Terrorism Notebook
U.S. told to stay out of Pakistan

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Riaz Durrani, spokesman for the opposition coalition Mutahida Majlis-e-Amal that controls two Pakistani provinces bordering Afghanistan, said any move by the United States to deploy forces there would be a "historic mistake."

"If Pakistan gives permission to America for conducting military operations in tribal regions, it will be very dangerous," Durrani said. "In such a situation, the (U.S.) army will face bullets from the tribesmen." Pakistan, a key U.S. ally in its war on terrorism, said Thursday it would not allow U.S. troops on its soil.

Osama bin Laden and his top lieutenants are believed to be in hiding in the border regions — possibly inside Pakistan.

Some British, French flights may be targeted, sources say

WASHINGTON — New intelligence indicates that British Airways flights from London to Washington and Air France flights from Paris to an unspecified U.S. city could be terrorist targets, U.S. officials said yesterday.

Some of the flights are the same as those that drew increased attention when the nation's terror alert was raised to orange, or high, just before Christmas. Two officials who spoke on condition of anonymity stressed there is no specific information about what might be planned, only that those flights are possible targets.

No flights have been delayed or canceled due to the new threats and there are no plans to raise the alert level, officials said.

White House holds back notes on briefing papers

WASHINGTON — The White House is refusing to give the independent commission investigating the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks the notes the panel members took on presidential briefing papers.

An agreement reached in November allowed a four-member team from the commission to examine highly classified documents known as the President's Daily Brief, including a controversial August 2001 memo that discusses the possibility of airline hijackings by al-Qaida terrorists.

The team completed its work several weeks ago but has been unable to reach an agreement with the White House on how to share its summaries with the seven commission members who were not privy to the material, officials said.

The standoff has prompted the 10-member commission to consider issuing subpoenas for the notes. Lack of access to the materials would mean the information they contain could not be included in a final report about the attacks, several officials said.

Also ...

The U.N. Security Council yesterday set a March 31 deadline for nearly 100 countries to report on their enforcement of sanctions against al-Qaida and the Taliban — or be publicly named and shamed. ... The United States is still holding juveniles at its prison for terrorist suspects at Guantánamo Bay naval base in Cuba but released the three youngest detainees, officials said yesterday. Three boys, believed to be between 13 and 15, were released Thursday, but "a small group" of 16- and 17-year-olds are among the remaining detainees.

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