The ambiguous US-Iran relationship and its deadly effect in
Bosnia-Hercegovina
[Note: while distributing this very interesting article, we warn the
reader that the role of the State of Israel and Mossad in the Bosnian
fratricidal conflict is likely to have been much much more complicated
than explained here.
Israel never officially complained about the islamists' engagement in
the Balkans, nor took any effective action to contrast the
anti-Yugoslav forces all over the Yugoslav desintegration process.
Right on the contrary, many influential friends of the Israeli
governments openly supported the destruction of Yugoslavia through
demonizing the Serbs (e.g. Elie Wiesel and the bunch of well-known
French "intellectuals").
More recently, the Israeli Ambassador in Belgrade even played an
active role in supporting the 2001 "putsch" and the present colonial
government, both of which finally brought to deleting "Yugoslavia"
from the world maps. Israeli Ambassador Yoran Shani was thus decorated
by Kostunica with the Yugoslav Star of First Degree "for exceptional
merits in developing and improving interstate relations" (Tanjug,
3/3/2003). I.S.]
http://emperors-clothes.com/analysis/deja.htm
Emperor's Clothes [ www.tenc.net ]
========================================================
* U.S. & Iran: Enemies in Public but Secret Allies in Terror *
The US and Iran have long cooperated to sponsor Islamist terror
by Jared Israel, Francisco Gil-White,
Petar Makara, and Nico Varkevisser
[Posted 13 April 2003]
========================================================
[ www.tenc.net ]
In a speech dated 31 March, US Secretary of State Colin Powell accused
Iran of supporting terrorists. And, said Powell, "Tehran must stop
pursuing weapons of mass destruction and the means to deliver them."
An Iranian government spokesman dismissed Powell's remarks, saying:
"The anti-Iran overture of the U.S. officials emanated from
Washington's failure in its military scenario in Iraq." [1]
And a Foreign Ministry spokesman added, "The U.S. unwavering support
of Israel's state terrorism is a clear proof of U.S. double
standards..." [2]
=====================
* Do harsh words mean war? *
=====================
Some critics of the US-British war in Iraq point to this exchange and
to other statements, made by certain so-called neoconservatives,
associated with the Pentagon. Based on the hostile statements made by
the so-called neoconservatives and State Department people on the one
side, and by Iranian leaders, on the other side, pundits of the left
and right assure us that a) the war in Iraq is directed against Islam,
and b) "Iran is next."
We have shown that *on the ground* Iran has quietly supported the US
invasion. Odd behavior for a government that expects to be "next". [3]
But aside from that, the problem with the "Iran-is-next" argument is
that harsh statements by top officials may be insincere. They may be
intended to divert attention from the real situation, and/or to focus
blame on a third party, a scapegoat (such as, for example, Israel).
It is even possible for intelligence officials from the US and Iran to
meet for the purpose of planning public displays of mutual hostility
aimed at diverting public awareness and scapegoating Israel.
Does that sound extreme? Read on...
========================
* Public enemies, private friends *
========================
Contrary to the mainstream media and supposed critics of US policy
alike, Iran and the US have *not* had purely hostile relations since
the overthrow of the Shah 24 years ago.
Rather, the US and Iran have had a complex relationship which includes
attacking each other publicly even while they cooperate covertly to
carry out sundry nefarious schemes.
That is precisely what happened in Bosnia in the early 1990s.
Let us look at the facts.
First, what sorts of insults did the US and Iran trade in the early
1990s?
Second, how do those compare to the insults they are trading *now*?
And third, in the early 1990s, were the US and Iran friends or enemies
on the ground in Bosnia?
=================
* Déjà vu all over again *
=================
On 31 March 1993, UPI published a dispatch, entitled, "Iran Strongly
Rejects 'International Outlaw' Label." [3A]
Some of it is quoted below. If you check back to what Powell and the
Iranians said a couple of weeks ago, you will see that the 1993
insults were almost identical.
[Start 1993 UPI dispatch]
Iran reacted sharply Wednesday to remarks by U.S. Secretary of State
Warren Christopher describing the Islamic Republic as an international
outlaw and a supporter of terrorism, the Iranian state news agency
IRNA said.
A Foreign Ministry spokesman in Tehran described Christopher's remarks
as ''unfounded, worthless and an indication of confusion in
Washington's foreign policy,'' an IRNA dispatch monitored in Athens
said.
...[Secretary of State Christopher] also accused Iran of trying to
acquire weapons of mass destruction.
The Iranian official said...Christopher's statement was ''aimed at
diverting world public opinion from Washington's full-scale support
for Israeli-sponsored state terrorism and for terrorist activities
against those countries which oppose U.S. domination...''
[End 1993 UPI dispatch]
Replace 'Warren Christopher' with 'Colin Powell' and 1993 sounds
eerily like 2003.
===================
* Same script, same villain *
===================
Note that in both cases, the Iranian fundamentalists shift the attack
from the US to Israel. The intended message is that the US does indeed
do bad things but that that is *because of* Israel.
Please also note that the same thing is now being said by many right
wing and left wing critics of US policy.
Christopher calls Iran a "supporter of terrorism," and the unnamed
Iranian official replies that Christopher is only trying to divert
people from US support for Israeli actions. Thus the argument ends up
focused on... Israel.
But in 1993 Iran was not sponsoring terrorism against Israel *only*.
It was sponsoring terrorism against Bosnia too.
