Washington, D.C.: FBI director to propose ‘super squad’ for terror

A new FBI “super squad,” headquartered in Washington, would lead all major terrorism investigations worldwide under FBI Director Robert Mueller’s plan to remake the agency in the wake of the Sept. 11 attacks, officials said Tuesday.

The proposed shift would include the hiring of hundreds of agents and analysts as well as the creation of an Office of Intelligence, headed by a former CIA official, that would serve as a national clearinghouse for classified terrorism information, according to those familiar with Mueller’s plans.

The changes are part of a broad reorganization in the wake of the Sept. 11 attacks and the Robert Hanssen spy scandal.

Afghanistan: U.S. forces capture Taliban commander

U.S special forces troops have captured a former Taliban regional commander in the southern city of Kandahar, an Afghan general said Tuesday.

Abdul Salam was taken into custody late last week after he met in Kandahar with American officers and an aide of the city’s governor, said Gen. Khan Mohammed, the head of the Afghan military in Kandahar.

Nicknamed Mullah Rocketi because of his affinity for high-tech weaponry used against Soviet occupiers in the 1980s, Abdul Salam was the Taliban’s top commander in the eastern city of Jalalabad during the hard-line Islamic militia’s rule in Afghanistan.

Virginia: Questioning limits set for Guantanamo detainees

Government lawyers Tuesday rejected direct questioning of military detainees in Cuba by attorneys for John Walker Lindh, the American who fought on the front lines with the al-Qaida and Taliban prisoners.

The defense team should submit written questions to Defense Department interrogators, who would pose them without informing the prisoners that they originated with lawyers for their fellow foot soldier. “If detainees learn that they can communicate with one of their number through the American criminal justice system, including through defense counsel, their continued willingness to cooperate with interrogators may be severely compromised,” the motion said.

Defense lawyers sought face-to-face interviews with prisoners who could potentially help Lindh’s assertion that he did not kill Americans and played no role in the murder of a CIA agent in Afghanistan.