Al-Qaeda's Global Network and its influence on Western Balkans
nations
<http://www.analyst-network.com/profile.php?user_id=240> Dr. Darko
Trifunovic <http://www.analyst-network.com/profile.php?user_id=240> 30
Dec 2007
Countries of the Western Balkans have long been a target of Islamic
fanatics aiming to create an opening for radical Islam to expand into
Western Europe and the US. Cross-border cooperation of Islamic
terrorists and extremists reveals much about the structure of their
organization, their goals, and their methods. The biggest terrorist
attack in history, September 11, was undertaken with the assistance of
Islamic extremists directly or indirectly linked to Bosnia-Herzegovina.
Keywords: terrorism, Al-Qaeda, Islamic extremists, humanitarian
organizations, global network, Islamic fanaticism;
Introduction
One should not look at the contemporary world for the roots of terrorism
used as a means of fighting by Islamic extremists. Though it can be said
that contributing causes of Islamic terrorism are social and economic
circumstances and the ideological replacement of Communism by Islamic
fanaticism, the main cause motivating Islamic fanatics for centuries has
been the establishment of a global Islamic state - the Ummah. In this
way, Islam itself has been abused as an excuse for the fanatics'
ambitions. There is also the issue of misinterpreting the Koran, mostly
by those Muslims who publicly declare Islam a religion of peace while in
private dedicate themselves to the pan-Islamic cause that simply
excludes the existence of others. Among those who engage in religious
manipulation without hindrance indeed, with approval of the
highest religious authorities are terrorists of the Al-Qaeda
network.
Bosnian Muslims' religious authorities and the international
community ought to be very concerned that Al-Hussein Hilmi Arman Ahmad,
a.k.a. Eslam Durmo, was at the head of 16 madrassahs during the Bosnian
civil war, and six afterwards. He was identified as the ideological
leader of the radical Islamic Wahhabi movement in Islamic terrorist
circles. According to official Egyptian sources, Eslam Durmo is actually
Al-Hussein Hilmi Arman Ahmad, born 14 January 1960 in Cannae. Egyptian
authorities suspect him of felonies such as document forgery and the
1997 terrorist attack in Luxor. Durmo is also indicated as an associate
of Osama bin Laden. As a member of "El-mujahid" unit of the
"Bosnian Army," which connected to heinous war crimes and
atrocities against civilians and POWs, Durmo published a religious
instruction book, titled "Ideas that need to be corrected"
(Shvatanja koja treba ispraviti). This pamphlet was printed by the
Kuwaiti so-called humanitarian NGO "Islamic Thought Revival."
What could this man, with a criminal past and terrorist ties, teach
Bosnian Muslim youth about religion? Who allowed him to engage in
religious instruction at all? The answer is not so elusive when one
considers that many governments, Iran most of all, share Eslam
Durmo's opinions and beliefs.
Former Iranian leader and president Ayatollah Khomeini publicly
advocated Iranan leadership of a global Islamic revolution. In Qom, on
14 January 1980, reviewing a company of 120 Pakistani officers training
for terrorism and sabotage operations, he said: "We are in a war
against infidels. Take this message with you I ask all Islamic
nations, all Muslims, all Islamic armies and all presidents of Muslim
nations to join the Holy War. There are many enemies that need to be
killed or destroyed. Jihad must triumph." A religious leader, a
terrorist or both? Long before anyone else, Khomeini began to
attack Western targets with suicide bombers. He trained extremists to
practice suicide attacks in Lebanon. Thousands of young Muslims from
around the world were trained for suicide attacks at the Besheshita camp
near Karay, west of Tehran. In addition to men, some 300 women were
trained at this camp, under the instruction of Zahra Rahneward. There
were many other camps for military and theological instructions, all in
the function of pan-Islamic revolution. Former Iranian leader Khomeini
is also the originator of the idea of using airplanes for suicide
attacks. In the early 1980s, Iran had ordered a number of PC-7 airplanes
for just this purpose. Pilots were sent to North Korea for suicidal
training, and sent upon their return ton the newly established Shahid
Chamran Airbase near Busheher. Members of these suicide squadrons were
called the "Pasdaran pilots."
Other nations besides Iran have accepted the ideas of Islamic
revolution.
Initially, the fledgling terrorist network of Islamic extremists
operated on two tracks. The first, and legal, relied on Islamic
organizations such as the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC),
the World Islamic League (RABITA) and "Islamic Committee for
Palestine," who practiced influence through mutual solidarity,
financial aid and a network of connections in Western Europe and the US.