========================================================
* Dutch report: Pentagon secret service directed Iran's Bosnian
terror. *
========================================================
Last year the Dutch government produced a report on Bosnia compiled
based on an extensive study of intelligence documents.
Below is an excerpt from a (London) Guardian article summarizing the
Dutch report: [4]
[Start Guardian excerpt]
Now we have the full story of the secret alliance between the Pentagon
and radical Islamist groups from the Middle East designed to assist
the Bosnian Muslims...[Meaning, the Muslim faction led by Alija
Izetbegovic, which attacked the Bosnian Serbs, unlike the faction led
by the more popular Fikret Abdic, which allied with the Bosnian Serbs
- EC]
In both Afghanistan and the Gulf, the Pentagon had incurred debts to
Islamist groups and their Middle Eastern sponsors. By 1993 these
groups, many supported by Iran and Saudi Arabia, were anxious to help
Bosnian Muslims fighting in the former Yugoslavia and called in their
debts with the Americans. Bill Clinton and the Pentagon were keen to
be seen as creditworthy and repaid in the form of an Iran-Contra style
operation - in flagrant violation of the UN security council arms
embargo against all combatants in the former Yugoslavia.
The result was a vast secret conduit of weapons smuggling though
Croatia.
This was arranged by the clandestine agencies of the US, Turkey and
Iran, together with a range of radical Islamist groups, including
Afghan mojahedin and the pro-Iranian Hizbullah...
Arms purchased by Iran and Turkey with the financial backing of Saudi
Arabia made their way by night from the Middle East...The report
stresses that the US was "very closely involved" in the airlift.
Mojahedin fighters were also flown in, but they were reserved as shock
troops for especially hazardous operations....
Rather than the CIA, the Pentagon's own secret service was the hidden
force behind these operations...
When these [weapon] shipments were noticed, Americans pressured
UNPROFOR to rewrite reports, and when Norwegian officials protested
about the flights, they were reportedly threatened into silence.
Meanwhile, the secret services of Ukraine, Greece and Israel were busy
arming the Bosnian Serbs. Mossad was especially active and concluded a
deal with the Bosnian Serbs at Pale...
[End Guardian excerpt]
In the above text, author Richard Aldrich puts a remarkable spin on
the Dutch report.
He argues that the US was pressured into supporting Islamist terror in
Bosnia because it had to make good on debts to Islamic terrorists,
linked to Iran and Saudi Arabia.
That is quite a statement.
Look what Aldrich is conceding: that US intelligence had been working
closely with Saudi and Iranian-backed terrorists (e.g., the 'Afghan
Arabs' and Hizballah) *prior to Bosnia* and that the US did not want
to damage those relationships.
Aldrich claims that this is why the U.S. helped out in Bosnia - to
keep those relationships alive.
But in the same article, Aldrich states that, according to the Dutch
report, the US *controlled* the Bosnian terror operations:
"Rather than the CIA, the Pentagon's own secret service was the hidden
force behind these operations..."
This makes Aldrich's argument preposterous. It would be one thing to
say that the U.S. turned a blind eye to terrorist activities because
it didn't want to alienate these terrorists and their backers in Saudi
Arabia and Iran. But it is quite a different thing to claim the US
took the initiative in organizing and coordinating a massive terrorist
assault just to keep terrorist organizations happy. The fact that the
Pentagon was the "hidden force behind these operations" shows that the
Islamist terrorist assault on Bosnia was important US Establishment
*policy*, not some weird fence-mending diplomacy.
The kind of spin in the Guardian article is often put forward when
U.S. intelligence is caught organizing horrific activities. It is the
Bumbling Bear Argument - U.S. intelligence does not *mean* to do bad
things - it is naive and clumsy and therefore miscalculates, or
foolishly tries to repay old debts, or isn't aware whom it is dealing
with, or whatever.
(As discussed in "Worst kept secrets of the bumbling bear," the same
sort of argument was made when the news broke that the CIA had been
created by recruiting *thousands* of war criminals from Nazi
intelligence. We were told that CIA Director Allen Dulles was
supposedly fooled...poor bear...) [4A]
========================================================
At this point in the article as posted Online, there is a picture,
scanned from the (London) Times. It shows row upon row of soldiers,
armed with rifles, marching in formation. The unusual thing is, they
are wearing white, Arab-style clothing and they sport headbands with
slogans written in Arabic. You may view the picture at
http://emperors-clothes.com/analysis/deja.htm#pic
Here is the caption:
Photo Caption: These soldiers are not Arabs. They are Bosnian Muslims,
that is, Slavs whose ancestors converted to Islam during the reign of
the Ottoman Empire.
Before the 1990s, people in Bosnia would have laughed at this sight,
thinking these men were going to a costume ball. But nobody was
laughing in 1995. The caption reads, "One of the Bosnian Army's Muslim
brigades marches through Zenica in a demonstration of strength by
10,000 soldiers." (London Times, 11 December 1995.)
This photograph was published in some Western newspapers, but only
once. Indeed, the Western media published very little about the fierce
fundamentalism of the Bosnian 'government' or about the money, weapons
and thousands of terrorists shipped into Bosnia by Iran, Saudi Arabia,
Pakistan and other Islamist states. And none of the media mentioned
that the Pentagon was coordinating this violent onslaught. Nor did the
media tell people that Bosnian Muslims were divided and that a large
number of them were allied with the Bosnian Serbs.
Deprived of this basic information, bombarded with media reports
describing an imaginary secular government in Sarajevo, most people in
the West had no understanding of what was happening in Bosnia. They
had no basis on which to reject editorials like the one that appeared
on 9 May 1993 in The Scotsman.
