Tracing the CIA/RAW Camps In Balochistan

The Chunky, Bulky foreign hands in Balochistan

— Delhi, Washington, Moscow playing fiddly with Islamabad — Terror Brotherbood continues to operate from Afghanistan Brothers at another RAW-run Brotherhood Camp in Afghanistan. Target Pakistan; Members of The (Terror) Brotherhood getting military training at a camp in Afghanistan. By Makhdoom Babar ( Editor-in-Chief) (Additional reporting by Christina Palmer in New Delhi, Sandra Johnson in Washington DC Sergi Pyatakov in Moscow, Ali Nasimzadeh in Zahidan, Qasim Jan in Kandahar and S M Kasi in Quetta.) Deception and treachery; Live and let die. The ultimate zero sum game. Repetition of bloody history: Call it what you may, something is happening in the Pakistani province of Balochistan that defies comprehension on any conventional scale. Six correspondents of The Daily Mail and dozens of associates who collectively logged more than 5000 kilometers during the past several months in pursuit of a single question – What is actually happening in Balochistan? – have only been able to uncover small parts of the entire conspiracy. However, if the parts have any proportional resemblance to the whole, it is a frightening and mind-boggling picture. Every story must start somewhere. This story should conveniently have started on the night of 7 January 2005 when gas installations at Sui were rocketed and much of Pakistan came to almost grinding halt for about a week. Or, we should have taken the night of 2 January 2005 as the starting point when an unfortunate female doctor was reportedly gang-raped in Sui. However, the appropriate point to peg this story is January 2002 and we shall return to it shortly. The Daily Mail’s investigations indicate that the elements for the start of militancy and rebellion in Balochistan had been put in place long ago and the planners were waiting for a convenient catalyst to set things in motion. The gang-rape of 2 Jan,2005 around which the sticky situation was built, was just the missing ingredient the planners needed. Two former KGB officers explained that the whole phenomenon has been assembled on skilful manipulation of circumstances. We shall keep returning to their comments throughout this report. The Daily Mail’s findings indicate that as Pakistan and India continue to mend fences, as Iran, Pakistan and India try to pool efforts to put a shared gas pipeline, as Pakistan, Afghanistan and Turkmenistan join hands to lay a natural gas pipeline of great economic and strategic importance, as the United States continues to laud the role of Pakistan as a frontline nation in war against terrorism, as the Pakistan government makes efforts to bring peace and harmony by awarding maximum facilities to Balochistani people and has increased the share of Balochistan in the NFC award, in accordance with the desires of Balochistan government with Islamabad making all out efforts to appease the dissident Baloch leaders , as the whole region tries to develop new long-term models to curb terrorism and bring prosperity to far flung areas, there is a deadly game going on in the barren and hostile hills of Balochistan. Liens are muddy; there are no clear-cut sectors to distinguish friends from foes. For the sake of honesty, this story should better remain abrupt and incomplete. The story we are going to tell may sound a lot like cheap whodunit but that is what we found out there. Before zooming in to January 2002, let’s set the background. We consulted Solka and Olga, two former KGB officers who are Afghanis – the veterans of Russo-Afghan war – and they seem to know Balochistan better than most Pakistanis. Obviously, Solka and Olga are not their real names. They live on the same street in one of the quieter suburbs of Moscow. Two bonds tie them together in their retirement: While on active duty in KGB, they were both frequent travelers to Balochistan during the Russo-Afghan war where they were tasked to foment trouble in Pakistan; and they are both wary of Vodka, the mandatory nectar of Russian cloak and dagger community. They visit each other almost every day and that is why it was easy to catch them together for long chats over quantities of green tea and occasional bowls of Borsch. The Daily Mail’s team made more than a dozen visits to the single-bedroom flat of Olga, where Solka was also found more often than not, and we picked their brains on Balochistan situation. As and when we unearthed new information on Balochistan, we returned to Solka and Olga for comments. As they told us, during the Russo-Afghan war, the Soviet Union was surprised by the ability and resourcefulness of Pakistan to generate a quick and effective resistance movement in Afghanistan. To punish Pakistan and to answer back in the same currency, Kremlin decided to create some organizations that would specialize in sabotage activities in Pakistan. One such organization was BLA (Balochistan Liberation Army), the brainchild of KGB that was built around the core of BSO (Baloch Students Organization). BSO was a group of assorted left-wing students in Quetta and some other cities of Balochistan. Misha and Solka can be considered among the architects of the original BLA. The BLA they created remained active during the Russo-Afghan war and then it disappeared from the surface, mostly because its main source of funding – the Soviet Union – disappeared from the scene. In the wake of 9-11, when the United States came rushing to Afghanistan with little preparation and less insight, the need was felt immediately to create sources of information and action that should be independent of the government of Pakistan. As Bush peered into the soul of Putin and found him a good guy, Rumsfeld also did his own peering into the soul of his Russian counterpart and found him a good game. The result was extensive and generous consultation by Russian veterans who knew more about Afghanistan and Balochistan than the Americans could hope to find. It was presumably agreed that as long as their interests did not clash with each other directly, the United States (or at least Pentagon) and Kremlin would cooperate with each other in Balochistan, while India’s RAW chipped in at a later stage. That brings us to January 2002. “Actually, most of the elements were in place, though dormant, and it was not difficult for anyone with sufficient resources to reactivate the whole thing, and Indians and Americans were out there with required resources,” said Olga about the present-day BLA that is blamed for most of the sabotage activities in Balochistan. The Daily Mail’s investigations indicate that in January 2002, the first batch of ‘instructors’ crossed over from Afghanistan into Pakistan to set-up the first training camp. That was the seed from which the initial insurgency sprouted in Balochistan. It seemed like a modest effort back then. Only two Indians (from RAW), two Americans (from CIA) and their Afghan driver-guide were in a faded brown Toyota Hilux double cabin SUV that crossed the border near Rashid Qila in Afghanistan and came to Muslim Bagh in Pakistani province of Balochistan on 17 January 2002. For this part of the journey, they used irregular trails. From Muslim Bagh to Kohlu they followed the regular but less-frequented roads. In Kohlu they met with some Baloch youth and one American stayed in Kohlu while two Indians and one American went to Dera Bugti and returned after a few days. They spent the next couple of weeks in intense consultations with some Baloch activists and their mentors and then the work started for setting up a camp. “Balach (Marri) was one of our good boys and even though I don’t know who the present operators are, it can be said safely that Kohlu must have been picked as the first base because of Balach,” said Olga. Balach Marri is the son of Nawab Khair Bakhsh Marri and he qualified as electronic engineer from Moscow. As was customary during those times, any Baloch students in Russia were cultivated actively and lavishly by the KGB. Balach was one of their success stories. Because of intimate connections with India and Russia, it was no surprise that Balach Marri was picked as the new head of the revived BLA. The mountains between Kohlu and Kahan belong to the Marris. The first camp had some 30 youth and initial classes