The other, and illegal, focused on achieving the fundamental ideas of
the Ummah through extremist groups practicing violence and terror, with
the help of terrorism-sponsoring governments and the aforementioned
organizations. Such groups were, for example, the "Muslim
brotherhood" and "Gama'a al Islamiyya" of Egypt,
and the "Armed Islamic Group" (GIA) of Algeria. These and other
terrorist groups of Islamic extremists help Muslims anywhere in the
world who fight for Islamic extremist causes, offering them ideological
and military assistance. That some of today's most notorious
terrorists took part in the civil wars of the former Yugoslavia
especially in Bosnia-Herzegovina, Kosovo-Metohia and the possible
conflict in Raska casts a new light on the nature of these
conflicts and the true aims of Islamic extremists in the Western
Balkans. More alarmingly, these extremists have found military and
political support from the West. For example, Issa Abdullah (a.k.a. Abu
Abdullah), a naturalized US citizen of Palestinian origin and a
"Hamas" member, who came to B-H to train mujahid'din with
other US Special Forces instructors, proceeded to conduct terrorist
activities unhindered, with the full knowledge of the Clinton
Administration. Other members of Abdullah's group were assembled at
a New Jersey mosque, and trained on a private property nearby. Officials
who had a key role in bringing in the mujahid'din from North America
to Bosnia and the Balkans are: Safet Catovic, Ivica Misic and Muhamed
Sacirbey.
Links between 9/11 and the Al-Qaeda network in Bosnia-Herzegovina
Officials of the Muslim-Croat Federation in B-H never released any
information to the US investigators or lawyers representing the families
of 9/11 victims, because such information would cast a new light on the
entire B-H conflict. They would have made it obvious that the war was a
jihad, a religious war waged against Bosnia's Christians by the
Islamic extremists.
The Interpol office in Wiesbaden, Germany sent a request to the Bosnian
authorities on 18 September 2001 to verify the identity of a certain Mr.
Atta, who according to their information used to reside in the hamlet of
Bakoti´c, 8 km outside Maglaj, in 1999. Attached to the request was
the photo of Mohamed Atta, and a note to verify it through a certain
Mehmed Hasani´c, a resident of Bakoti´c. This means Mohamed Atta
was trained in B-H; it is known that he left B-H for Hamburg, from where
he proceeded to the United States and his ultimate mission to
destroy the Twin Towers.
SEVEN KEY AL-QAEDA MEMBERS WHO DIRECTLY OR INDIRECTLY TOOK PART IN 9/11
AND ARE LINKED TO BOSNIA-HERZEGOVINA
· Nawaf al Hazmi, a Saudi. He was a September 11th hijacker. He
fought in BiH in 1995.
· Khalid al-Mihdhar, from Yemen. He also was a September 11th
hijacker. He also fought in BiH with the foreign mujahideen battalion in
Bosnia in 1995
· Sheikh Omar abd-al Rahman (convicted of the 1993 attack on the WTC)
was connected with the so-called humanitarian organization TWRA, which
was a cover for terrorists. Bosnian president Alija Izetbegovic made
personal guarantees for TWRA's general director and personal friend
Elfatih Hassanein, so he could open an account with Die Erste Osterreich
Bank in Vienna, Austria in 1993.
· Mohammed Haydar Zammar, who recruited Mohamed Atta into Al-Qaeda,
had a terrorist base in Bosnia. Zammar is also responsible for
recruiting two of Atta's lieutenants, Ramzi Binalsahib and Said
Bahaji.
· Osama bin Laden received a Bosnian passport from the Embassy in
Vienna, Austria. Many other Al-Qaeda members were issued B-H passports,
which enabled them to continue their terrorist activities.
· Abu al-Ma'ali (Abdelkader Mokhtari), a senior Al-Qaeda
operative, was stationed in Bosnia until recently. Just a few years ago,
US officials used to call him "Osama Bin Laden, Jr."
· Bensayah Belkacem was arrested in Bosnia in October 2001. Numbers
saved in his cell phone connected him with at least one top-rank
associate of Bin Laden.
Al-Qaeda's role in radical Islamic activities and events in Bosnia
has been frequently mentioned in US media and official government
reports since the 9/11 tragedy.
REPORT OF THE JOINT INQUIRY INTO THE TERRORIST ATTACKS OF SEPTEMBER 11,
2001
BY THE HOUSE PERMANENT SELECT COMMITTEE ON INTELLIGENCE AND THE
SENATE SELECT COMMITTEE ON INTELLIGENCE
Page 131.
..Al-Hazmi first traveled to Afghanistan in 1993 as a teenager and
came into contact with a
key al-Qa'ida facilitator in Saudi Arabia in 1994. In 1995, al-Hazmi
and al-Mihdhar traveled to
Bosnia to fight with other Muslims against the Serbs. Al-Hazmi probably
came into contact with
al-Qa'ida leader Abu Zubaydah when Zubaydah visited Saudi Arabia
in 1996 to convince young
Saudis to attend al-Qa'ida camps in Afghanistan. Sometime before
1998, al-Hazmi returned to
Afghanistan and swore loyalty to Bin Ladin. He fought against the
Northern Alliance, possibly
with his brother Salem, another of the hijackers, and returned to Saudi
Arabia in early 1999,
[page 138] where, [ ], he disclosed information about the East Africa
embassy bombings.
Al-Mihdhar's first trip to the Afghanistan training camps was in
early 1996. (131)
..