The Scotsman and other Western newspapers mocked the Bosnian Serbs,
claiming they suffered from a supposed cultural paranoia concerning
Muslims in general and Bosnian Muslim fundamentalist leader Alija
Izetbegovic and his followers in particular.
The Scotsman wrote with heavy sarcasm: "The essentially secular Muslim
credentials of President Alija Izetbegovic are seen as evidence of a
plot to establish a fundamentalist Muslim state in Europe...an Islamic
fundamentalist conspiracy which, in turn, no doubt, will be joined by
Anglo American aggressors."
But as the Dutch government report indicates, the Serbs were quite
right about the Anglo-American aggressors. And as for Mr.
Izetbegovic's "secular credentials," he was openly a passionate
devotee of the Ayatollah Khomeini. He believed it was an act of virtue
to establish Islamic rule by violence. We have posted some of the
thoughts of President Izetbegovic, so you can see for yourself. [8]
Were the Serbs paranoid? Keep in mind that the men in the picture
above, dressed as holy warriors, were part of Alija Izetbegovic's
army...
========================================================
The US & Iran, Allies in Terror - Part 2
========================================================
In Part 1, the authors contrasted the fierce verbal attacks US and
Iranian leaders made on one another in 1993 and 2003 - and found they
were identical. In each case, the US Secretary of State (Powell or
Christopher) accused Iran of supporting terror and Iran accused the US
of supporting Israel, which, said the Iranians, was a terrorist state.
According to a Dutch report issued last year, in 1993, at the same
time the US and Iran were trading insults, the Pentagon was
coordinating a giant Iranian, Saudi, Pakistani onslaught on Bosnia.
This included thousands of Mujahideen (Islamic fundamentalist
terrorists) who trained and indoctrinated the Bosnian Muslim army and
spearheaded terrorist attacks. The article continues...
-- John Flaherty
==================
Hazardous operations...
==================
The Guardian says the Mujahideen shipped into Bosnia "were reserved as
shock troops for especially hazardous operations." This is an
imprecise formulation. What was the practical function of these
Mujahideen?
A London Telegraph article reported on the takeover of the Bosnian
town of Fojnica by the Mujahideen. The Telegraph reports that the
Mujahideen trained and led the Bosnian 'government's' infamous Handzar
division. The rank and file consisted of Bosnian and Albanian Muslims
who were following the tradition of local Muslims who joined the
German Nazi Waffen SS during World War II. The Mujahideen trained
other Bosnian troops as well (see pictures,
http://www.emperors-clothes.com/analysis/deja.htm#pic ). [5]
[Start excerpt from Telegraph article] [6]
These are the men of the Handzar division. "We do everything with the
knife, and we always fight on the frontline," a Handzar told one UN
officer.
Up to 6000-strong, the Handzar division glories in a fascist culture.
They see themselves as the heirs of the SS Handzar division, formed by
Bosnian Muslims in 1943 to fight for the Nazis. Their spiritual model
was Mohammed Amin al-Husseini, the Grand Mufti of Jerusalem who sided
with Hitler... [7]
They are trained and led by veterans from Afghanistan and Pakistan,
say UN sources. The strong presence of native Albanians is an ominous
sign. It could mean the seeds of war are spreading south via Kosovo
and into Albania, thence to the Albanians of Macedonia.
Pakistani fundamentalists are known to have had a strong hand in
providing arms and a small weapons industry for the Bosnian Muslims.
Hardline elements of the Bosnian army, like the Handzar, appear to
have the backing of an increasingly extreme leadership in Sarajevo...
[End excerpt from Telegraph article]
The "hazardous operations" of the mujahideen leading these Handzar
troops included terrorist attacks on the non-Muslim population of
Bosnia. (And remember, it was *Pentagon intelligence* which, according
to the Dutch government report, coordinated these "hazardous
operations"! )
Describing the work of the mujahideen who dominated the town of
Fojnica, the Telegraph reports:
[Start excerpt from Telegraph article]
"The first political act in this new operation appears to have been
the murder of the two monks in the monastery. Last month Brother
Nikola Milicevic, 39, and Brother Mato Migic, 56, were surprised by a
four-man squad.
After an argument, Brother Nikola was shot dead on the spot. His
colleague was only wounded, but finished off by a shot in the neck.
[6]
[End excerpt from Telegraph article]
Terrorist attacks such as the execution of the two Christian monks
were intended to a) assert mujahideen control and b) exacerbate
Christian-Muslim tensions, thus pushing rank-and-file Muslims into the
Islamist camp. Thus, the presence of *thousands* of these terrorists
had an immense impact on Bosnia, whose total population was at the
time only about 4.3 million. [6A]
As Francisco Gil-White points out in the article, "Moderate Democrat
or Radical Islamist?" this jibes with the methods advocated by Bosnian
leader Alija Izetbegovic. [8]
==================================
What are we to make of Warren Christopher?
==================================
Warren Christopher, US Secretary of State in 1993, seems like a
mild-mannered man, almost painfully polite. But don't judge a book by
its cover.
At the very time that Christopher's government was coordinating
Iranian and Saudi terror in Bosnia, he was was engaged in a dramatic
battle of words with Iranian leaders over Iranian terrorism!
What can we say about Mr. Warren Christopher?
We can say that he was lying to divert the world's attention from mass
murder and the destruction of a secular society, sponsored and
coordinated by Pentagon intelligence.
