The Bush administration has quietly begun dispatching diplomatic, military, intelligence and law enforcement agents to Asia and Africa to lay the groundwork for the next front in its war against terrorism, taking aim at Al Qaeda hubs in at least seven countries, officials said Saturday.
This far broader campaign against Osama bin Laden's terror network was initiated in recent weeks with a flurry of discreet but high-level overtures from U.S. officials, including President Bush.
The effort marks a significant shift in foreign policy, according to both the officials and outside counter-terrorism experts.
Several administration officials specifically cited the Philippines, Somalia and Yemen as top priorities, but they also mentioned Malaysia, Indonesia and the former Soviet republics of Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. In recent years, the Al Qaeda network has made a concerted effort to expand its activities in those nations, which now pose a serious threat to U.S. interests, the officials said.
"All the places where there is a significant Al Qaeda presence, there is an effort underway to deal with them," said one Bush administration official who, like others, spoke on condition of anonymity. "We are going to ratchet up the amount of time, energy and capability that are being devoted to these areas."
Asked if the administration had deployed an increased CIA and FBI presence in and around those countries, the official said: "Of course."
The official said U.S. counter-terrorism authorities want to move swiftly to apprehend at least several hundred of the Al Qaeda operatives believed to be in those countries before their trail gets cold. Many of them are believed to be hiding in anticipation of crackdowns similar to ones in Europe that have resulted in the arrests of dozens of suspected Al Qaeda associates, the officials said.
Al Qaeda operatives fleeing the war in Afghanistan and the European dragnet are also believed to be seeking sanctuary in those countries, the officials said.
The initiative focuses on Al Qaeda and is unrelated to the debate over what to do about suspected state-sponsored terrorist activity in Iraq. It has taken on added urgency based on recent indications that Al Qaeda cells around the world might be plotting additional attacks.
"The global moujahedeen network is now looking for payback," said one official. "And there are plenty of sympathizers and associates out there interested in doing something against us" in response to the Bush administration's aggressive counter-terrorism offensive.