Page 134.
Mohamed Atta lived at Marienstrasse 54 in Hamburg with Bin al-Shibh,
Essabar, and Bahaji.
Director Tenet testified that, after Bin al-Shibh failed to obtain a
U.S. visa, "another cell
member," Essabar, "tried [on two occasions in December 2000] and
failed to obtain a visa in
January 2001" to travel to Florida while Atta and al-Shehhi were
there. Uncorroborated sources
report that Essabar was in Afghanistan in late September 2001. Bahaji
left Germany on
September 3, 2001 for Pakistan. Uncorroborated sources also placed him
in Afghanistan in late
September 2001.
DCI Tenet testified that Muhammad Heydar Zammar was an acquaintance of
members of
Atta's circle in Hamburg, where Zammar lived. Zammar, a German
citizen born in Syria in
1961, was described by DCI Tenet as "a known al-Qa'ida
associate," active in Islamic extremist
circles since the 1980s, who trained and fought in Afghanistan in 1991
and in Bosnia in 1995 and
returned to Afghanistan a number of times between 1995 and 2000.
It has been reported that U.S. and German officials believe that Zammar
is a pivotal
figure in understanding the genesis of the September 11 attacks. DCI
Tenet told the Joint
[page 141] Inquiry that Zammar "was taken into custody by the
Moroccans [ ]"
when he traveled to Morocco to divorce his wife and that he was
"moved from Morocco into
Syrian custody, where he has remained." It has also been reported
that Zammar has provided
details about the September 11 attacks to U.S. investigators. According
to the DCI, Zammar has
said that he met Atta, al-Shehhi, and Jarrah in the late 1990s in
Hamburg's al-Qods mosque and
he "persuaded them to travel to Afghanistan to join the jihad."
DCI Tenet testified that Atta may have traveled to Afghanistan for the
first
The NSA Director also cautioned in his testimony, "If these hearings
were about the war
that had broken out in Korea or the crisis in the Taiwan Straits that
had taken us by surprise or if
we had been surprised by a conflict in South Asia or if we had lost an
aircraft over Iraq or if
American forces had suffered casualties in Bosnia or Kosovo, in any of
these cases I would be
here telling you that I had not put enough analysts or linguists against
the problem. We needed
more analysts and linguists across the agency, period."
383
TOP SECRET
Al-Qaeda's modern organization based on the "Bosnia model"
The Western Balkans has been a region of interest to Islamic extremists
for decades. Numerous Muslims living in the so-called "Green
Traverse" represent both a recruitment pool and a springboard for
attacks in Western Europe. Bosnia-Herzegovina, Kosovo and the Raska
region (a.k.a. Sanjak) are frequently used as Jihad's gateway into
the European heartland. The notion is not new, only more visible today
than ever before.
One tactic the Islamic fanatics implemented in the Western Balkans was
population warfare. When Muslims are a minority, they seek to increase
their numbers through high birthrates sometimes ten times those of
the non-Muslim populace. Once they attain a majority in a desired
territory, they invoke the popular claim of Islamic fanatics:
"Allah's law on Allah's land". Thus in mid-1994, the top
Bosnian Muslim cleric (Reis-ul-ulema) Mustafa Ceric issued a decree
ordering Bosnian Muslim women to bear at least five children.
Studies of Islamic extremists' activities in Bosnia-Herzegovina and
the Balkans in general, their international connections, and the
consequences of their political, propaganda and terrorist activities
(including war crimes) have provided valuable insights into the global
Islamic terror network. According to the available information, the
Al-Qaeda network seems to consist of several committees. Every committee
is an important link in the chain, engaged at the local, national and
international level. International activity includes the recruitment of
individuals with substantial political power, which can be used to
further Islamic fundamentalist objectives.
The Financial Committee has the task to provide the Network's
funding. Fundraising methods differ from place to place, but rely mainly
on accounts directly or indirectly available to Osama Bin Laden and the
funds provided through the wide network of "humanitarian
organizations" which use their charity as a cover for fundraising
and recruitment of future terrorists. This committee is also in charge
of money transfers. One of its methods is the "hawala" system,
where money and other commodities are transferred directly, without the
involvement of banks. Such transactions are virtually impossible to
trace. Basic funding derives primarily from the production and
distribution of narcotics specifically heroin, which is produced
in Afghanistan, then distributed to Western European and US markets
through a sophisticated network. One Kosovo Albanian was recently
arrested at the Bajakovo border crossing between Croatia and
Serbia-Montenegro, in possession of 48 kg of heroin. By and large,
Kosovo Albanians are not Islamic fanatics, but as heroin smugglers, they
are an important link in Al-Qaeda's chain. Profits from the heroin
trade are also very difficult to trace.
Funds thus obtained are put to use in pursuit of Islamic fanatics'
darkest aims. Al-Qaeda and other organizations act locally, but think
globally. For example, the newly established Islamic terrorist
organization, LIVO, whose striking fist is the Uzbekistan Islamic
Movement, is pursuing the plan for establishing Islamic states and
eventually, the Caliphate in Central Asia, funded and aided by the
Financial and the Military committees of Al-Qaeda.
