The Al Qaeda Manual (continued)

UK/BM-24 TRANSLATION

FOURTH LESSON

Organization MILITARY BASES
"APARTMENTS PLACES"-HIDING

Definition of Bases:

*These are apartments, hiding places, command centers, etc. in which secret operations are executed against the enemy.

These bases may be in cities, and are [then] called homes or apartments. They may be in mountainous, harsh terrain far from the enemy, and are [then ]called hiding places or bases.

During the initial stages, the Military Organization usually uses apartments in cities as places for launching assigned missions, such as collecting information, observing members of the ruling regime, etc.

Hiding places and bases in mountains and harsh terrain are used at later stages, from which Jihad [holy war]groups are dispatched to execute assassination operations of enemy individuals, bomb their centers, and capture their weapons. In some Arab countries such as Egypt, where there are no mountains or harsh terrain, all stages of Jihad work would take place in cities. The opposite was true in Afghanistan, where initially Jihad work was in the cities, then the warriors shifted to mountains and harsh terrain. There, they started battling the Communists.

Security Precautions Related to Apartments:

1. Choosing the apartment carefully as far as the location, the size for the work necessary (meetings, storage, arms, fugitives, work preparation).

2 .It is preferable to rent apartments on the ground floor to facilitate escape and digging of trenches.

3 .Preparing secret locations in the apartment for securing documents, records, arms, and other important items.

4 .Preparing ways of vacating the apartment in case of a surprise attack (stands, wooden ladders).

5. Under no circumstances should any one know about the apartment except those who use it.

6. Providing the necessary cover for the people who frequent the apartment (students, workers, employees, etc.)

7. Avoiding seclusion and isolation from the population and refraining from going to the apartment at suspicious times.

8. It is preferable to rent these apartments using false names, appropriate cover, and non-Moslem appearance.

9.A single brother should not rent more than one apartment in the same area, from the same agent, or using the same rental office.

10. Care should be exercised not to rent apartments that are known to the security apparatus [such as ]those used for immoral or prior Jihad activities.

11. Avoiding police stations and government buildings. Apartments should not be rented near those places.

12. When renting these apartments, one should avoid isolated or deserted locations so the enemy would not be able to catch those living there easily.

13. It is preferable to rent apartments in newly developed areas where people do not know one another. Usually, in older quarters people know one another and strangers are easily identified, especially since these quarters have many informers.

14. Ensuring that there is has been no surveillance prior to the members entering the apartment.

15. Agreement among those living in the apartment on special ways of knocking on the door and special signs prior to entry into the building ’s main gate to indicate to those who wish to enter that the place is safe and not being monitored. Such signs include hanging out a towel, opening a curtain, placing a cushion in a special way, etc.

16. If there is a telephone in the apartment, calls should be answered in an agreed-upon manner among those who use the apartment. That would prevent mistakes that would, otherwise, lead to revealing the names and nature of the occupants.

17. For apartments, replacing the locks and keys with new ones. As for the other entities (camps, shops, mosques), appropriate security precautions should be taken depending on the entity ’s importance and role in the work.

18. Apartments used for undercover work should not be visible from higher apartments in order not to expose the nature of the work.

19. In a newer apartment, avoid talking loud because prefabricated ceilings and walls [used in the apartments ] do not have the same thickness as those in old ones.

20. It is necessary to have at hand documents supporting the undercover [member ].In the case of a physician, there should be an actual medical diploma, membership in the [medical ]union, the government permit, and the rest of the routine procedures known in that country.

21. The cover should blend well [with the environment ].For example, selecting a doctor ’s clinic in an area where there are clinics, or in a location suitable for it.

22. The cover of those who frequent the location should match the cover of that location. For example, a common laborer should not enter a fancy hotel because that would be suspicious and draw attention.