==========
Conclusion
==========
[Start quote from Los Angeles Times]
Beginning in 1992, as many as 4,000 volunteers from throughout North
Africa, the Middle East and Europe came to Bosnia to fight Serbian and
Croatian nationalists on behalf of fellow Muslims. They are known as
the moujahedeen. A military analyst called them "pretty good fighters
and certainly ruthless." [9]
[End quote from Los Angeles Times]
Perhaps one day the US may come into military conflict with Iran. But
one *cannot* deduce this merely from the harsh things that the US and
Iran say about one another in public. And if the US does ever come
into military conflict with Iran, you can be sure of one thing: it
will *not* be because Iran supports Islamist terror.
One last thought. As you will recall, in 1993, the Iranians charged
that American public condemnations of Iran were aimed at:
"...diverting world public opinion from Washington's full-scale
support for Israeli-sponsored state terrorism and for terrorist
activities against those countries which oppose U.S. domination...''
But as the Dutch report shows, at the very time that an Iranian
official uttered these words, the US was in fact providing full-scale
support for *Iranian-sponsored* state terrorist activities against the
Bosnian Serbs. And it was the Serbs who opposed U.S. domination.
And, according to the Dutch report, it was Ukraine, Greece and
*Israel* which provided the Bosnian Serbs with arms to resist this
attack by *thousands* of mujahideen and the local Islamic
fundamentalist troops they led.
Some of these mujahideen were from the pro-Iranian Hizballah, which
specializes in attacking Israel, and some were battle-hardened from
fighting the Reds in Afghanistan. Those would be the infamous 'Afghan
Arabs'.
But wait. Don't we have a name for the 'Afghan Arabs' whom Iran and
Pakistan and Saudi Arabia were shipping into Bosnia and whose
terrorist actions Pentagon intelligence was coordinating?
Why yes, we do.
It's Al Qaeda.
=====
At this point in the text, as posted Online, there is a photo of a man
with a beard in military camafloge dress. You can view the picture at
http://www.emperors-clothes.com/analysis/deja.htm#pic-a
The caption follows.
* Photo Caption * To the left, Abu Abdel Aziz, leader of mujahideen
terrorists/trainers in Bosnia. The photo appeared in Newsweek, 5
October 1992, with an article entitled, ''Help from the Holy
Warriors.'' The London Times wrote that "Aziz claimed to have spent
six years fighting in Afghanistan, and had also seen service as a
'holy warrior' in the Philippines, Kashmir and Africa." (9 May 1993).
And nine years later, the Gulf News had him leading terrorists who
kidnapped European and Asian tourists in Philippines. (5 July 2002 )
***
Jared Israel
Francisco Gil-White
Petar Makara
Nico Varkevisser
The Editors, Emperor's Clothes
========================
Footnotes and Further Reading
========================
[1] Supplied by BBC Worldwide Monitoring March 31, 2003, Monday;
Headline: Iranian media behaviour 0600 - 1400 gmt, 31 March 03;
Source: BBC Monitoring research in English 28 Mar 03; Iranian Radio
[2] BBC Monitoring Middle East - Political Supplied by BBC Worldwide
Monitoring March 31, 2003, Monday; Headline: Iran rejects Colin
Powell's terrorism accusations as baseless; source: IRNA news agency,
Tehran, in English 1527 gmt 31 Mar 03; Text of report in English by
Iranian news agency IRNA
[3] See "Reader Says: 'EC is Wrong; Iran is not Helping the US in
Iraq.'" http://emperors-clothes.com/analysis/seale.htm
[3A] United Press International March 31, 1993, Wednesday, BC cycle
Section: International Headline: Iran Strongly Rejects ''International
Outlaw'' Label Byline: By Ralph Joseph Dateline: Athens, Greece
[4] To read the Guardian article, go to "Dutch Report: Us Sponsored
Foreign Islamists In Bosnia," at
http://emperors-clothes.com/analysis/used.htm
[4A] Regarding the significance of the creation of the CIA out of
thousands of Nazi war criminals, see "Worst kept secrets of a bumbling
bear," at http://emperors-clothes.com/docs/gehlen2.htm
[5] A Bosnian Islamist newspaper commerorates the Bosnian Waffen SS
Division knowns as 'Handzar' (Scimitar). See, "Himmler was their
Defender!" http://emperors-clothes.com/bosnia/svijet.htm
[6] Daily Telegraph 29 December 1993; Headline: Albanians and Afghans
fight for the heirs to Bosnia's SS past; Byline: Robert Fox; Dateline:
Fojnica, Bosnia-Herzegovina
[6A] http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/00031513.htm
[7] "'Palestine Is Our Land And The Jews Are Our Dogs' -
Anti-Semitism, Misinformation, And The Whitewashing Of The Palestinian
Leadership" by Francisco J. Gil-White
http://emperors-clothes.com/gilwhite/Israel.htm#part2
[8] "Moderate Democrat or Radical Islamist?: Who is Alija Izetbegovic,
the man the US sponsored in Bosnia?" by Francisco Gil-White
http://www.emperors-clothes.com/gilwhite/alija1.htm
[9] Los Angeles Times October 7, 2001; Section: Part A; Part 1; Page
1; National Desk Headline: Response To Terror; Bosnia Seen As
Hospitable Base And Sanctuary For Terrorists; Byline: Craig Pyes, Josh
Meyer, William C. Rempel, Times Staff Writers; Dateline: Zenica,
Bosnia-Herzegovina
Emperor's Clothes * [ www.tenc.net ]
This Website is mirrored at
http://emperor.vwh.net/
Bosnia-Hercegovina
[Note: while distributing this very interesting article, we warn the
reader that the role of the State of Israel and Mossad in the Bosnian
fratricidal conflict is likely to have been much much more complicated
than explained here.