comprised mainly of indoctrination lectures. The main subjects were: 1. Baloch’s right of independence, 2. The Concept of Greater Balochistan, 3. Sabotage as a tool for political struggle, 4. Tyranny of Punjab and plight of oppressed nations, and 5. Media-friendly methods of mass protest. “Manuals, guidelines and even lecture plans were available in the Kometit [KGB] archives. Except for media interaction, they virtually followed the old plans,” told Solka. As was logical, the small arms and sabotage training soon entered the syllabus. First shipment of arms and ammunition was received from Afghanistan but as the number of camps grew, new supply routes were opened from India. Kishangarh is a small Indian town, barely five kilometers from Pakistan border where the provinces of Punjab and Sindh meet. There is a supply depot and a training centre there that used to maintain contacts with militant training camps in Balochistan. The Daily Mail’s investigations reveal that Indian intelligence agency RAW runs a logistics support depot near Shahgarh, about 90 kilometers from Kishangarh, that still serves as launching pad for the Indian supplies and experts. These were unimportant stations in the past but they have gained increasing importance since 2002 when Balochistan became the hub of a new wave of foreign activity. These investigations indicate that RAW’s procedure of transfer of arms and ammunition from India to Balochistan is simple. Arms and equipment such as Kalashinkov, heavy machine guns, small AA guns, RPGs, mortars, landmines, ammunition and communication equipment are transferred from Kishangarh and Shahgarh to Pakistani side on camel back and then they are shifted to goods trucks, with some legitimate cargo on top and the whole load is covered by tarpaulin sheets. Arms and equipment are, as a rule, boxed in CKD or SKD form. The trucks would travel only 140 or 180 kilometers to reach Sui and a little more to reach Kohlu, a distance that can be covered in a few hours only. This was the most convenient route because transferring anything from Afghanistan to these areas demands much sturdy vehicles that must cover longer distance over difficult terrain. The small arms and light equipment are mostly of Russian origin because they are easily available, cheap, and difficult to trace back to any single source. This route is also handy for sabotaging the Pakistani gas pipelines because the two main arteries of Sui pipe – Sui-Kashmore-Uch-Multan and Sui-Sukkur – are passing, at some points, less than 45 kilometers from the Indian border. Whoever planned these camps and the subsequent insurgency, had to obtain initial help in recruitment and infrastructure from Indian RAW. “When we first started the BLA thing, it was logical to ask for RAW assistance because they have several thousands of ground contacts in Pakistan, many of them in Balochistan,” said Solka. “Anyone wanting to set shop in Pakistan needs to lean on RAW,” added Olga. The number of camps increased with time and now there is a big triangle of instability in Balochistan but now the base is in Afghanistan that has some 45 to 55 training camps, with each camp accommodating from 300 to 550 militants and supervised by RAW with the joint collaboration of certain absconding Baloch leaders and it is called The (Terror) Brotherhood. The Daily Mail’s findings indicate that a massive amount of cash is flowing into these camps. American defence contractors – a generic term applicable to Pentagon operatives in civvies, CIA foot soldiers, instigators in double-disguise, fortune hunters, rehired ex-soldiers and free lancers – are reportedly playing a big part in shifting loads of money from India and US to these camps to. The Americans are invariably accompanied by their Afghan guides and interpreters as well as RAW operatives. Pay structure of militants is fairly defined by now. The ordinary recruits and basic insurgents get around US $ 200 per month, a small fortune for anyone who never has a hope of landing any decent government job in their home towns. The section leaders get upward of US $ 300 and there are special bonuses for executing a task successfully. Although no exact amount of reward could be ascertained for specific tasks, one can assume that it must be substantial because some BLA activists have lately built new houses in Dalbandin, Naushki, Kohlu, Sibi, Khuzdar and Dera Bugti. Also, quite a few young Baloch activists have recently acquired new, flashy SUVs. Oddly enough, there is also an unusual indicator for measuring the newfound wealth of some Baloch activists. In the marriage ceremonies the dancing troupes of eunuchs and cross-dressers are raking in much heavier shower of currency notes than before. Based on the geographic spread of Afghanistan-based training camps, one can say that there is a triangle of extreme instability in Balochistan. Actually, landscape of Balochistan is such that it offers scores of safe havens, inaccessible to outsiders. Starting from the coastline, there are Makran Coastal Range, Siahan Range, Ras Koh, Sultan Koh and Chagai Hills that are cutting the land in east-west direction. In the north-south direction, we find Suleiman Range, Kirthar Range, Pala Range and Central Brahvi Range to complete the task of forming deep and inaccessible pockets. Few direct routes are possible between the coastline and upper Balochistan. Only two roads connect Balochistan with the rest of the country. Apart from the triangles of instability that we have mentioned there is an arc – a wide, slowly curving corridor – of extensive activity. It is difficult to make out as to who is doing what in that corridor. Here is how to draw this arc-corridor on the map: Mark the little Afghan towns of Shah Ismail and Ziarat Sultan Vais Qarni on the map. Then mark the towns of Jalq and Kuhak in Iran. Now, draw a slowly arching curve to connect Shah Ismail with Kuhak and another curve to connect Ziarat Sultan Vais Qarni with Jalq. The corridor formed by these two curves is the scene of a lot of diverse activities and we have been able to gather only some superficial knowledge about it.The towns of Dalbandin and Naushki where foreign presence had become matter of routine are located within this corridor. The Daily Mail’s investigations reveal that the Indian consulate in Zahidan, Iran, has hired a house off Khayaban Danishgah, near Hotel Amin in Zahidan. This house is used for accommodating some people who cross over from Afghanistan to Pakistan and from Pakistan to Iran through the arched corridor we have described. But who are those people and what are they doing, we could not find. These findings indicate that Pasdaran (Revolutionary Guards), the trusted force directly under the control of Tehran monitoring Zahidan-Taftan road and had recently established regular check posts on constant requests by Pakistan. Earlier, the road between Khash and Jalq was an easy rout for all kinds of elements to cross here and there easily. It appears that the last year’s high profile suicide attack on a ceremony of Pasdaran in this very vicinity was carried out by The (Terror) Brotherhood to dismantle the checking and supervision infrastructure of Pasdaran and to deject and discourage the border patrols in the area. Not surprisingly, part of this corridor is used by Iranians themselves when they feel the need to stir some excitement in Pakistan. Iranians also use the regular road of Zahidan-Quetta when they can find someone with legal documents. There is a coastal connection that also provides free access for elements in Dubai and Oman to connect with militants in Balochistan. This is a loosely defined route but there are three main landing points in Balochistan: Eastern lip of Gwater Bay that lies in the Iranian territory but affords easy crossover to Pakistan through unguarded land border; 2. Open space between Bomra and Khor Kalmat; and 3. Easternmost shoulder of Gwadar East Bay. The Daily Mails findings that a couple of years back some members of the Indian chapter of The Brotherhood, that was comprising a curious mix of ‘businessmen’ and crime mafia, came in fishing boats from either Dubai or Oman and landed on the Gwater Bay in the Iranian territory with aims to execute a high profile terror operation in Balochistan. From there they