Al-Qaida fighters love that high tech gear
Attention softgoods designers! Be warned, your technical apparel may be on the wrong side of the fight against terrorism. According to the Soldiers for the Truth website, a non-profit veterans group, the U.S. Special Forces in Afghanistan are spotting al-Qaida fighters wearing the industry's best. The site, www.sftt.org, posted a July email sent to retired U.S. Army Colonel David Hackworth from a Special Forces soldier back from Afghanistan: "The fighters who are captured are brought in wearing expensive North Face gear, top-of-the-line American hiking boots and Gore-Tex clothing. According to one source, they appear to have just gone on a shopping spree at REI." The soldier added that the al-Qaida clothing is "much nicer gear than what American troops have been issued," and the fighters had no shortage of high-tech assault rifles and GPS units.