Israel never officially complained about the islamists' engagement in
the Balkans, nor took any effective action to contrast the
anti-Yugoslav forces all over the Yugoslav desintegration process.
Right on the contrary, many influential friends of the Israeli
governments openly supported the destruction of Yugoslavia through
demonizing the Serbs (e.g. Elie Wiesel and the bunch of well-known
French "intellectuals").
More recently, the Israeli Ambassador in Belgrade even played an
active role in supporting the 2001 "putsch" and the present colonial
government, both of which finally brought to deleting "Yugoslavia"
from the world maps. Israeli Ambassador Yoran Shani was thus decorated
by Kostunica with the Yugoslav Star of First Degree "for exceptional
merits in developing and improving interstate relations" (Tanjug,
3/3/2003). I.S.]
http://emperors-clothes.com/analysis/deja.htm
Emperor's Clothes [ www.tenc.net ]
========================================================
* U.S. & Iran: Enemies in Public but Secret Allies in Terror *
The US and Iran have long cooperated to sponsor Islamist terror
by Jared Israel, Francisco Gil-White,
Petar Makara, and Nico Varkevisser
[Posted 13 April 2003]
========================================================
[ www.tenc.net ]
In a speech dated 31 March, US Secretary of State Colin Powell accused
Iran of supporting terrorists. And, said Powell, "Tehran must stop
pursuing weapons of mass destruction and the means to deliver them."
An Iranian government spokesman dismissed Powell's remarks, saying:
"The anti-Iran overture of the U.S. officials emanated from
Washington's failure in its military scenario in Iraq." [1]
And a Foreign Ministry spokesman added, "The U.S. unwavering support
of Israel's state terrorism is a clear proof of U.S. double
standards..." [2]
=====================
* Do harsh words mean war? *
=====================
Some critics of the US-British war in Iraq point to this exchange and
to other statements, made by certain so-called neoconservatives,
associated with the Pentagon. Based on the hostile statements made by
the so-called neoconservatives and State Department people on the one
side, and by Iranian leaders, on the other side, pundits of the left
and right assure us that a) the war in Iraq is directed against Islam,
and b) "Iran is next."
We have shown that *on the ground* Iran has quietly supported the US
invasion. Odd behavior for a government that expects to be "next". [3]
But aside from that, the problem with the "Iran-is-next" argument is
that harsh statements by top officials may be insincere. They may be
intended to divert attention from the real situation, and/or to focus
blame on a third party, a scapegoat (such as, for example, Israel).
It is even possible for intelligence officials from the US and Iran to
meet for the purpose of planning public displays of mutual hostility
aimed at diverting public awareness and scapegoating Israel.
Does that sound extreme? Read on...
========================
* Public enemies, private friends *
========================
Contrary to the mainstream media and supposed critics of US policy
alike, Iran and the US have *not* had purely hostile relations since
the overthrow of the Shah 24 years ago.
Rather, the US and Iran have had a complex relationship which includes
attacking each other publicly even while they cooperate covertly to
carry out sundry nefarious schemes.
That is precisely what happened in Bosnia in the early 1990s.
Let us look at the facts.
First, what sorts of insults did the US and Iran trade in the early
1990s?
Second, how do those compare to the insults they are trading *now*?
And third, in the early 1990s, were the US and Iran friends or enemies
on the ground in Bosnia?
=================
* Déjà vu all over again *
=================
On 31 March 1993, UPI published a dispatch, entitled, "Iran Strongly
Rejects 'International Outlaw' Label." [3A]
Some of it is quoted below. If you check back to what Powell and the
Iranians said a couple of weeks ago, you will see that the 1993
insults were almost identical.
[Start 1993 UPI dispatch]
Iran reacted sharply Wednesday to remarks by U.S. Secretary of State
Warren Christopher describing the Islamic Republic as an international
outlaw and a supporter of terrorism, the Iranian state news agency
IRNA said.
A Foreign Ministry spokesman in Tehran described Christopher's remarks
as ''unfounded, worthless and an indication of confusion in
Washington's foreign policy,'' an IRNA dispatch monitored in Athens
said.
...[Secretary of State Christopher] also accused Iran of trying to
acquire weapons of mass destruction.
The Iranian official said...Christopher's statement was ''aimed at
diverting world public opinion from Washington's full-scale support
for Israeli-sponsored state terrorism and for terrorist activities
against those countries which oppose U.S. domination...''
[End 1993 UPI dispatch]
Replace 'Warren Christopher' with 'Colin Powell' and 1993 sounds
eerily like 2003.
===================
* Same script, same villain *
===================
Note that in both cases, the Iranian fundamentalists shift the attack
from the US to Israel. The intended message is that the US does indeed
do bad things but that that is *because of* Israel.
Please also note that the same thing is now being said by many right
wing and left wing critics of US policy.
Christopher calls Iran a "supporter of terrorism," and the unnamed
Iranian official replies that Christopher is only trying to divert
people from US support for Israeli actions. Thus the argument ends up
focused on... Israel.
But in 1993 Iran was not sponsoring terrorism against Israel *only*.
It was sponsoring terrorism against Bosnia too.