traveled to Khuzdar and then Quetta where they met with some Baloch militants. It is rumored in those areas that the Indians came with heavy amounts of cash and weaponry but couldn’t succeed in launching the operation as a military operation had started in the province and the ISI was monitoring with an eagle eye and thus they had to return with even initiating the plan. It is however learnt that they were escorted both ways by some Sarawani Balochs who run their own fishing vessels. Simultaneously, there were reports, emerging from Washington that some ‘sources’ in Pentagon had been trying to ‘leak’ the story to the media that Americans and Israelis were carrying joint reccee operations inside Iran and for that purpose they were using Pakistani soil as launching point. The lead was finally picked and disseminated by Semour Hersh of The New Yorker, who has now been established as the main recipient of all such US intelligence leaks, irrespective of the authenticity and credibility of these’leaks. However, from our own observations in the area we could not confirm this report although there is a possibility that the curving corridor that we have identified may have been used by the Americans and Israelis to travel from Afghanistan into Pakistan and then into Iran and back for this purpose although this is mere speculation, based on the movement of foreigners in this area, and we can neither confirm nor deny the substance of this report. Also, there was some buzz in New Delhi that some high circles were questioning the wisdom of two-faced policy of forcing Pakistan to Do More for anti terrorism to withdraw all types of support to fighter in Indian side of Kashmir while at the same time supporting and executing terror and insurgent activities in Balochistan and across Pakistan. It was also not clear as to why Iran would be interested in stirring trouble in Balochistan when it was faced by an imminent war from the American side and it needed all the allies it could muster on its side and one of those allies could possibly be Pakistan. It was also difficult to reconcile Iranian involvement in Balochistan with the fact that Iran-Pakistan-India gas pipeline, that is a crucial project for Iran, was in the final stages of negotiation and there seemed no logical point in sending mixed signals by creating difficulties in Balochistan. These were some of the questions that we took to Olga and Solka and here is the explanation they gave. Their answers came in bits and pieces but we have reconstructed their replies in the form of one coherent interview: Question: What was the purpose of Russian invasion of Afghanistan? Olga: The Soviet Union was not in love with Afghanistan itself and by now everyone must have understood it. We, or at least our leaders, wanted a convenient corridor to the warm waters of the Indian Ocean — the idea was to first establish full control in Kabul and from there to raise the double-bogey of Pakhtunistan and Greater Balochistan and try to detach at least a part of Balochistan from Pakistan and to either merge it as a new province of Afghanistan or to create a new country that should be under the firm control of Moscow. That would have solved most of the problems facing Kremlin. Question: When you helped create BLA back in the 1980’s, what objectives did you have in mind? Solka and Olga: It was simply an instrument to create problems in Pakistan. There were no ideological reasons – it was merely a pragmatic solution for a strategic problem. Question: Who could have revived BLA after so many years of inactivity? Olga: Most likely, Pentagon. With good lot of support from Kremlin. You should keep in mind that reviving such an organization is a tricky task and it needs active support from a number of players. Pentagon and Kremlin would not be able to do much without some help from RAW that has hundreds of active contacts all over Balochistan. Russia could have helped negotiate the involvement of Balach Marri in the project. Solka: RAW must have jumped at the chance because last July the ‘discretionary grants’ budget [a euphemism for espionage fund] was increased by 700% in the Indian Consulates in Kandahar, Jalalabad and Zahidan. Olga: Yes, discretionary grants are not subject to central audit and the station chief can do what he wants with it. Solka: Balach possibly came to head the revived BLA through Russian facilitation but you cannot say the same for Sardar Ataullah Mengal. He returned from his self-imposed exile in London and established his headquarters in Kohlu. Was it a mere coincidence? I don’t think so. In all probability, he is the American man to keep a check on Balach because Americans can never fully trust Russians. Question: From your comments it appears that Balach and Mengal are heading the resurrected BLA and the BLA has been revived by the Americans and Russians to create trouble in Balochistan but could you give us any coherent reasons for going to such great lengths for disturbing Pakistan that is supposed to be a frontline ally of the United States on its war against terrorism? Olga and Solka: [Olga laughed so hard that tears came to his eyes while Solka merely kept smiling in an absentminded way] – Frontline ally? Are you kidding? Americans are using Pakistan and Pakistanis would soon find it out if they have not already. Americans don’t need that kind of allies and they have made it abundantly clear for anyone who can read their policy goals correctly. Let them deal with Iran and you would see. If there can be any desirable American ally in that region, that is Iran – Iran under a different regime, and they are working to that end. Except for Balochistan, the rest of Pakistan is useless for them. Question: It is still not clear from your answer as to what do the Pentagon and Kremlin hope to achieve by stirring trouble in Balochistan? Solka: Americans have two long-term policy objectives in that region: First, create a safe and reliable route to take all the energy resources of Central Asia to the continental United States, and second, to contain China. Olga: Balochistan offers the shortest distance between the Indian ocean and the Central Asia, that is to say, shortest distance outside of the Gulf. The moment the conditions are ripe, Americans would like to take all the oil and gas of Central Asia to Gwadar or Pasni and from there to the United States. Question: If the Americans are interested in creating safe channel for shipping energy resources through Balochistan, why would they encourage trouble there? Olga: That is for now. By inciting trouble, they would effectively discourage Trans-Afghan Pipeline or any other project that is intended for sending Central Asian resources to South Asia. They are not interested in strengthening the South Asian economies by allowing them to obtain sensibly priced oil and gas. They would be more interested in taking all they can to their own country and let everyone else starve if that is the choice. Solka: The Americans would also like to discourage China from entering into more development projects in Balochistan than it already has. By developing the port and roads in Balochistan, China is ultimately helping itself by creating a convenient conduit for commerce that would connect China concurrently with Central Asia, South Asia, and all-weather Balochistan ports. The space is limited – where China gains, America loses, and where America gains, China loses. Questions: OK. This sounds plausible. But what interest could Russia have in helping Pentagon in this trouble-Balochistan project? Solka: Russia has its own policy goals and as far as the present phase of creating trouble in Balochistan is concerned, American and Russian goals are not in conflict with each other. Russia wants to maintain its monopoly over all the energy resources of Central Asia. At present, the Central Asian countries are dependent entirely on Russia for export of their gas to any sizeable markets. If Trans-Afghan or any other project succeeds, it would open the floodgates of exodus. Central Asian countries would understandably rush to the market that pays 100% in cash and pays better price than Russia. It is therefore very clear that by keeping Balochistan red hot, Russia can hope to discourage Trans-Afghan pipeline or any other