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| Caribbean-Latin America | |
| Al Qaeda's South American Sanctuary | |
| 2004-08-12 | |
August 12, 2004: Even before September 11, 2001, FBI agents, and security officials from several other countries, have been searching for Islamic terrorists, or their supporters, in Ciudad del Este, a small Paraguayan town on the "Triple Frontier" (where the borders of Paraguay, Argentina and Brazil meet.) The area, and especially the town of Ciudad del Este, has long been known as a center for smuggling, and all sorts of illegal activity. Many of the practitioners in the illegal trade are from Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, Syria and Egypt, or descended from Middle Eastern migrants. The Middle Eastern community in the area amounts to over 12,000 people. Not all of them are there legally. There is a brisk trade in false passports and other documents. Weapons, drugs, money laundering, human trafficking (for body organs and prostitution) cassette, CD and DVD piracy and consumer goods, are what keeps this place going. Oh, and lots of corruption.
The FBI is finding that "law and order" has a different meaning here. Even before September 11, 2001, the area was known to be popular with Islamic terrorists. Iran even helped set up a branch of its Hizbollah terrorist organization in the area. But the corruption has, in a perverse way, helped. After September 11, 2001, Paraguayan police began arresting Middle Eastern merchants and accusing them of supporting terrorism. Some were guilty as charged, others were not. Payment of a large bribe was required to get released. Unfortunately, a large enough bribe can make the cops forget their Islamic prejudices and look the other way while Islamic terrorists do as they wish. While only a minority of the Moslems in the area are pro-terrorism, there is a reluctance within the Moslem community to informing on one of their own. Paraguay doesn't want to become a center for international terrorism, but it doesn't want to lose the economic benefits of Ciudad del Este, or the Moslem community that helps keep it going. American Special Forces troops spend a lot of time in Paraguay "training." The FBI moves around openly, and it is assumed that the CIA is all over the place as well. Making the most of a bad situation, all these undercover cops are trying to develop an informer network within the Moslem community. No one is issuing press releases about how successful this has been. However, there have not been a lot of attacks, by Islamic terrorists, in South America in the past three years. So whatever is being done about Ciudad del Este, it's having some effect on terrorism. | |
| Posted by:Steve |