IRAN'S AL QAEDA CONNECTION IN YEMEN *** Jai Maharaj posts
and/or www.mantra.com/jai
Pretending the problem doesn't exist won't make it go away
Editorial
The Washington Times
Tuesday, January 5, 2010
The attempted Christmas Day underwear bombing of Northwest Flight 253
may have Iranian fingerprints, but those are dots the Obama
administration doesn't want to connect.
Iran and al Qaeda have made mutual war on America in Yemen before. In
November 2008, Western security officials intercepted a letter signed
by bin Laden deputy Ayman al-Zawahiri thanking Iran for its "vision"
in helping al Qaeda establish a foothold in Yemen after being routed
from Iraq and Saudi Arabia. The terror leader praised Tehran for its
"monetary and infrastructure assistance" related to a September 2008
attack on the U.S. Embassy in Yemen's capital Sana'a. Sixteen people
were killed in the attack, which featured machine gun and rocket fire
supporting a double suicide car bombing.
Last January, Saudi Guantanamo alumnus Mohammed Atiq Awayd al-Harbi
(a.k.a. al-Awfi, or detainee No. 333) turned up in a videotape as a
leader of the newly formed al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, the
organization that recruited Flight 253 bomber Umar Farouk
Abdulmutallab. Al-Awfi had been released to Saudi custody in 2007 and
went through Saudi jihadist deprogramming before being set free. He
turned himself back in to Saudi authorities in February 2009 and
testified that Iran was involved in supporting Shi'ite rebels in
Yemen, and was also making cash available to al Qaeda.
Some intelligence analysts downplay the idea of cooperation between
al Qaeda and Iran because the two are ideological foes. But both
detest the United States and have mutual interest in collaborative
efforts that hurt U.S. interests. Iran has provided a safe haven -
Tehran calls it "house arrest" - to scores of al Qaeda operatives
since the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. One of Osama bin
Laden's wives, six children and 11 grandchildren are reportedly
living in Iran. Former Guantanamo detainee No. 372, Said Ali al-
Shiri, who like al Awfi joined al Qaeda in Yemen after Saudi
deprogramming, had been in Iran shortly before being picked up by
Coalition forces in 2001. Al Shiri was reportedly killed in an air
strike in Yemen in December 2009 and may have been one of the
planners of the attempted Flight 253 underwear bombing.
Iran has durable ties to the Shi'ite Houthi rebels operating in North
Yemen, who are linked to al Qaeda according to Ali Mohamed al-Ansi,
director of the Yemeni National Security Bureau. Yemen has seized
vessels with Iranian crews smuggling arms to the country, and Yemeni
officers involved in weapons trafficking have confessed to Iran's
involvement. In November, Houthi rebel leaders met in Yemen with an
official from the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps and leaders of
Tehran-backed Hezbollah, which reportedly is active in Yemen.
On Dec. 23, Yemeni House Speaker Shaykh Yahya Ali al-Rai said in an
interview with the Saudi press that Iranian support for insurgents in
Yemen was "beyond any doubt" and that "Iranian interference aims
primarily at transforming Yemen into an arena for settling political
scores." Tehran most likely seeks to make Yemen an arena for the kind
of proxy wars already being waged in Lebanon, Gaza, Iraq and
Afghanistan.
The Obama administration, eager to curry favor with the Islamic
regime in Tehran, has downplayed the Iranian connection to al Qaeda
in Yemen. In December, Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern
Affairs Jeffrey Feltman noted "theories" of Iranian involvement in
Yemen, but said the United States does not have "independent
information" corroborating them. In any case, he said it was in the
"collective interest" of countries in the region to "narrow" the
conflict in Yemen, though this assertion seems more based on a
fervent wish for peace than a realistic assessment of Iranian
interests.
Al Qaeda's interests are obvious. At his confirmation hearing in May,
Mr. Feltman said that the United States is "deploying new approaches
to the threat posed by Iran with our eyes wide open and with no
illusions." The Obama team might want to open their eyes a little
wider.
More at:
http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2010/jan/06/irans-al-qaeda-connection-in-yemen/
Jai Maharaj, Jyotishi
Om Shanti
o Not for commercial use. Solely to be fairly used for the educational
purposes of research and open discussion. The contents of this post may not
have been authored by, and do not necessarily represent the opinion of the
poster. The contents are protected by copyright law and the exemption for
fair use of copyrighted works.
o If you send private e-mail to me, it will likely not be read,
considered or answered if it does not contain your full legal name, current
e-mail and postal addresses, and live-voice telephone number.
o Posted for information and discussion. Views expressed by others are
not necessarily those of the poster who may or may not have read the article.
FAIR USE NOTICE: This article may contain copyrighted material the use of
which may or may not have been specifically authorized by the copyright
owner. This material is being made available in efforts to advance the
understanding of environmental, political, human rights, economic,
democratic, scientific, social, and cultural, etc., issues. It is believed
that this constitutes a 'fair use' of any such copyrighted material as
provided for in section 107 of the US Copyright Law. In accordance with Title
17 U.S.C. Section 107, the material on this site is distributed without
profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included
information for research, comment, discussion and educational purposes by
subscribing to USENET newsgroups or visiting web sites. For more information
go to: http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.shtml
If you wish to use copyrighted material from this article for purposes of
your own that go beyond 'fair use', you must obtain permission from the
copyright owner.
Since newsgroup posts are being removed
by forgery by one or more net terrorists,
this post may be reposted several times.