similar projects. Russian economy in its present form is based on the monopoly of Gazprom and if Gazprom goes under, so will the Russian economy at some stage. Question: So far, there is some in sense what you have said but how would explain Indian involvement in the Balochistan revolt? Solka: India has its own perceived or real objectives. For instance, India would go to great lengths to prevent Pakistan from developing a direct trade and transportation route with Central Asia because it would undermine the North-South corridor that goes through Iran. Also, while the acute shortage of energy may have compelled India to extend limited cooperation to Pakistan, the preferable project from Indian point of view still remains the Iran-Pakistan-India gas pipeline. Olga: Moreover, you cannot ignore the fact that India is preparing to use Afghanistan as its main artery system to connect with Central Asia and it would not allow Pakistan to share this sphere if it can. Question: What about Iran? Why should Iran be a party to it? Olga: Iran has incurred great expenses to develop Chah Bahar, the port that is supposed to be the Iranian answer to Pakistani ports of Gwadar and Pasni. Iran has also done lot of work to create excellent road link between Herat and Chah Bahar. All this would go to waste if Pakistani route comes on line because it is shorter and offers quick commuting possibilities between Central Asia and Indian Ocean. Solka: At the same time you need to allow certain margin of unreliability when dealing with Iran. You cannot be sure whether they mean what they are saying and you cannot be sure whether they would keep their promises. They do what suits them best and to hell with any commitments. I am sorry but that is how I judge Iran. Question: While both of you have given some explanation of American, Russian, Iranian and Indian involvement in Balochistan, what is the role of Afghanistan? Solka: There are many influential circles in Afghanistan that are deadly opposed to Pakistan for one reason or the other. It is clear from the recent developments that as India, Iran and Afghanistan have made great strides to form some kind of economic, trade and transportation alliance; all efforts have been made to exclude Pakistan from any such deal. Question: While BLA is being used by a number of power players for their own objectives, does it have any potential, even as a byproduct, to serve the cause of Baloch people? Olga and Solka: BLA is not the only fish in the pond. There is Baloch Ittehad and there is PONAM and there is lots of small fry out there. But none of them can be expected to do any good to the Balochi people because the command this time is mostly in the hands of Baloch Sardars and they have no past record of bringing any benefit to their own people. If anything, they are known to sell their own people down the river. [Olga thumbed through a dog-eared file and read] Sardar Mehrullah Marri sold all mineral and petroleum rights of Khatan region to the British government in 1885 for a paltry sum of Rs. 200 per month. There was no time limit to this agreement – it was, as they say, in perpetuity. In 1861, Jam of Bela allowed the British government to put a telegraph line through his territory, thus helping substantially the British government in consolidating its control over large areas of Balochistan. He received less than Rs. 900 per month for this disservice to his own people and took the responsibility to safeguard the telegraph line. In 1883, the Khan of Kalat sold the Quetta district and adjoining territories to the British government. This was an outright sale. The agreement that was signed in Dasht, included the provision that the heirs and successors of Khan of Kalat would also be bound by the same agreement. He received annual grant of Rs. 25000 for selling the most attractive part of Balochistan to the British government. In the same year, the British government paid Rs. 5500 to the Bugti Sardar for his cooperation although it was not specified as to what kind of cooperation he extended to the British government. While the Baloch Sardars were enthusiastically selling Balochistan to the British government, there was no support to the idea of Pakistan whereas the ordinary Balochs gave full approval for Pakistan. Any positive development in Balochistan would go against the interests of Sardars and only a fool would expect them to do anything for the good of their people. Bear in mind that Marri and Mengal Sardars first stood up against the Pakistan government when the law was passed to abolish Sardari system in Balochistan to free the ordinary Balochs from the clutches of their tribal leaders. Question: The way the things are progressing in Balochistan, what could be the likely outcome? Olga: If no strong action is taken for another few months, the result could be bifurcation of Pakistan as India has really geared up its activities in this direction, owing to the fragile political and security situation of Pakistan, particularly in Baluchistan. Question: Is that the only likely outcome? Olga: No. In fact, that is the farthest possible scenario but that could eventually happen if Pakistan fails to assess, analyze and address the situation quickly. For example, I have yet to see any Pakistani effort to contact the ordinary Balochs. They are still trying to woo the same Sardars who are living on the blackmail money since the creation of Pakistan. Solka: I am surprised at the way Pakistan goes about tackling this problem. During my few years in Afghanistan when I was engaged with Balochistan, I found that while Baloch Sardars would sell their loyalties and anything else at the drop of a hat, ordinary Balochs are stupidly patriotic. They are hard to buy and harder to manipulate. If I were a Pakistan government functionary, I would gather enough ordinary, educated Balochs to counter the Sardar influence and deflate this whole insurgency balloon. Question: Both of you were, let’s say, among the developers of the original BLA. Do you find any differences between the original and the present BLA? Olga and Solka: Plenty. Original BLA was mostly led by the young people and Baloch Sardars had very little to do with it but the present BLA is concentrated in the hands of Sardars. The present movement in Balochistan, led by BLA, PONAM and Baloch Ittehad is a mismatched concoction of ancient and modern. They are trying to run a modern media campaign but there are crucial gaps in that effort. Ours were different times and we could do without media support. They have created a list of Pakistani journalists who are supposed to be sympathetic to any move against the government and they are feeding them daily a mixture of truth and lies, a practice that has been perfected by the Pentagon. They managed to bring some Baloch women in Dera Bugti but the results would be little if they cannot repeat the performance in most other areas of Balochistan. They have built their campaign around a single incident – the Sui gang-rape – and if the government is smart enough, it would hang the real culprits and ask the victim of the rape to announce publicly that she was satisfied with the justice meted out to the criminals and that would take all the wind out of the sails of the BLA campaign. A real hard campaign needs to be built around much broader and hard to solve issues. Question: Hypothetically speaking, if the Pakistan government asks your advice, what would you suggest? Solka: The options are few. They should abolish Sardari system immediately and should not let the restructuring of the private armies and should keep the regular Army in the province and must establish new military cantonments. As far as I know, the constitution of Pakistan does not allow Sardari system and private armies and there would be no legal questions if those laws are implemented with the full help of state power. Olga: They should involve broadest possible range of ordinary Balochs in the dialogue. The can find enough educated youth in Marri and Mengal tribes to match the influence of tribal leaders. Sasha: Pakistan government should hasten the development process in the province because it would open job opportunities and that would allow the escape hatch to ordinary Balochs to distance themselves from their leaders.

