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Ayman Al-Zawahiri and Imad Mughniyah recently left Iran?
Todayâs Asharq Al-Awsat contained a story detailing how Ayman Al-Zawahiri, al-Qaedaâs second-in-command, and Imad Mughniyah, a top Hezballah leader, secretly left Iran only a few days ago, due to increased pressure from the Iranian government. Below is a summary of the article.
According to Asharq Al-aswat, Imad Mughniyah, a Hezballah leader and one of the worldâs most wanted terrorists, left Iran two days ago, after a 14-month stay. A reliable source in the Revolutionary Guards Intelligence revealed to Asharq Al-aswat that it is no longer safe for Mughniyah and his people to stay in the country, due to the new policy of the Ministry of Defense, to arrest and deport al-Qaeda elements. The Ministry of Defense, headed by Ali Yunasi, is submissive to the Khatemiâs government, while the Revolutionary Guard Intelligence is believed by the Iranian government to harbor terrorist elements in their facilities.
| Just another manifestation of that "dual government" thing, party versus government. We see occasional manifestations of the same thing with every tin-hat dictatorship — f'instance, the Soviet Union versus the CPSU. What makes this case more interesting is that the theocrats and the Khatami government have much more pronounced differences... |
Asharq Al-aswat learned that Saif al-Adel and Saad bin Laden, Osama bin Ladenâs son, did not leave the country yet, although there is a possibility that they will do so with the help of non-submissive security and military elements, as happened with Ayman al-Zawahari and other al-Qaeda leaders. The article describes a mysterious incident that had occurred two weeks ago in the Maher Abad airport. Apparently, three men, who were escorted by Revolutionary Guard Intelligence officers and declined to show any identification documents, were put on a flight to Turkey, on the V.I.P list. Although airport security attempted to thwart this move, Intelligence officers managed to put them on the plane in the last minute. This incident reveals the Revolutionary Guardâs plan to transfer al-Qaeda leaders outside of Iran, and, according to sources close to the Revolutionary Guard, is connected to Mughniyahâs decision to leave Iran, as it has become too difficult for the Revolutionary Guard to secure his safety.
Posted by: Paul Moloney 2003-08-16 |
