Military authorities handed down emergency orders Sunday to the entire Korean military, including those units stationed abroad, to strengthen their counter-terrorism posture following a warning by al-Qaida that Korea would be made a target of terrorist strikes. The Joint Chiefs of Staff directed each branch of the military Sunday to strengthen their defenses against terrorism, strengthen counter-terrorism defenses of major national and military facilities, and share terrorism intelligence with national institutions. Counter-terrorism units like the Special Forces 707th Mission Battalion and counter-CBR (chemical, biological and radioactive) units have been placed on standby for immediate deployment in preparation for potential situations.
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An armored police vehicle secures the U.S. Embassy in Jongno, Seoul. Police heightened surveillance of embassies and foreign institutions, on the heels of foreign news reports saying that Al-Qaeda could target South Korea.
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The Joint Chiefs also ordered the Zayitun Unit in Iraq, forces working with U.S. Central Command and Multinational Force I, military doctors with the UN peacekeeping force in the Western Sahara, troops in Afghanistan and other Korean forces abroad to strengthen their counter-terrorism posture.
It called for preparing against car bombs and mortar attacks, increasing security personnel at Korean bases and expanding searches of people entering those bases.
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A man presumed to be Al-Qaida number two Ayman al-Zawahiri delivers a message calling for strikes against the U.S., Britain and South Korea, broadcast on al-Jazeera television Friday.
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Korean military units would relay by radio terrorism threats to Korean civilians living in areas like Iraq and conduct security education, and the Joint Chiefs asked that civilians leaving bases make doubly sure of their security and carry with them communication equipment at all times.
USFK, which is currently at force protection condition ¡°Bravo Plus¡± (slightly higher than usual), has invoked a 9:00 p.m. curfew for soldiers and their families, military civilians, and some military contractors for security reasons. It has also deployed obstructions and armored vehicles along roads near U.S. military facilities. Meanwhile, in a Friday dispatch from Seoul, the LA Times reported that from Sept. 24, a 9:00 p.m. curfew had been put in place for all 33,000 USFK personnel, their families, military civilians, and certain military contractors, and USFK¡¯s counter-terrorism posture was at its highest level since the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. The paper also said the U.S. Embassy in Seoul had announced an exceptionally strong warning to Americans living in Korea that threats of suicide attacks, bombings and kidnappings were on the rise.
(englishnews@chosun.com )
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