Scariest Smiles In Pakistan. OOPS, I mean London

Western, Afghan troops fire during demonstration

Abdul Malek

LASHKAR GAH, Afghanistan (Reuters) – NATO troops and Afghan security forces opened fire during a demonstration in southern Afghanistan on Tuesday, sharply raising the political temperature in one of the most volatile parts of the country.

Accounts differed over the number of casualties and the roles played by NATO and Afghan troops in the incident in Garmsir, a former Taliban stronghold in southern Helmand province now patrolled by U.S. Marines under NATO command.

Reports of civilian deaths and injuries caused by Western and government troops are among the most sensitive issues in Afghanistan and have led to street demonstrations in several cities in recent weeks.

NATO-led forces said troops had returned fire to kill an insurgent sniper who shot an Afghan official on a military base while the demonstration was underway. They said the only person they had hit was the sniper himself, shot dead.

Kamal Khan, deputy provincial police chief in Helmand, said Afghan troops in the town had opened fire after demonstrators tried to storm a government building. He said eight demonstrators had been killed and 13 wounded.

A Reuters reporter saw several wounded villagers taken to the main hospital in the provincial capital Lashkar Gah, but was not able to count them. A doctor at the hospital, Ahmadullah, said 11 men had been treated for gunshot wounds there.

The demonstrations followed a raid by Western troops in the town. Khan, the deputy police chief, said the demonstrators had been provoked by Taliban fighters who spread rumors that the Western troops had acted against Islam.

Haji Jan Gul, who described himself as one of the demonstrators, said that his son had been killed in the melee. The foreign forces opened fire when protesters threw stones at them, he said.

“The foreigners shot many people in the streets, some 10 people died and others were wounded,” he said.

The statement from the NATO-led force said a sniper had shot an Afghan official on the grounds of the main NATO base in Garmsir, Forward Operating Base Delhi.

“ISAF service members identified the insurgent sniper, shot and killed him. There were no other injuries or shots fired.”

Villagers said the demonstrations were triggered by reports the foreign troops had desecrated a Koran during a raid. A spokesman for the NATO-led force, Lieutenant Nico Melendez, strongly denied any desecration of holy books had taken place.

“ISAF is an international force and includes Muslim soldiers, so we would deplore such an action. But, we take such allegations very seriously and would support a combined investigation with local Afghan authorities,” he said in an e-mail.

He said that no shots were fired and no one was detained during the initial raid which triggered the demonstration. The raid was carried out by Afghan troops supported by international forces, he said.

(Additional reporting by Hamid Shalizi and Peter Graff in Kabul)

Keep a sharp eye on ‘Thejas’ daily, state told

K P Sai Kiran

First Published : 18 Dec 2009 01:23:00 AM IST

Last Updated : 19 Dec 2009 11:13:04 AM IST

NEW DELHI: At a time when Kerala is caught in the vortex of terrorism, the Union Government has asked the state to “rein in” the daily, ‘Thejas’, the mouthpiece of the National Development Front, a hardline Islamic organisation operating in the state.

In a letter to the Chief Secretary, the Union Home Ministry has asked the State Government to keep a check on the “communal agenda” of the newspaper.“Thejas is part of a pan- Islamic publication network which caters to the communal agenda of certain organisations by projecting contemporary developments and issues with a communal slant,” the letter stated.The NDF is accused of being a communal outfit and its members have allegedly been involved in violent incidents like the Marad massacre of 2002.It has also been accused of physical attacks on and social ostracism of moderate Muslims for their liberal and reformist stances.The letter also took strong exception to Thejas’ views on the plight of Muslims, the Kashmir issue and the country’s foreign relations, especially with the US and Israel.“It describes the government’s counter-militancy efforts as state-sponsored terrorism, thus endorsing the militants’ stand”, it said.The NDF, which successfully exploited pan-Islamic reactionary movements across the country after the Babri Masjid demolition to launch itself, also allegedly maintains links with Pakistan’s ISI for ‘sponsorship’.Taking note of State Government advertisements in the daily, the letter stated that the publication had been maintaining links with rich businessmen in India and abroad to keep itself afloat. It cited Akbar Travels of Kozhikode as an “important financier of the newspaper”.Despite the recent merger of the organisation with the Karnataka Forum for Dignity and the Manitha Neethi Pasarai of Tamil Nadu to form a mainstream political body – the Popular Front of India – it is believed that NDF is still having a “religious policing arm” engaged in criminal activities.

Indian Govt. Muzzles Minorities’ Web Site

Centre issues gag order against Thejas, Malayalam daily refutes charges

Submitted by admin3 on 11 January 2010 – 11:23pm.

• Indian Muslim

By Mumtaz Alam Falahi, TwoCircles.net,

New Delhi: The Union Home Ministry has issued an order to Kerala Government to take action against the Malayalam daily and fortnightly Thejas “so that communal agenda of the publication is kept under check.” The publication has refuted charges leveled against it in the central government notice to the state.

The Union Ministry of Home Affairs in a letter dated 18th November 2009 and addressed to Chief Secretary, Kerala says: “The Thejas, the fortnightly as well as the daily, circulated in Kerala, prints provocative write-ups/editorials/news items with a communal slant.”

The letter further says: “Thejas is a part of Pan-Islamic publication network, catering to the communal agenda of certain organisations. The publication invariably takes anti-establishment views on issues like plight of Muslims, Kashmir and India’s relations with USA & Israel. Occasionally, it describes Government’s counter-militancy effort as state-sponsored terrorism, thereby endorsing the stance of militant elements.”

The publication, however, has rejected charge of being communal or anti-nation. It admitted its views may be against the government, and it has the right to have so. Otherwise, what is the meaning of an independent media?