The Law and Religion committee focuses on justifying terrorist
activities. In conjunction with the Media committee, it promotes the
view that everywhere in the world, Muslims are constantly victims, and
even when they do commit atrocities, those are fully justified as
self-defense and righteous Jihad. The ultimate aim is to foment conflict
between all Muslims and the rest of the civilized world.
The Media Committee coordinates with the owners of pro-fundamentalist
media and activists inside major media outlets to spread Islamic
fundamentalist propaganda. The basic function of this Committee is to
justify the activities of Islamic fundamentalists. The main weapon is to
claim that Muslims are always and everywhere the exclusive victims of
violence. Of course, truth is completely different, because the Islamic
fundamentalists initiate violence for the purpose of establishing the
pan-Islamic Ummah, a theocracy that excludes the existence of other
religions. For example, in Kosovo-Metohia Islamic extremists among the
Kosovo Albanians, with Al-Qaeda's help, have managed to create a
perception that the Albanian majority was endangered by the Serb
minority. Thanks to the work of the Media Committee, the secession and
terrorism of Islamic fundamentalists among the Kosovo Albanians were
presented as a "struggle for freedom." One of the main
objectives of the Islamic fundamentalists' global network is to
create a perception in the world public opinion that Muslims are always
the victims, in order to justify conflict and conquest. Victim status is
thus claimed for Kosovo Albanians, their co-religionists in Kashmir,
Palestine, Russia (Chechnya), Sudan, Tanzania, Bosnia, Macedonia,
Malaysia, East Timor, etc.
In addition to recruiting and training the Jihadi suicide bombers, the
Military Committee also coordinates, plans, and commands terrorist
activities throughout the world. It organizes logistical support for the
attacks, sets the objectives and maintains communication with terrorist
cells, all for the purpose of accomplishing the ultimate objective
a global Islamic state, Ummah, built by jihad and atrocities in the name
of Allah. One of the first camps training the members of the global
Islamic terror network was in Iran, established by Imam Khomeini
personally. The first commander of the camp was Sheik Abbas Golru, a
prominent member of the Syrian-run Palestinian terrorist organization
al-Saiqa.
The NGO Committee coordinates an entire network of NGOs connected by the
shared ideals of Islamic fundamentalism and common funding. These
organizations often have names that lack any Islamic identification. The
goal of these organizations is to infiltrate the civil society of
countries such as the US, UK, France and Italy, but also countries such
as Tanzania and Nigeria. These NGOs have many purposes, but the main one
is to raise funds for Islamic fundamentalists and influence the public
opinion of the host countries. Many of these NGOs are cover for Islamic
countries' intelligence operations. Islamic countries used to have
rudimentary intelligence operations, but that situation has changed.
They have a defined goal the creation of the Ummah. They have a
defined enemy all those who do not follow the Koran, non-Muslims,
"infidels." They have a defined method of struggle
terrorism. This is truly a frightening danger to modern civilization,
one the entire world should be concerned about.
The Government Committee recruits government officials of target
nations, contributes financially and otherwise to the campaigns of
recruited elected officials, and coordinates with intelligence services
of terrorism-sponsoring nations. This Committee pursues the goal of
establishing the Ummah by working through government institutions both
nationally and internationally. The Organization of the Islamic
Conference (OIC) is a typical example of how the Islamic fundamentalist
network is protected internationally. The organization has over 60
members, and is currently the strongest international voting bloc in the
United Nations.
It is extremely important to note that every committee can function
autonomously. The model depicted above is a basic scheme of Al-Qaeda,
which is defined as all organizations serving the cause of Islamic
extremists. Al-Qaeda does not have a supreme command, but a supreme
objective. Its instructions are what the Islamic extremists believe is
contained in the Koran. All this makes Al-Qaeda unpredictable. Only
observation and analysis of the committees' actions at all levels
can explain the consequences of their activities. After several decades
of activity worldwide, it is becoming increasingly clear who finances
the terrorists, what sort of global propaganda they employ and with
whose assistance, and how entire nations are being demonized at
Al-Qaeda's behest. [Wartime Bosnian Muslim officials] Haris
Silajdzic and Muhamed Sacirbey used to pay large sums of money to public
relations firms, such as Ruder Finn LLC, to demonize Serbs. It is
entirely clear today where this money came from.