========================================================
* Dutch report: Pentagon secret service directed Iran's Bosnian
terror. *
========================================================
Last year the Dutch government produced a report on Bosnia compiled
based on an extensive study of intelligence documents.
Below is an excerpt from a (London) Guardian article summarizing the
Dutch report: [4]
[Start Guardian excerpt]
Now we have the full story of the secret alliance between the Pentagon
and radical Islamist groups from the Middle East designed to assist
the Bosnian Muslims...[Meaning, the Muslim faction led by Alija
Izetbegovic, which attacked the Bosnian Serbs, unlike the faction led
by the more popular Fikret Abdic, which allied with the Bosnian Serbs
- EC]
In both Afghanistan and the Gulf, the Pentagon had incurred debts to
Islamist groups and their Middle Eastern sponsors. By 1993 these
groups, many supported by Iran and Saudi Arabia, were anxious to help
Bosnian Muslims fighting in the former Yugoslavia and called in their
debts with the Americans. Bill Clinton and the Pentagon were keen to
be seen as creditworthy and repaid in the form of an Iran-Contra style
operation - in flagrant violation of the UN security council arms
embargo against all combatants in the former Yugoslavia.
The result was a vast secret conduit of weapons smuggling though
Croatia.
This was arranged by the clandestine agencies of the US, Turkey and
Iran, together with a range of radical Islamist groups, including
Afghan mojahedin and the pro-Iranian Hizbullah...
Arms purchased by Iran and Turkey with the financial backing of Saudi
Arabia made their way by night from the Middle East...The report
stresses that the US was "very closely involved" in the airlift.
Mojahedin fighters were also flown in, but they were reserved as shock
troops for especially hazardous operations....
Rather than the CIA, the Pentagon's own secret service was the hidden
force behind these operations...
When these [weapon] shipments were noticed, Americans pressured
UNPROFOR to rewrite reports, and when Norwegian officials protested
about the flights, they were reportedly threatened into silence.
Meanwhile, the secret services of Ukraine, Greece and Israel were busy
arming the Bosnian Serbs. Mossad was especially active and concluded a
deal with the Bosnian Serbs at Pale...
[End Guardian excerpt]
In the above text, author Richard Aldrich puts a remarkable spin on
the Dutch report.
He argues that the US was pressured into supporting Islamist terror in
Bosnia because it had to make good on debts to Islamic terrorists,
linked to Iran and Saudi Arabia.
That is quite a statement.
Look what Aldrich is conceding: that US intelligence had been working
closely with Saudi and Iranian-backed terrorists (e.g., the 'Afghan
Arabs' and Hizballah) *prior to Bosnia* and that the US did not want
to damage those relationships.
Aldrich claims that this is why the U.S. helped out in Bosnia - to
keep those relationships alive.
But in the same article, Aldrich states that, according to the Dutch
report, the US *controlled* the Bosnian terror operations:
"Rather than the CIA, the Pentagon's own secret service was the hidden
force behind these operations..."
This makes Aldrich's argument preposterous. It would be one thing to
say that the U.S. turned a blind eye to terrorist activities because
it didn't want to alienate these terrorists and their backers in Saudi
Arabia and Iran. But it is quite a different thing to claim the US
took the initiative in organizing and coordinating a massive terrorist
assault just to keep terrorist organizations happy. The fact that the
Pentagon was the "hidden force behind these operations" shows that the
Islamist terrorist assault on Bosnia was important US Establishment
*policy*, not some weird fence-mending diplomacy.
The kind of spin in the Guardian article is often put forward when
U.S. intelligence is caught organizing horrific activities. It is the
Bumbling Bear Argument - U.S. intelligence does not *mean* to do bad
things - it is naive and clumsy and therefore miscalculates, or
foolishly tries to repay old debts, or isn't aware whom it is dealing
with, or whatever.
(As discussed in "Worst kept secrets of the bumbling bear," the same
sort of argument was made when the news broke that the CIA had been
created by recruiting *thousands* of war criminals from Nazi
intelligence. We were told that CIA Director Allen Dulles was
supposedly fooled...poor bear...) [4A]
========================================================
At this point in the article as posted Online, there is a picture,
scanned from the (London) Times. It shows row upon row of soldiers,
armed with rifles, marching in formation. The unusual thing is, they
are wearing white, Arab-style clothing and they sport headbands with
slogans written in Arabic. You may view the picture at
http://emperors-clothes.com/analysis/deja.htm#pic
Here is the caption:
Photo Caption: These soldiers are not Arabs. They are Bosnian Muslims,
that is, Slavs whose ancestors converted to Islam during the reign of
the Ottoman Empire.
Before the 1990s, people in Bosnia would have laughed at this sight,
thinking these men were going to a costume ball. But nobody was
laughing in 1995. The caption reads, "One of the Bosnian Army's Muslim
brigades marches through Zenica in a demonstration of strength by
10,000 soldiers." (London Times, 11 December 1995.)
This photograph was published in some Western newspapers, but only
once. Indeed, the Western media published very little about the fierce
fundamentalism of the Bosnian 'government' or about the money, weapons
and thousands of terrorists shipped into Bosnia by Iran, Saudi Arabia,
Pakistan and other Islamist states. And none of the media mentioned
that the Pentagon was coordinating this violent onslaught. Nor did the
media tell people that Bosnian Muslims were divided and that a large
number of them were allied with the Bosnian Serbs.
Deprived of this basic information, bombarded with media reports
describing an imaginary secular government in Sarajevo, most people in
the West had no understanding of what was happening in Bosnia. They
had no basis on which to reject editorials like the one that appeared
on 9 May 1993 in The Scotsman.