Talking to TwoCircles.net, Ahmed Shafee, Resident Editor of Thejas daily in Calicut, said: “What we are writing, this notice is telling us, is against the government. But what is the meaning of the freedom of the press. We have the right to criticize the government. It’s quite natural for this paper to criticize the governmnent for injustice. We have not written any article any news against the country. So allegations in the letter are baseless.”

On the charge of being part of Pan-Islamic publication network, catering to the communal agenda of certain organisations, Shafee said: Our policy and program is very open. We have been telling that we are standing for the oppressed people of India. We are working for the underprivileged, backwards and the minorities. That is our proclaimed policy. We are not doing anything behind that policy. We have nothing to hide in that policy.”

The Home Ministry notice had asked the state government to take action against the periodical. “It is requested that appropriate action may be taken so that communal agenda of the publication is kept under check, and communal harmony and peace of the state is not vitiated,” the end of the letter reads.

The state government, however, has not sent any notice to the periodical till date.

“So far no action has been taken, nothing has happened. They have not sent us any notice asking us why not action is taken against you,” said Shafee.

Link:
http://www.thejasnews.com/

Pashtuns One of the “Lost Tribes” of Israel?

Taliban may be descended from Jews

The ethnic group at the heart of the Taliban in Afghanistan and Pakistan may descended from their Jewish enemy, according to researchers in India.

By Dean Nelson in New Delhi
Published: 6:29PM GMT 11 Jan 2010

Experts at Mumbai’s National Institute of Immunohaematology believe Pashtuns could be one of the ten “Lost Tribes of Israel”.

The Israeli government is funding a genetic study to establish if there is any proof of the link.

An Indian geneticist has taken blood samples from the Pashtun Afridi tribe in Lucknow, Northern India, to Israel where she will spend the next 12 months comparing DNA with samples with those of Israeli Jews.

The samples were taken in Lucknow’s Malihabad area because it was regarded as the only place safe enough to conduct such a controversial project for Muslims.

Shanaz Ali a senior research fellow, will lead the study at the Technion Israel Institute of Technology in Tel Aviv.

There are an estimated 40 million Pashtuns around the world including more than 14 million in Afghanistan and 28 million in Pakistan, mainly in the North West Frontier Province and Tribal areas but also with a strong presence in Karachi.

Many have grown up with stories of their people being “Children of Israel”. According to legend, they are descended from the Ephraim tribe which was driven out of Israel by the Assyrian invasion in around 700BC.

Evidence of ancient Jewish settlement has been found in Heart, close to Afghanistan’s border with Iran, where a graveyard contains tombs inscribed in Hebrew. The Afghan capital Kabul also has a centuries-old synagogue which has long been abandoned.

Navras Aafreedi, a leading researcher on the Lost Tribes of Israel, said the DNA investigation could have major modern repercussions.

“It could be seen as scientific validation of traditional belief about the Israelite origin of [Pashtuns] and can have interesting ramifications for Muslim-Jew relations in particular and the world at large,” he said.

Last year, The Daily Telegraph revealed that Iranian leader Mahmoud Ahmadinejad family may have been Jewish.

Israel and US behind Tehran blast – Iranian state media

Iranian state media have accused Israel and the US of being involved in a bomb attack which killed an Iranian physicist in Tehran.State broadcaster Irib quoted Iran’s foreign ministry spokesman as saying there were signs of Israeli and US involvement “in the terrorist act”.Masoud Ali Mohammadi – described as a “devoted revolutionary professor” – was killed by a remotely-controlled bomb.Israel and the US have so far made no comments about Tuesday’s blast.Reports in the Iranian media described Mr Mohammadi as a nuclear physicist, but it appears that his field of study was quantum theory.There was also confusion as to whether the attack had any political overtones.One university official said Mr Mohammadi was not a political figure. But other reports said his name appeared on a list of academics backing opposition leader Mir Hossein Mousavi before the 2009 presidential election.Tensions have been high in Iran since the disputed election led to mass protests against the government.’Arrogant powers’Mr Mohammadi, who worked at Tehran University, “was killed in a booby-trapped motorbike blast” in the city’s northern Qeytariyeh district, state-run Press TV reported earlier.Professor Mohammadi was killed as he was leaving his home, media sayIt showed pictures from the scene of the blast, saying windows in the nearby buildings had been shattered by the force of the explosion.Local media reports say the bomb was attached to a motorcycle parked outside Mr Mohammadi’s home, although one agency said it had been planted in a rubbish bin.Irib later quoted Iran’s foreign ministry spokesman as saying that “in the initial investigation, signs of the triangle of wickedness by the Zionist regime, America and their hired agents, are visible in the terrorist act”.Press TV quoted security officials at the scene as saying that the equipment and system of the bomb used in the attack had been related to a number of foreign intelligence agencies, particularly Israel’s Mossad.In its earlier report, Irib said Mr Mohammadi “was martyred this morning in a terrorist act by anti-revolutionary and arrogant powers’ elements”.The BBC’s Tehran correspondent Jon Leyne, who is in London, says Iran usually refers to its enemies in the West as “the arrogant powers”.The opposition in Iran will fear that Tuesday’s blast will be used against it as part of a crackdown, our correspondent adds.Police sealed off the area and launched an investigation into the incident.No-one has claimed responsibility for the blast and at this stage there could only be speculation as to possible motives for the attack, correspondents say.There has been much controversy over Iran’s nuclear activities.Tehran says its nuclear programme is for peaceful energy purposes, but the US and other Western nations suspect it of seeking to build nuclear weapons.In December, Tehran accused Saudi Arabia of detaining an Iranian nuclear scientist and handing him over to the US.Saudi Arabia denied the claim.

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Hakeemullah Nabbed? Indian Press Says So

‘Most wanted’ Taliban militant nabbed in Pak: Police

Press Trust Of India

Karachi

Pakistani police on Monday claimed to have arrested "a most wanted" militant activist of the Tehreek-e-Taliban in the Sind provincial capital.

Raja Umar Khatab, the CID police chief, said in Karachi that the militant, Hakimullah, was arrested from a house in Baloch Goth in Orangi township and police had recovered large quantity of heavy arms and explosives from him.

"Hakimullah’s arrest is a big breakthrough as he is among the most wanted list of Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) militants from Swat and an important commander of the banned outfit,"  Khatab told the media.

Police also claim to have arrested number of important TTP activists from the city in the last few months which they claim is one reason why the Taliban have so far not been able to penetrate the security cover around Karachi and carry out regular terrorist attacks.

Last week the police had claimed that eight militants were killed in a house while making explosives and all were wanted TTP activists who were planning mass scale terrorist attacks in the city.

Khatab said the police were still searching for four close associates of the arrested militant.

Another Jordanian Dies Fighting Afghan Occupation Forces

Jordanian killed in US drone attack in Pakistan

DUBAI: A Jordanian who moved to Afghanistan in 1999 and stayed on to fight US-led forces was killed in a US drone attack in Waziristan, extremist websites monitored by US-based SITE Intelligence said on Monday.

The Al Fallujah and Shamukh al Islam forums announced the “martyrdom” of Mahmud Mahdi Zeidan on January 10, whose nome de guerre was Mansur al Shami, SITE reported. “The martyrdom of Mahmud Mahdi Zeidan… on the soil of Pakistan, the land of the diligent and of the mujahedeen is confirmed,” it reported. SITE did not specify which drone strike the Jordanian was killed in. Pakistani officials said last week that 13 militants were killed in two US drone strikes in Waziristan, of whom four were foreign. Zeidan had most recently appeared on January 4 in a recording by As-Sahab – a website frequently used by Al Qaeda – giving a sermon, the US monitoring group said.

He also recorded an audio message released by As-Sahab in August last year giving advice to mujahideen. Humam Khalil Abu-Mulal al-Balawi, the man believed to have killed seven CIA agents in Afghanistan earlier this month, was also of Jordanian origin.

US-Azerbaijani Relations Cooling

Publication: Eurasia Daily Monitor Volume: 7 Issue: 6

January 11, 2010 04:06 PM Age: 10 hrs

By: Alman Mir – Ismail

Jamil Hasanli

The end of 2009 saw a significant cooling of relations between the United States and Azerbaijan. Frustration in Baku with Washington’s policies, if not addressed, might significantly damage the bilateral relationship in the long run and undermine US strategic objectives in the energy-rich Caspian region.

Foremost, Azerbaijani political circles have been annoyed by Washington’s year-long insistence and active push for the opening of the Turkish-Armenian border without putting the liberation of the occupied Azerbaijani territories as a pre-condition. This, Azerbaijani officials believe, not only damages Azerbaijan’s national interests, but also weakens the peace process on Karabakh, by making Armenia less willing to compromise in negotiations. Open critique of Washington’s policies has come from officials in the Azerbaijani capital. Novruz Mammadov, the head of presidential administration’s foreign relations department, said at an international conference in Baku in November, “While the US provides strong moral and financial support to Armenia, which occupies Azerbaijani lands, we do not see significant assistance to Azerbaijan on the part of Washington.” Mammadov mentioned the intense pressure by the US on Azerbaijani officials in regards to the arrest of two bloggers in the summer of 2009. “We consider this as a tool of pressure on Azerbaijan,” stated Mammadov (Musavat, November 24).

Moreover, the appropriation by the US Congress of $8 million in humanitarian assistance to Karabakh provoked a major protest in Baku. Both official and non-governmental circles have expressed disagreement and disappointment with this policy on the part of Washington, claiming that it unjustly favors the Armenian community in Karabakh over the Azeris, helps to strengthen the illegal regime in the occupied lands and damages the reputation of the US as a neutral mediator.

Azerbaijan’s foreign ministry sent a note of protest to the US Government on December 18 (Trend News, December 18) and one member of parliament, Jamil Hasanli, called for the re-consideration of the strategic partnership with the US (www.day.az, December 24). Widespread condemnation of US foreign policy came from all sectors. The Vice-Speaker of the Parliament Ziyafat Asgarov said, “From the Azerbaijani side, we do not understand this step by the US, which calls us a strategic partner” (Kaspiy, December 12). A number of NGO’s have also sent their protest letters to the US Congress and a few opposition parties have staged protest rallies outside the US embassy in Baku (www.day.az, December 24).

Finally, the annual Freedom House report on the “Freedom of the Press 2009” denoted Karabakh as a joint Armenian-Azerbaijani territory, while rightly assigning South Ossetia and Abkhazia as Georgian territory. This was interpreted in Baku as an insult, considering the fact that the organization is funded by the US government. “Freedom House serves the interests of those who send $8 million to the separatists in Karabakh. This organization has long discredited itself,” said Elnur Aslanov, the head of department in the presidential administration (APA News Agency, December 14).

Perhaps, these events have been blown out of proportion in Azerbaijan, more so than in recent years. This also has to do with the strengthening of the Azerbaijani economy and as a result of its more strident political stance. Yet, the fact that Azerbaijan more frequently expresses frustration and annoyance with US policies shows that US-Azerbaijani relations are experiencing strategic rather than merely tactical coolness.

Indeed, the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, economic crisis and loss of ideological attractiveness have made the US unpopular in many parts of the world, including the South Caucasus. The times when former Soviet republics were eager to align themselves with the US have remained rooted in early 1990’s. Strategic projects such as Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan pipeline, which have served to unite the interests of Azerbaijan and the US in the region, have also become part of history. The “reset” in US relations with Russia raises fears that it will come at the expense of the other newly independent states, thus bringing more distrust of Washington in Baku.

Meanwhile, a strengthened Azerbaijan, frustrated with the lack of progress on the resolution of the Karabakh conflict and dissatisfied with what is perceived as the short-sighted policies of President Barack Obama in regards to re-opening the Armenian-Turkish border, considers the US less as a strategic partner. There is an urgent need for US policy makers to pursue new large-scale projects, such as Nabucco, in order to boost its political standing in the region. High profile visits to the region are also of the utmost importance. But to begin with, bilateral relations would improve if the United States dispatched an ambassador to this critical Caspian state as the current post still remains vacant. Otherwise, the US might soon witness a further decline in its political standing in the region.

Aafia didn’t shoot at US agents, no fingerprints on gun: Defence lawyer

NEW YORK, Jan 12 (APP) “A lawyer for Aafia Siddiqui, the Pakistani neuroscientist accused of shooting at FBI agents in Afghanistan, told a pre-trial hearing on Monday that the defence team rejected the charge since there were no fingerprints or other forensic evidence that she even picked up the gun. “We’re not saying she did it in self-defence. We’re not saying it was an accident. We’re saying she simply did not do it,” Defence attorney Linda Moreno told U.S. District Judge Richard Berman ahead of Ms.  Siddiqui’s trial on January 19. At a previous pre-trial hearing, Ms. Siddiqui, 37, had also forcefully denied the charge. “I didn’t fire any bullets,” she had told the court. “I am innocent of all the charges and I can prove it, but I will not do it in this court.” Meanwhile, Assistant U.S. Attorney Christopher La Vigne Christopher Levine made it clear that the government will not argue that Ms. Siddiqui was a member of Al-Qaeda, Taliban or any other terrorist organization. Lawyer Moreno argued that a jury, which will be selected on Wednesday, should only consider whether Ms. Siddiqui fired a weapon not her motive. Under questioning from the judge, the lawyer indicated that the defence would question the credibility of the eye-witnesses that the prosecution will call to testify in support of the charge. Since the very beginning, Ms. Siddiqui has said that she has no confidence in the American judicial system or the lawyers appointed for her by the court—even those retained by the government of Pakistan—and that she wants to make peace and knows how to do it. “They are not my attorneys,” Ms. Siddiqui said moments after being escorted into a Manhattan courtroom Monday. “I have fired them many times.” She later said: “There’s too many injustices in this court.” Ms. Siddiqui is accused of grabbing a U.S. Army officer’s rifle during an interrogation in Afghanistan in July 2008 and exchanging gunfire with U.S. soldiers and FBI agents. No American was hit, but she survived a gunshot wound to the stomach and was brought to the United States in August to face federal charges of attempted murder and assault. On Monday, defence attorneys asked judge Berman to bar testimony and evidence from Siddiqui’s capture in Afghanistan the day before the shooting. Prosecutors allege she was carrying a list naming the Stature of Liberty and other New York landmarks, and notes about chemical and biological weapons. La Vigne, the government attorney, told the judge that the material found on Siddiqui should be allowed as evidence to “provide context to these events.” The judge said he would rule Wednesday morning before jury selection begins.

Waihopai Spybase Protest Saturday January 23rd

Tuesday, 12 January 2010, 11:48 am Press Release: Anti Bases Campaign

Waihopai Spybase Protest Saturday January 23rd
End NZ Involvement in US Wars

People from all around New Zealand will be converging on Blenheim and the super-secret Waihopai satellite interception spybase, in Marlborough, on the weekend of January 22-24. The war in Afghanistan, in which the NZ military is directly involved, has got dramatically worse and President Obama’s surge of 30,000 extra US troops will escalate it further. Already it has spread across the border into Pakistan. Hillary Clinton’s NZ visit this week is aimed at whipping America’s allies into shape and to get more troops out of the Key government, whilst simultaneously dangling a Free Trade Agreement as the “reward” – nothing has changed since Holyoake’s “guns for butter” catchcry of the Vietnam War years.

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The theme of our activities, both at the spybase and in Blenheim, will be anti-war. The US says that Intelligence is the key component of all the wars that it is fighting, or planning to fight, throughout the world (Yemen is the latest target in this endless war). The Anti-Bases Campaign points out that Waihopai, an important source of intelligence for the Pentagon, is New Zealand’s most important contribution to the American war machine and it means that we New Zealanders have blood on our hands. To symbolise that, our props will include crosses, coffins and white masks.

This will be the first protest at the spybase since the April 2008 deflation of one of its domes by the Ploughshares peace activists. In solidarity with them, we will be popping white balloons at the base (and we will be at their Wellington trial, for the week starting March 8).

Waihopai, of course, is a “New Zealand” base – or so the Government says. The fact is, however, that in everything but name it is an outpost of American Intelligence – paid for by the long suffering NZ taxpayer. More than $500 million of public money has been spent on the NZ Government Communications Security Bureau (the agency which runs Waihopai) in the 22 years of Waihopai’s operation. That money could have been much better utilised on health and education, not spying on behalf of Uncle Sam.

On Saturday 23rd we will meet in Blenheim’s Seymour Square at 11 am. From there we will march through central Blenheim, with speeches at the band rotunda in the Forum.

This will be followed by a visit to the Waihopai spybase itself at 2 pm. Information will be provided on the function of the base and there will be a peaceful protest, calling for its closure. Speakers, either in Blenheim and/or the spybase, will be: Keith Locke, Green MP; John Minto, of Global Peace and Justice Auckland; and Murray Horton of ABC.

Waihopai does not operate in the national interest of New Zealand. In all but name it is a foreign spybase on NZ soil, paid for with hundreds of millions of our tax dollars, and directly involves us in America’s wars. Waihopai must be closed. (For details on Waihopai and what it does, go to our Website www.converge.org.nz/abc).

Yemen’s terrorists stray from bin Laden

Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula have broken from the leader’s ideology, his former bodyguard says

Patrick Martin

Sanaa — From Monday’s Globe and MailPublished on Sunday, Jan. 10, 2010 8:40PM ESTLast updated on Tuesday, Jan. 12, 2010 3:10AM EST

They call themselves al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, but one of Osama bin Laden’s closest former associates says the group that has grabbed the world’s headlines doesn’t share the ideology of the al-Qaeda founder.

“They have targeted Saudi and Yemeni authorities, even though al-Qaeda took jihad to the non-believers, not to Muslims,” said Nasir al-Bahri,” Mr. bin Laden’s former bodyguard.

“Sheik Osama is perfectly capable of attacking Yemen or Saudi Arabia, but he doesn’t want to,” Mr. al-Bahri said in an interview. “I believe that if Osama bin Laden gave these people an instruction, they would do the opposite.”

Led by Yemenis Nasir al-Wahayshi, 32, and Qasim al-Raymi, and by Saudi Said al-Shehri, 35, the new guard have “formulated their own ideology,” Mr. al-Bahri said.

They attempted an assassination of Saudi Arabia’s security chief, Prince Mohammed bin Nayef, last summer, and have staged and threatened several attacks against the Yemeni government.

Quite apart from the attempted Christmas Day bombing of a U.S. airliner for which the group also claimed credit, Mr. al-Bahri said, “they are giving the Americans an excuse to come and occupy this place.” U.S. President Barack Obama, however, has said the United States has no intention of invading Yemen.

Mr. al-Bahri, 37, served Mr. bin Laden from 1997 to 2000, reportedly saving his life on several occasions. In one attack, he was wounded in the leg and the al-Qaeda leader personally nursed him back to health.

Born in Saudi Arabia to Yemeni parents, Mr. al-Bahri got a business degree in Jeddah before joining Muslim forces fighting Serbs in Bosnia; then moved on to Somalia and Afghanistan.

He returned to Yemen with his wife in 2000 to visit her family, and was arrested shortly after the attack on the USS Cole that killed 17 American sailors – an attack, he insists, he had nothing to do with.

After 22 months in prison – 13 of them in solitary confinement – and a promise to go straight, