A published report says newly-detected Internet traffic among al-Qaida followers indicates that elements of the terrorist organization may be trying to regroup in remote parts of Pakistan, near the Afghan border.
The New York Times today (Wednesday) quotes U-S government officials as saying they have found new Web sites and e-mails that appear to be part of an effort to reconstitute the terrorist organization and re-establish communications after the war in Afghanistan.
The officials are quoted as saying intercepted e-mails have not indicated any specific threats. But they say the new communications traffic is of serious concern because they fear that al-Qaida could use the Internet to launch new attacks against the United States.
The newspaper says some of the communications can be traced back to Pakistan's Baluchistan province. U-S officials reportedly believe Baluchistan and the dispute Himalayan region of Kashmir could be serving as new sanctuaries for al-Qaida members.
The report says it is not clear whether the communications signal leadership trying to control various al-Qaida elements or simply members trying to speak to each other.