The Scotsman and other Western newspapers mocked the Bosnian Serbs,
claiming they suffered from a supposed cultural paranoia concerning
Muslims in general and Bosnian Muslim fundamentalist leader Alija
Izetbegovic and his followers in particular.
The Scotsman wrote with heavy sarcasm: "The essentially secular Muslim
credentials of President Alija Izetbegovic are seen as evidence of a
plot to establish a fundamentalist Muslim state in Europe...an Islamic
fundamentalist conspiracy which, in turn, no doubt, will be joined by
Anglo American aggressors."
But as the Dutch government report indicates, the Serbs were quite
right about the Anglo-American aggressors. And as for Mr.
Izetbegovic's "secular credentials," he was openly a passionate
devotee of the Ayatollah Khomeini. He believed it was an act of virtue
to establish Islamic rule by violence. We have posted some of the
thoughts of President Izetbegovic, so you can see for yourself. [8]
Were the Serbs paranoid? Keep in mind that the men in the picture
above, dressed as holy warriors, were part of Alija Izetbegovic's
army...
========================================================
The US & Iran, Allies in Terror - Part 2
========================================================
In Part 1, the authors contrasted the fierce verbal attacks US and
Iranian leaders made on one another in 1993 and 2003 - and found they
were identical. In each case, the US Secretary of State (Powell or
Christopher) accused Iran of supporting terror and Iran accused the US
of supporting Israel, which, said the Iranians, was a terrorist state.
According to a Dutch report issued last year, in 1993, at the same
time the US and Iran were trading insults, the Pentagon was
coordinating a giant Iranian, Saudi, Pakistani onslaught on Bosnia.
This included thousands of Mujahideen (Islamic fundamentalist
terrorists) who trained and indoctrinated the Bosnian Muslim army and
spearheaded terrorist attacks. The article continues...
-- John Flaherty
==================
Hazardous operations...
==================
The Guardian says the Mujahideen shipped into Bosnia "were reserved as
shock troops for especially hazardous operations." This is an
imprecise formulation. What was the practical function of these
Mujahideen?
A London Telegraph article reported on the takeover of the Bosnian
town of Fojnica by the Mujahideen. The Telegraph reports that the
Mujahideen trained and led the Bosnian 'government's' infamous Handzar
division. The rank and file consisted of Bosnian and Albanian Muslims
who were following the tradition of local Muslims who joined the
German Nazi Waffen SS during World War II. The Mujahideen trained
other Bosnian troops as well (see pictures,
http://www.emperors-clothes.com/analysis/deja.htm#pic ). [5]
[Start excerpt from Telegraph article] [6]
These are the men of the Handzar division. "We do everything with the
knife, and we always fight on the frontline," a Handzar told one UN
officer.
Up to 6000-strong, the Handzar division glories in a fascist culture.
They see themselves as the heirs of the SS Handzar division, formed by
Bosnian Muslims in 1943 to fight for the Nazis. Their spiritual model
was Mohammed Amin al-Husseini, the Grand Mufti of Jerusalem who sided
with Hitler... [7]
They are trained and led by veterans from Afghanistan and Pakistan,
say UN sources. The strong presence of native Albanians is an ominous
sign. It could mean the seeds of war are spreading south via Kosovo
and into Albania, thence to the Albanians of Macedonia.
Pakistani fundamentalists are known to have had a strong hand in
providing arms and a small weapons industry for the Bosnian Muslims.
Hardline elements of the Bosnian army, like the Handzar, appear to
have the backing of an increasingly extreme leadership in Sarajevo...
[End excerpt from Telegraph article]
The "hazardous operations" of the mujahideen leading these Handzar
troops included terrorist attacks on the non-Muslim population of
Bosnia. (And remember, it was *Pentagon intelligence* which, according
to the Dutch government report, coordinated these "hazardous
operations"! )
Describing the work of the mujahideen who dominated the town of
Fojnica, the Telegraph reports:
[Start excerpt from Telegraph article]
"The first political act in this new operation appears to have been
the murder of the two monks in the monastery. Last month Brother
Nikola Milicevic, 39, and Brother Mato Migic, 56, were surprised by a
four-man squad.
After an argument, Brother Nikola was shot dead on the spot. His
colleague was only wounded, but finished off by a shot in the neck.
[6]
[End excerpt from Telegraph article]
Terrorist attacks such as the execution of the two Christian monks
were intended to a) assert mujahideen control and b) exacerbate
Christian-Muslim tensions, thus pushing rank-and-file Muslims into the
Islamist camp. Thus, the presence of *thousands* of these terrorists
had an immense impact on Bosnia, whose total population was at the
time only about 4.3 million. [6A]
As Francisco Gil-White points out in the article, "Moderate Democrat
or Radical Islamist?" this jibes with the methods advocated by Bosnian
leader Alija Izetbegovic. [8]
==================================
What are we to make of Warren Christopher?
==================================
Warren Christopher, US Secretary of State in 1993, seems like a
mild-mannered man, almost painfully polite. But don't judge a book by
its cover.
At the very time that Christopher's government was coordinating
Iranian and Saudi terror in Bosnia, he was was engaged in a dramatic
battle of words with Iranian leaders over Iranian terrorism!
What can we say about Mr. Warren Christopher?
We can say that he was lying to divert the world's attention from mass
murder and the destruction of a secular society, sponsored and
coordinated by Pentagon intelligence.
