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| Middle East |
| Qaida men in Lebanon said directing Gaza terrorists |
| 2002-12-08 |
| The security establishment believes that activists from Al-Qaida in Lebanon are running Palestinian terrorists based in Gaza, sending them directives for their actions. Last week Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and Chief of Staff Moshe Ya'alon said Al-Qaida is trying to send terrorists to Israel and the territories. They apparently were referring to information about Al-Qaida operatives in Lebanon, refugees from the American assault on Afghanistan who are working with Hezbollah to send directives for operations to terrorists in Gaza. News about this popped out back in January, when a Yemeni named Salah Hajir showed up in Lebanon to coordinate with Usbat al-Ansar, in Ain el-Hilweh. Military Intelligence believes that despite the American operations in Afghanistan, Al-Qaida operatives are still active there and are involved in trying to establish terrorist cells in the territories. Actually, it's world-wide, but I guess that would include the territories. I don't think the actual brains are still in Afghanistan, though. They moved to Karachi and now seem to have moved on, probably to either Yemen or Bangladesh. There was a rumor on FoxNews that Ayman was in Bangla for the exploding theaters a day or two ago. Their main route is through Lebanon. Directives to a Lebanese cell of Muslim extremists who tried to blow up the Allenby Bridge and to attack Christian pilgrims on the Millennium eve, also reached them through Lebanon, and with help from the Hezbollah. Hezbollah's very helpful in these matters. I don't think it's a formal alliance, though — just traveling in the same direction... Over the weekend both the Hezbollah and the Palestinian Authority's Preventive Security apparatus issued denials of Sharon's and Ya'alon's charges and claimed there is no Al-Qaida connection to Hezbollah or to Gazans. But the defense establishment believes that both the Hezbollah and the PA were quick to disassociate themselves from any identification with Osama bin Laden, lest it spark a vehement American reaction. They still remember the daisy cutters. Remember Yasser's expression in the immediate aftermath of 9-11? He could see the end of terrorism staring him in the face, and himself with it... Meanwhile, sentencing will be handed down soon in the case of Nabil Ukal, arrested two and a half years ago at the Rafah border crossing, on his way to a bin Laden training base in Afghanistan. Ukal, a Jabalya refugee camp resident, is on trial at the military tribunal at the Erez junction. He admitted to most of the charges against him, as part of a plea bargain. This isn't a hard indication of Qaeda involvement with the Paleoterrorists. The arrest was two and a half years ago, and the bin Laden boyz were recruiting Paleos just as readily as they were recruiting Yemenis, Uzbeks or Libyans. Abu Zubaydah's a Paleostinian, too... After he was arrested, the Shin Bet described Ukal as bin Laden's emissary to the territories to establish an Al-Qaida network. The corrected charge sheet, however, accuses Ukal of undergoing weapons and sabotage training outside the territories, contacts with a hostile organization and conspiracy to commit a crime. The indictment does not mention the kinds of plotting the Shin Bet ascribed to him when he was arrested, but does detail Ukal's activities in Pakistan and Afghanistan. The fact that they were taken off the charge sheet doesn't mean they didn't happen — only that they could get a good enough sentence without them. Willie Sutton used to rob banks because that's where the money was; al-Qaeda would want to open a branch office in Paleostine because that's where the crazed killers are — and the Zionist targets. According to the charges, Ukal first went to Pakistan in October 1997, first to undergo training in a base run by Al Ansar, an extremist Islamic group in Kashmir. That would be Harkat ul-Ansar. It's since been superceded by Harakat ul-Mujahedeen. It's leader, Fazlur Rehman Khalil, was a signatory of Binny's declaration of war. Khalil set off for Afghanistan last November to kill infidels, survived the experience — unlike most of those who went with him — and was last seen ducking out the back door last January as the coppers were banging on his front door. From there he was sent by a Palestinian clergyman to Kabul, where Ukal met with a man dubbed only Abu Hamza, described as a bin Laden assistant. They went through a month-long training course in bomb-making and missiles at a bin Laden camp in Jalalabad. He was in touch with activists linked to the World Jihad in the U.S., Britain and Pakistan, receiving instructions from them on how to establish an independent terror network in the Gaza Strip on his return. Abu Hamza's a pretty common name. The first one that pops to mind is Abu Hamza al-Masri, but it's probably not him. He's the Finsbury Mosque mullah, wanted in Yemen on terrorism charges. A Jaish e-Mohammad statement, threatening dire revenge against India back in January was signed by an Abu Hamza, so it could be him. Back in Gaza in July 1998, he met with Hamas leader Sheikh Yassin, reporting to him on the overseas training. Ukal began establishing his network, helped with $10,000 from Yassin. The infrastructure, which operated secretly. was not connected with the Hamas military wing. Yassin also helped pay for a planned trip by Ukal and other activists to Pakistan, but Ukal was arrested by the Shin Bet before he could leave the country. Shin Bet's got a good operation going there. I often wonder why they don't just kill Sheikh Yassin, but I guess they can just build their Who's Who in Terrorland list by watching his movements. It's interesting that Yassin was willing to fund a worth cause that wasn't under his control, too. Gotta think about that one... Security sources said in the past they do not believe Yassin knew that Ukal was also working for bin Laden, even though he did know in general about the training. Ukal also admitted, as part of the plea bargain, that he planned to bomb Israeli markets and kidnap a soldier. He also tried recruiting two Israeli Arab members of the Islamic Movement in Israel, planning to send them overseas for terrorist training. Prior to 9-11, even Sheikh Yassin probably didn't tag the al-Qaeda operation with the importance it's assumed since. He probably just saw it as a way to get some good field training for the local thugs at a cut-rate price. |
| Posted by:Fred Pruitt |