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Conflict Diamonds....Round 3By Dennis Lormel
In response to Doug Farah’s posting earlier today, I concur with his argument about the Al Qaeda presence in West Africa and the significance of the potential future threat. It is a very alarming situation. The potential volatility of the region is well articulated, and I absolutely concur with the content on every point up to the Al Qaeda diamond trading. The last two paragraphs of the article are a bit out of context. The FBI teams that were sent to West Africa were there to specifically look at the diamond trading allegations. The two trips, as pointed out, spanned a matter of weeks. What was not mentioned was the fact that the investigation was conducted for well over a year. There were pre and post deployment investigative activities to address all aspects of this matter ranging from planning to coverage of outstanding leads. The FBI and CIA were not alone in their assessments. No other law enforcement or intelligence service in the world developed evidence of Al-Qaeda trafficking in diamonds. In addition, the FBI and CIA conducted extensive interviews of detainees in venues to include Guantanimo Bay, Pakistan and Afghanistan. There was not one instance where an interview developed any positive information about diamond trade. There were numerous instances where rationale was provided as to why Al Qaeda was not involved in diamond trade. The FBI took the allegations very seriously. If there was a funding mechanism that was viable, the FBI wanted to disrupt or eliminate such a threat. The FBI, in conjunction with the US interagency community and international counterparts could not substantiate the allegations that Al Qaeda was involved in the conflict diamond trade. If anyone, especially an individual with on-the-ground experience in the region can provide evidence that can be substantiated; I encourage them to do so. I’m confident the FBI would conduct additional investigation of any allegation that was open ended. The dynamic of the situation in West Africa is not one that is black and white. It is extremely gray. As such, the standard of evidence is extremely challenging and the debate will likely continue.
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