Iran is trying to prevent Libya from disclosing incriminating details of Teheran's top-secret nuclear weapons programme, by threatening to unleash Islamic fundamentalist groups opposed to Colonel Muammar Gaddafi.
| And Rafsanjani has the chutzpah to call us the world's real terrorists ... |
Western intelligence specialists have learned from interrogation of al-Qaeda suspects, captured close to Afghanistan's border with Iran, that a militant group of Libyan extremists is being protected and trained by terrorism experts from Iran's Revolutionary Guards.
| And how did the al-Qaeda suspects happen to know this, you ask? My guess is that the branch of the IRGC that was working with the Libyans came from a same branch, but different department, from that which works with al-Qaeda directly. |
The Libyan Combat Islamic Group (GICL) was expelled from Libya by Gaddafi in 1997 after it was implicated in attacks against government targets. At first the group relocated to Afghanistan, where it became closely involved in Osama bin Laden's al-Qaeda organisation.
| Interesting thing about the GICL is that its other name is the Fighting Islamic Group, also known as FIG. They tried to whack Muammar during the early 1990s, allegedly with help from MI6 of all places, causing the colonel to issue the first Interpol warrant for Binny's arrest. |
After the war in Afghanistan in 2001 the Libyan group was given a safe haven in Iran, together with other North African terrorist groups linked to al-Qaeda. Now the Iranians have agreed to provide the Libyan dissidents with expert training to enable them to attack Libyan targets and intensify their campaign to overthrow Gaddafi.
| My understanding is that the IRGC took in al-Qaeda as well. The other North African groups are likely the GIA, GSPC, Salafi Jihad, the EIJ, and Gamaa al-Islamiyyah. |
The Iranians have told Libya of the group's presence in Iran, but promised to restrict its activities to al-Qaeda operations elsewhere so long as Gaddafi does not reveal details of Iran's secret nuclear activity.
| Ah, the mad mullahs seemed to have mastered the carrot and stick approach, but they still can't grasp their turbans around the concept of cause and effect ... |
One of the reasons that Gaddafi sought to improve relations with British intelligence following September 11 was his concern about the growing effectiveness of Libya's Islamic terrorist groups. The improved relations culminated in Gaddafi's decision, announced at the end of last year, to dismantle his weapons of mass destruction.
| Being caught with his pants down getting Khan's centrifuges also probably factored into his decision-making proccess. |
"This is a serious initiative by the Iranians," said a Western intelligence official with access to the interrogation transcripts of al-Qaeda detainees in Afghanistan. "They are desperate to prevent Gaddafi from spilling the beans about either Iran's involvement in international terrorism or in developing nuclear weapons."
| The thing is, there's going to be something in there for the mad mullahs to offer al-Qaeda for dealing with the colonel if he spills his guts. Safe harbor is one possibility, but if Khamenei's feeling particularly suicidal he can always churn out a few nukes and toss them Saif al-Adel's way. |
For now, the Libyan dissidents are being trained at a camp in southern Iran. If Tripoli makes any unauthorised disclosures about the Iranian programme, however, they will be encouraged by Teheran to resume their violent campaign to overthrow Gaddafi.
| If this is true, my guess is that the boomers are gonna start gunning for Muammar pretty soon. Somehow, I doubt he's got the same level of protection that Perv gets. |
| Muammar's also got the capability to repay them in the same coin. Popcorn, anyone? -Fred |
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