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| Al-Sharq Al-Awsat Editor: Iran Uses Extremist Groups in Our Region to Realize the Islamic Revolution's Goals |
| 2009-10-24 |
| The editor of the London-based Saudi daily Al-Sharq Al-Awsat, Tareq Al-Homayed, wrote in an editorial titled "Iran -- Terrorism Returns Home":(1) "The Iranian regime raised its voice in condemnation of terrorism and cast accusations against the West following the suicide bombing that targeted Revolutionary Guards leaders and others in the Sistan-Baluchistan province, near Iran's border with Pakistan. [But] we could say here that terrorism has returned home, i.e. to Iran... "The Iranians [have] tried to use extremist groups in our region in order to realize the Islamic Revolution's goals, whether [these groups] are Al-Qaeda or other similar groups in Iraq, Lebanon, Yemen and Saudi Arabia. [Moreover,] Iran was a stopover [for fighters] on the way to joining Al-Qaeda, [as reported by] some members who surrendered themselves recently in Riyadh, such as Fawwaz Al-Otaibi. In fact some of those who [passed] through Iran to join Al-Qaeda in Pakistan or Afghanistan [have] admitted that people wearing [Iranian] security uniforms facilitated their journey through Iran!... "The second lesson to be learned from this suicide operation, for which the Iranian group Jundallah [has] claimed responsibility, is the danger of tampering with the sectarian issue... [This] issue, which Iran has exploited and continues to exploit in our region, blew up in the face of the Mullah regime, and did so violently... "Exploiting terrorism for political or security reasons, and tampering with sectarianism, is fire that burns the hands of all of those who play with it and exploit these issues. This is what we have seen with regards to all the conflicts in our region for [many] years. "The [October 19, 2009] suicide operation that took place in Iran clearly involved two matters that usually please Iran -- suicide operations and the sectarian dimension. These are two issues from which we have suffered a great deal in Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Jordan and even in Lebanon, Yemen, and Egypt -- and of course the list goes on!"( |
| Posted by:Fred |