The "White Al-Qaeda" in Bosnia-Herzegovina
Information available to experts on international terrorism indicate
that B-H is at this time one of the most dangerous countries in Europe,
as it represents a nursery for potential Islamic terrorists the so
called "white" or "European" Al-Qaeda. Money from
Islamic countries that is laundered through "humanitarian"
organizations finances the religious education of at least 100,000 young
Bosnian Muslims. In addition to such education, which follows the
interpretations of Wahhabi Islam, there is another type of
"training" in various officially registered camps throughout the
B-H Federation. There, the young and carefully selected Wahhabis attend
"additional courses" in marksmanship, explosives and martial
arts. Organizations such as "Furqan," the "Active Islamic
Youth," the "Muslim Youth Council" and others
differing only in name and primary donors, but otherwise interchangeable
teach young Muslims computer and Internet skills, so they could
establish contacts with their coreligionists worldwide. Knowing all
this, the former head of UN Mission in Bosnia Jacques Paul Klein
recently said that some 200 mujahid'din in Bosnia did not represent
a danger, because they can be easily controlled. Klein knew it would be
a lot more difficult to stop the spread of young Bosnian Wahhabis
throughout Europe, youths who consider Osama Bin Laden and the
mujahid'din role models.
Al-Qaeda's Network: Iran to the Balkans, via Turkey
Investigation of the recent suicide attacks on British and Jewish
targets in Istanbul has shown that some of the terrorists involved had
been trained in Bosnia-Herzegovina. On the other hand, Iran has given a
new identity to the spiritual leader of Afghan Taliban, Mullah Omar. A
few months ago, Iran released from prison several high-ranking Al-Qaeda
members, and there are indications they were behind the terrorist
attacks in Istanbul. The Iranian regime has long been known as a
financier and sponsor of terrorists exported all over the world,
especially in the Balkans. It is well known that Iran had sent a
Republican Guard unit to B-H, and their secret service (VEVAK) has
established and helped train the Bosnian Muslim secret service (AID).
One of the key assets of the Iranian intelligence in B-H is Dzemal
Merdan, who had undergone military and religious training and become
loyal to the ideas of Ayatollah Khomeini. His loyalty was rewarded by
appointing him a liaison to foreign mujahid'din. This man is
responsible for hundreds of murders of ethnic Croats. Early in the B-H
civil war, several dozen Islamic extremists came to B-H with the help of
Iran and Merdan's coordination. Together with the Cengic clan,
Merdan controlled Central Bosnia.
Iranian authorities and radical Turkish groups have worked on two
fronts. The first was establishing a "green traverse" in the
Balkans, and the second a similar corridor in central Asia, through
Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, and very
importantly the Chinese province of Xinyang. Cells of Al-Qaeda
were established in all those countries and regions. Mullah Omar and
Osama Bin Laden were involved in setting up the network in the Balkans,
along with terrorists from Saudi Arabia. Even the Saudi government
funded terrorism, notably through theh High Saudi Committee for Aid to
Bosnia-Herzegovina, whose representatives were granted the extraordinary
privilege of diplomatic license plates (and the resulting immunity) for
their vehicles, in clear violation of existing law. It is assumed that
Bosnian authorities had also issued diplomatic passports to the same
representatives, but such a contention is almost impossible to verify.
One notable link in that chain is Jusuf Halilagi´c, now Minister of
Civil Affairs and Communications for B-H, and a former high-ranking
officer of the 3rd Bosnian Army Corps, home of the notorious
"El-Mujahid" unit. Halilagi´c was the one who drove Abu
Hamza, one of the most wanted Islamic terrorists in the world, from
Rijeka (Croatia) into Bosnia in 1992, in his private "Zastava 101"
vehicle. Halilagic and other Islamic extremists in B-H had long prepared
for the arrival of Islamic volunteers from the Middle East, north
Africa, south Asia and even Western countries, known as the
"Afghans." After fighting in Bosnia, certain Arab intelligence
agencies started calling these people "Bosnians," claiming they
were far more dangerous than mere "Afghans." Muslim intelligence
agencies in Bosnia, such as AID, usually refer to these men as the
"AA factor," noting their African and Asian origin.
Since the beginning of their involvement in Bosnia, Abu Ma'ali
(originally from Algeria) was one of the leader of Islamic extremists,
and the first commander of the "El-Mujahid" unit. After the
Dayton Peace Accords, it was demanded from Muslim authorities in
Sarajevo that Abu Ma' ali should leave B-H, because of his
connections to Al-Qaeda. According to the Croatian weekly
"Globus," the celebratory farewell to Abu Ma'ali as he
departed for Chechnya was attended by Bakir Izetbegovic, the son of
Bosnian Muslim leader Alija Izetbegovic. However, there are also
indications that Ma'ali has simply assumed a new identity, with the
help of high-ranking Bosnian Muslim officials, and continues to live in
the B-H Federation. Abu Ma' ali is considered one of the closest
associates of the notorious terrorist Abu Tala't.
The fact that Halilagic is today a member of the Coordinating Task Force
for combating terrorism in B-H speaks volumes about the involvement of
the Bosnian Muslim leadership with Al-Qaeda. Halilagic was delegated to
that post by the Party of Democratic Action, whose founder is the
Islamic extremist and war criminal Alija Izetbegovic. Immediately after
his death in October 2003, ICTY prosecutor's spokesperson Florence
Hartmann said that it had been a matter of days before an indictment was
issued against Izetbegovic. It remains a mystery why the ICTY had not
indicted Izetbegovic in his lifetime, as they had not lacked evidence.
There is also a suspicion that this institution is under a strong
influence of Islamic nations and interest groups. Nonetheless,
Izetbegovic directly participated in the cover-up and reorganization of
Al-Qaeda in Bosnia. In the Dayton agreement there was a provision that
all mujahid'din would leave Bosnia. That never happened, thanks to
the ties between the Islamic terrorist networks and the top leadership
of the Bosnian Muslims.
Turkish authorities have established the link between the suspects in
the Istanbul bombings and the global network of Islamic terrorists. A
year before the attacks, the ICNA (Islamic Council of North America)
website stated that the greatest enemies of Islam were "Jews,
Crusaders" [i.e. Christians], and especially among those,
"Russians and Serbs." Consider now the sequence of the attacks
first the synagogues (Jews), then the British consulate and bank
("Crusaders"), followed soon thereafter by a train in Russian.
This has all the makings of a clash of civilizations, one that Islamic
extremists are trying to impose on the world's Muslims.
The Al-Qaeda terrorist network in Bosnia-Herzegovina
It is little known that Islamic fanatics trained to fight against the
Serbs in B-H in camps near Istanbul and Hamburg, Germany, particularly
between 1993 and 1995. Notable Al-Qaeda members involved in this
operation were: Cupi´c Muri´c, Abu el Mani, Ahmed bin
Muhamed, Harmas Sami, Abdulah Hadi, Imam Zilfili, Abu Hamza, Mustafa
Kamel, Karim Atmani, Faruk Besi´c, and Abdul Hamid. Osama bin
laden's main Balkans liaison, closely connected to the Greek
terrorist organization 17 November, is Omar Alawadi. According to some
sources, Alawadi is currently in B-H, preparing for action with local
extremists and fresh arrivals from Islamic countries. This is
information that ought to alarm the Greek government, especially with
the upcoming Olympics.
The principle along which the terror network is established is very
simple. Consider the example of central Asia, where recently a terrorist
organization "LIVO" was established with the help of Iran and
Turkish extremist groups. From Uzbekistan, young men were sent for
training to Al-Qaeda camps in northern Afghanistan. After returning to
their villages, in each village they created a guerrilla unit. These
units were then sent to Afghanistan or Iraq to gain the necessary combat
experience, so they would some day hopefully initiate an Islamic
revolution at home.
The same exact pattern occurred in the Balkans. Young men from Kosovo
went to Al-Qaeda camps in northern Albania, which were visited by Bin
Laden himself (according to reliable information). They returned to
Kosovo and organized guerrilla bands in their villages. The same
happened in Raska (Sanjak), where Muslim youths went to war in B-H, then
returned home, and now present a threat to regional security. Given
their international connections, that regional threat can easily become
global.
The alarming fact is that a complete terrorist network exists in the
territory of Serbia and Montenegro, ready to execute any order by the
centers of Islamic extremism, while the disinterested Serbia-Montenegro
authorities have behaved as if the problem did not exist.
An Islamic university was established recently. Some Serbian politicians
who applauded that development obviously do not know what lies at the
root of the Wahhabi teachings: extremism, spreading of Islam by force.
Will Serbia allow its children, Orthodox or Muslim, be taught the
language of hate, no matter how attractively packaged?
Not so long ago, an association of citizens "Furqan" was
registered in Sarajevo as a "non-governmental, non-political
organization." Yet one of its goals, as the organization's
charter says, is the "establishment of B-H as a state ordered under
the Shari'a and true Islamic values." Headed by Nermin
Karaci´c, "Furqan" has offices in Zenica,
Zavidovi´ci, Konjic, Visoko and Ilija, where the strictest
religious (and yes, political) indoctrination of the members takes
place. Instructors are lecturers from Islamic universities in Saudi
Arabia and the Emirates. Among the domestic instructors, one name stands
out Nezim-effendi Halilovi´c Muderis, imam of the "King
Fahd" mosque and Islamic center in Sarajevo, and one of the Wahhabi
leaders in the B-H Federation. Halilovi´c is considered responsible
for war crimes his unit had committed against the Serb civilians in the
municipality of Konjic. Interesting as well are the topics of the
"lectures," or at least their titles: "The path of struggle
for Islam"; "Obstacles on the road to Islamic revival";
"The Islamic state"; and "Allah's will be done, whatever
the infidels do." The paths of "Islamic struggle" for
Furqan's students often lead to a camp on Lake Jablanica. As the
organization's document indicate, the camp attendees "as some of
the best, should be proud they were chosen to attend the camp, and they
need to justify that honor." Similar camps have been organized in
the summer at Crni Vrh and Cerovac hill in Teanj municipality, and
on the Bosnia river island near the village of Nemila near Zenica. The
same sources indicate that young Islamists have organized several
"camping trips" near Sarajevo, Travnik, Konjic, Jablanica,
Bugojno, Biha´c, Cazin and Velika Kladua. The "campers"
occasionally become members of the "Active Islamic Youth (AIO),
another NGO on the American blacklist.
The AIO was established in Zenica in October 1995 by the veterans of the
notorious unit "El-Mujahid." The first president of the
organization, which has offices in every Muslim-majority municipality in
the B- Federation, was Nedim Haraci´c. Later that office was
held by Ismet Fazli´c, Adnan Pezo and Almin Foco. Activists of
AIO can be found among the returning refugees in the Serb Republic's
border areas, especially in Kotorsko near Doboj, where the AIO is headed
by Tahir Halilovi´c, Emir Liinovi´c, Muris
Sivcevi´c and Demal Beci´c. A strong AIO presence
was also noted in the village of Kamenica in Tesli´c municipality
(RS), where the organization is headed by Mithad Topovci´c,
Esad Stenakli´c and Mehmed Cerovac. The current seat of this radical
Islamic organization is in the Sarajevo quarter of Bistrik, which
explains why the focus of the AIO's efforts has been on the Bosnian
capital.
In 2000, AIO activists sent anonymous threat letters to representatives
of the international community demanding they leave B-H and
political opponents of the SDA. Because of the Russian Army's
activities against the Chechen separatists and terrorists, AIO also
threatened to attack the Russian Embassy in Sarajevo. AIO was one of the
organizers of the mass Islamic protests in Sarajevo in May 2002. AIO was
also behind the notorious protests against the New Year, and against the
arrest of Imad al-Misri, who was extradited to Egypt along with El
Sharif Hassan Mahmoud Sad in October 2001 by the FB-H authorities, on
charges of terrorism.
After the terrorist attacks on New York and Washington, AIO increased
the pace of their activities, intent on creating anti-American
sentiments among the Bosnian Muslims. The organization recruited
volunteers and money for the Taliban in the regions of Tuzla and
Zavidovi´ci. But the peak of their activities was surely the protest
against the extradition of six arrested Algerians to US authorities in
January 2003, which was put together by the member of AIO's inner
circle Jasmin Hardau. Also notable were the posters attacking the
then-Yugoslav president Vojislav Kotunica on the eve of the
Sarajevo summit [of the Stability Pact?].
Humanitarian Terrorists
The "High Saudi Committee", "Al-Haramein" and other
Islamic "charities" operating in B-H are the main source of
funding for AIO and "Furqan." Most of these organizations are
donors and cover for international terrorists connected to Al-Qaeda and
Bin Laden. One example is "Benevolence International Foundation"
(BIF), an organization whose founder and director, Enam Arnaut, is on
trial in the US for direct links Osama bin Laden. Proof of those links
was found in 2003 in B-H, during a search of the "Bosnian Ideal
Future" the legal successor of the blacklisted BIF which even
kept the same initials. BIF was led by former AID agent, diplomat and
Alije Izetbegovi´c's personal chauffeur, Munib Zahiragi´c.
He is also on trial in Sarajevo, for espionage and illegal possession of
AID documents.
BIF had offices in Sarajevo and Zenica till the end of 2001, when Arnaut
managed to bail out with about $1 million (of about $5 that was
laundered through the organization), with the help of his representative
Mohammed Anas Talawi. During the war, Arnaut used the money to organize
mujahid'din arrivals, their training in camps around Zenica and
Teanj, and their eventual transfer to other countries. It is
believed that this channel was used for the escape of Abu Mali, a close
associate of Bin Laden. Arnaut also helped an Al-Qaeda terrorist Mahmud
Salim Mamdouh, a.k.a. Abu Hajr, to escape to Germany. Western sources
indicagte Mamdouh was in charge of procuring uranium for nuclear
weapons. Abu Hajr was arrested in Germany in 1998, and extradited to the
US. Arnaut also collaborated with Muhammad Halifa, a cousin of Osama bin
Laden, as well as Gulbuddin Hikmatyar, leader of the terrorist group
"Hizbi al islami," which took part in the first World Trade
Center attack in 1993, organized by Sheikh Omar abd-al-Rahman.
Two members of the "Algerian Group" also worked at BIF: Budellah
Hajj, a.k.a. Abu Omar, and Mustafa Ait Idir. They were extradited to the
US in January 2003. Hajj had arrived to B-H from Pakistan, and also
worked for the Egyptian charity "Human appeal." Another BIF
"activist" was Hamami Muwafaq, a Syrian convicted in his
homeland of membership in the terrorist group "Muslim
Brotherhood."
The "High Saudi Committee" (HSC) may be difficult to shut down,
despite the explicit demands from the US. That organization is under
direct patronage of the Saudi royal family, and her activists use the
previously mentioned diplomatic privileges, including the 24 vehicles
with diplomatic license plates. Furthermore, this is the organization
that has channeled the most money into B-H, as the Saudis did not spare
the expense of establishing a Shari'a state on European soil. In
Saudi Arabia, the Committee is officially run by Naser el Saed. His
student, Elfatih Hassanein, was a personal friend of Izetbegovi´c
and founder of the banned Third World Relief Agency (TWRA) in Vienna.
The Bosnian Muslim leadership used the TWRA to "import" most of
the mujahid'din into Bosnia and fund their travel and stay. One of
the directors of the HSC Zenica office was Abdul Hadiyu al-Gahtani, who
was arrested in 1994 for the abduction of three and murder of one
British citizen, employees of the ODA. Mujahid'din, however,
organized Gahtani's jailbreak and escape from Bosnia. He was later
convicted, in absentia, to 10 years' imprisonment.
Ahmed Zuhayr, a.k.a. Handala, is another terrorist who worked for the
HSC and managed to "escape" from the Bosnian Muslim authorities.
Thus Sudanese, who was mentioned previously, is considered responsible
for the murder of UN mission worker William Jefferson in Tuzla.
The HSC employed two members of the "Algerian Group," Saber
Lahmar and Mustafa Abdul Kadr. Lahmar was sentenced to five years for
assault on Western aid workers near Zenica, but was pardoned in 1998 by
a special decree signed by the Federation president Ejup Gani´c. It
is believed that Lahmar and Kadr, who later worked at the "King
Fahd" Islamic center in Sarajevo and the "Taibah
International" foundation, were part of the terrorist GIA's
European network. In late 2001, a joint operation of SFOR and local
authorities resulted in the arrest of Majed Karoub, another employee of
the HSC, believed to have worked closely with Lahmar and Kadr.
The "Global Relief Foundation" (GRF), accused in the US of
financing terrorist activities, was also active in B-H. The GRF in B-H
had relatively modest funds, which did not stop the organization to
spend $100,000 for the camp at Lake Jablanica.
Among the organizations of interest in the struggle against terrorism
are also the Saudi charity "Igassa," which smuggled weapons and
ammunition into B-H during the war, as well as "Al-Muwfaq,"
whose member Safiq Iyadi (of Tunisia) had made a $.5 million transfer to
an account at the SAB Bank in Sarajevo in 1996. Iyadi is on the American
blacklist, and his accounts in the US and UK have been frozen. It is
believed the money was approved by Salem bin Makhfouz, a relative of
Osama bin Laden. Another suspicious organization is the "Charity of
the Iranian People," which is under control of the VEVAK secret
service, and had helped train Islamic terrorists and militants during
the war and immediately after Dayton.
The aforementioned organizations are just the tip of the iceberg. The
phony Islamic "charities" in Bosnia-Herzegovina, along with the
extremists and terrorists, have become returning to B-H after the
victory of the SDA in the October 2002 general election.
Other forms of terrorist organization in B-H
NGOs that have been clearly identified as conduits for terrorism have
begun to reappear in Bosnia-Herzegovina. Sometimes they change their
names. Some of the most extremists NGOs are the already mentioned Saudi
Relief Committee, then Global Islamic Relief, International Aid
Organization, Egyptian National Aid, Saudi Islamic Committee and the
Islamic Institute. All of these organizations are known to
anti-terrorism experts.
An additional issue is with the orphans taken to Al-Qaeda's
terrorist camps in Bosnia-Herzegovina. There are videotapeps,
testimonies and documentary evidence of this. One example is the case of
Ahmed Zuharir, a.k.a. Handala, whose main contacts in B-H are Omer
Stambolic of the Federal police and Haris Silajdzic. This terrorist had
the official ID card of the organization called "Charitable
Community for Orphans," but who was he? Zuharir, a Sudanese, is a
member of the terrorist group "Gaama'a al Islamyya," and a
former member of the "El Mujahid" unit of the "Bosnian
Army." He was convicted in absentia by the B-H Federation
authorities for a car bombing in western Mostar in September 1997. Other
participants in this terrorist attack were Ali Ahmadom al-Hamadom,
a.k.a. Ubayda, of Bahrein; naturalized B-H citizen Saleh Negil Ali
El-Hil, a.k.a. Abu Yemen; Abdullah ba'Awr, a.k.a. Husayfa; and
Kal-al-Sheif, a.k.a. Suleyman.All are suspected associates of Osama bin
Laden. Handala was never caught, because the Bosnian Muslim authorities
connections to the global Islamic terror network. So, the Bosnian Muslim
authorities headed by the late Alija Izetbegovic entrusted
this notorious terrorist with the care of war orphans. Another issue
altogether are mujahid'din wives, trained for years in various
terrorist camps.
Citizens of Bosnia-Herzegovina need help, because they cannot fight
against this pestilence alone. One should be careful to differentiate
the extremists from the Muslim population in general; one of the
extremists' goals is to foment conflict between all Muslims and
modern civilization.
This is what the leaders of Al-Qaeda in Kosovo are doing. According to
expert information, the top extremists in the area are: Ramush
Haradinaj, Hashim Taqi, Ilaz Selimi, Ahmed Krasniqi (Ha
http://www.analyst-network.com/article.php?art_id=1499
<http://www.analyst-network.com/article.php?art_id=1499>
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