October 13, 2008

August 18, 2005

The Balkan terrorist connection

By Douglas Hanson

The revelations concerning the previous administration's efforts to subvert our anti—terror operations are confirming the worst suspicions of some critics branded as Clinton—haters or conspiracy theorists.  Now comes a report from The Cybercast News Service (CNS)  that confirms the Clinton national security team's incompetence and deception during the Balkan wars.

Over a year ago, I noted that Clinton tried to have it both ways while trying to be the peacemaker during the break—up of the former Yugoslavia.  He publicly supported sanctions that would stop the importation of weapons and other 'aid' into the battle zone, while looking the other way as hundreds of Muhjadeen and weapons from Middle Eastern countries flowed in to help the Bosniac Muslims in their fight for independence.

Naturally, the best of liberal intentions resulted in Bosnia becoming a 'one—stop shop' for training and supporting terrorists on Europe's doorstep.  In other words, Bosnia is now a terrorist way—station, where fighters can pick up guns, money, and forged documents.  The foundation for this network, of course, was established by the 'Muslim foreign fighters' who settled in Bosnia after the war.  The US legacy media has largely ignored this story, but now CNS staff writer Sherrie Gossett reinforces what readers of AT had learned in July of last year.

Gossett has interviewed Balkan experts who have been monitoring the situation, and she puts names to some of the terrorist players and Muslim 'charities' who are present or who have passed through the Bosnian terrorist support network.  Among the worst:

  •  Convicted terrorist Karim Said Atmani recently returned to Bosnia after being released early from French prison.  Atmani, a Moroccan, was linked to the "millennium bomb plot" and convicted by a French court of working with Osama bin Laden.

  •  Abu el Maali, is a foreign national who fought in the Bosnia war and is still there.  El Maali was later accused by French authorities of attempting to smuggle explosives in 1998 to an Egyptian terrorist group plotting to destroy U.S. military installations in Germany.  He is also accused of leading terrorist cells in Bosnia, Pakistan and Afghanistan.

  •  In 2002, the U.S. Treasury Department reported that the Bosnia office of Al—Haramain was linked to Al—Gama'at al—Islamiyya, an Egyptian terrorist group that was a signatory to bin Laden's Feb. 23, 1998, fatwa —— or religious edict —— against the United States.


    Over ten years later, Gossett provides specifics as to who was involved with these Muhajadeen.  She quotes Christopher Brown, a research associate with the Transitions to Democracy Project at the Hudson Institute, who said,

    'Al Qaeda cells were set up in Bosnia in the early 1990s by Ayman al Zawahiri, Osama bin Laden's right—hand man, and bin Laden was said to visit the area twice in the mid—1990s."

    Brown also noted that,

    'Iran was very involved in supporting the Islamist separatist movement in Bosnia, and Hezbollah was doing training there in the 1990s."

    An opposing viewpoint is also presented in the article.  Marko Attila Hoare, research fellow at the Faculty of History at the University of Cambridge, seems to think that the notion of Jihadist camps is greatly exaggerated.  He also thinks that the effort to spread extremist Jihad into Bosnia has been a failure.  But defense analyst Frederick Peterson sees in differently:

    "There doesn't need to be a majority to be a threat.  When push comes to shove, they will identify with the side most like them and either be silent, harbor or abet," Peterson said.  "We know that the Mujahadeen in Bosnia were al Qaeda and Iranian—sponsored, and they are still there today." [emphasis added]

    In preparation for the handover from the US, the EU and UN had to admit that serious problems with terrorist networks still existed in the region.  For this reason, hundreds of US intelligence operatives have had to remain in the Balkans even though our ground troops departed late last year.  At least for a few hundred Americans, the Bosnian quagmire continues.

    It's difficult to predict the fallout from the 9—11 Commission cover—ups, and the reaction to these new details on the Balkan terror network.  It's entirely possible that more people who observed, or had a hand in the operations of the Clinton national security apparatus will continue to come forward to expose the true nature of the former President's deceptions in dealing with terrorists.

    This may be the beginning of something big.  Brace yourself — it's going to be a bumpy ride.

    Douglas Hanson is our national security correspondent.

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