==========
Conclusion
==========
[Start quote from Los Angeles Times]
Beginning in 1992, as many as 4,000 volunteers from throughout North
Africa, the Middle East and Europe came to Bosnia to fight Serbian and
Croatian nationalists on behalf of fellow Muslims. They are known as
the moujahedeen. A military analyst called them "pretty good fighters
and certainly ruthless." [9]
[End quote from Los Angeles Times]
Perhaps one day the US may come into military conflict with Iran. But
one *cannot* deduce this merely from the harsh things that the US and
Iran say about one another in public. And if the US does ever come
into military conflict with Iran, you can be sure of one thing: it
will *not* be because Iran supports Islamist terror.
One last thought. As you will recall, in 1993, the Iranians charged
that American public condemnations of Iran were aimed at:
"...diverting world public opinion from Washington's full-scale
support for Israeli-sponsored state terrorism and for terrorist
activities against those countries which oppose U.S. domination...''
But as the Dutch report shows, at the very time that an Iranian
official uttered these words, the US was in fact providing full-scale
support for *Iranian-sponsored* state terrorist activities against the
Bosnian Serbs. And it was the Serbs who opposed U.S. domination.
And, according to the Dutch report, it was Ukraine, Greece and
*Israel* which provided the Bosnian Serbs with arms to resist this
attack by *thousands* of mujahideen and the local Islamic
fundamentalist troops they led.
Some of these mujahideen were from the pro-Iranian Hizballah, which
specializes in attacking Israel, and some were battle-hardened from
fighting the Reds in Afghanistan. Those would be the infamous 'Afghan
Arabs'.
But wait. Don't we have a name for the 'Afghan Arabs' whom Iran and
Pakistan and Saudi Arabia were shipping into Bosnia and whose
terrorist actions Pentagon intelligence was coordinating?
Why yes, we do.
It's Al Qaeda.
=====
At this point in the text, as posted Online, there is a photo of a man
with a beard in military camafloge dress. You can view the picture at
http://www.emperors-clothes.com/analysis/deja.htm#pic-a
The caption follows.
* Photo Caption * To the left, Abu Abdel Aziz, leader of mujahideen
terrorists/trainers in Bosnia. The photo appeared in Newsweek, 5
October 1992, with an article entitled, ''Help from the Holy
Warriors.'' The London Times wrote that "Aziz claimed to have spent
six years fighting in Afghanistan, and had also seen service as a
'holy warrior' in the Philippines, Kashmir and Africa." (9 May 1993).
And nine years later, the Gulf News had him leading terrorists who
kidnapped European and Asian tourists in Philippines. (5 July 2002 )
***
Jared Israel
Francisco Gil-White
Petar Makara
Nico Varkevisser
The Editors, Emperor's Clothes
========================
Footnotes and Further Reading
========================
[1] Supplied by BBC Worldwide Monitoring March 31, 2003, Monday;
Headline: Iranian media behaviour 0600 - 1400 gmt, 31 March 03;
Source: BBC Monitoring research in English 28 Mar 03; Iranian Radio
[2] BBC Monitoring Middle East - Political Supplied by BBC Worldwide
Monitoring March 31, 2003, Monday; Headline: Iran rejects Colin
Powell's terrorism accusations as baseless; source: IRNA news agency,
Tehran, in English 1527 gmt 31 Mar 03; Text of report in English by
Iranian news agency IRNA
[3] See "Reader Says: 'EC is Wrong; Iran is not Helping the US in
Iraq.'" http://emperors-clothes.com/analysis/seale.htm
[3A] United Press International March 31, 1993, Wednesday, BC cycle
Section: International Headline: Iran Strongly Rejects ''International
Outlaw'' Label Byline: By Ralph Joseph Dateline: Athens, Greece
[4] To read the Guardian article, go to "Dutch Report: Us Sponsored
Foreign Islamists In Bosnia," at
http://emperors-clothes.com/analysis/used.htm
[4A] Regarding the significance of the creation of the CIA out of
thousands of Nazi war criminals, see "Worst kept secrets of a bumbling
bear," at http://emperors-clothes.com/docs/gehlen2.htm
[5] A Bosnian Islamist newspaper commerorates the Bosnian Waffen SS
Division knowns as 'Handzar' (Scimitar). See, "Himmler was their
Defender!" http://emperors-clothes.com/bosnia/svijet.htm
[6] Daily Telegraph 29 December 1993; Headline: Albanians and Afghans
fight for the heirs to Bosnia's SS past; Byline: Robert Fox; Dateline:
Fojnica, Bosnia-Herzegovina
[6A] http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/00031513.htm
[7] "'Palestine Is Our Land And The Jews Are Our Dogs' -
Anti-Semitism, Misinformation, And The Whitewashing Of The Palestinian
Leadership" by Francisco J. Gil-White
http://emperors-clothes.com/gilwhite/Israel.htm#part2
[8] "Moderate Democrat or Radical Islamist?: Who is Alija Izetbegovic,
the man the US sponsored in Bosnia?" by Francisco Gil-White
http://www.emperors-clothes.com/gilwhite/alija1.htm
[9] Los Angeles Times October 7, 2001; Section: Part A; Part 1; Page
1; National Desk Headline: Response To Terror; Bosnia Seen As
Hospitable Base And Sanctuary For Terrorists; Byline: Craig Pyes, Josh
Meyer, William C. Rempel, Times Staff Writers; Dateline: Zenica,
Bosnia-Herzegovina
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