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| Axis of Evil |
| Al-Qaeda detritus behind Salih attack |
| 2002-04-26 |
| Kurdish officials said that radical Islamic militants control an area of several small villages on the Iranian border near the town of Halabja. Estimates of the number of militants range from about 100 to several hundred. Kurdish officials said dozens of these fighters are believed to have trained in bin Laden's camps. Western diplomats could not confirm those reports or others that Taliban fighters fled to the region through Iran after the U.S. began bombing Afghanistan. These would be the Jund-al-Islam or one of its aliases... Kurdish officials also said that some of al-Qaida trainees may have fled to northern Iraq via Iran and may be using it as a safe haven that is under the control of no central authority. The radicals are divided into several groups and their aims are not clear. Aside from killing lots of people, setting up an Islamic state, and slapping women around, that is. Officials with the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan say the militants carried out an April 2 attack on a top PUK official hours after he met with a U.S. delegation. In that attack, militants armed with assault rifles and grenades opened fire on Barham Salih, killing five of his bodyguards before they were killed or captured. The flavor of the identity papers of the killed would be of interest, the tales told by those captured even moreso. Salih, a pro-Western politician, is head of the PUK's regional government and was attacked after meeting with a U.S. delegation in northern Iraq. State Department officials based in Turkey, regularly travel to northern Iraq to consult with Kurdish officials. That leads to just the suspicion that Sammy's Mukhabarat (secret police) might have a finger or two in the pie... PUK fighters say they have captured 10 militants trained in al-Qaida camps and based in a heavily mined, mountainous area. Kind of the Hole-in-the-Wall Gang, only with turbans instead of cowboy hats... The PUK spotted the militants last year and has agreed to work with its rival, the Kurdistan Democratic Party, to coordinate action against the group. The Kurdish groups say they have not made any specific requests from Washington but both emphasized that the fight against terrorism should be a global effort. |
| Posted by:Fred Pruitt |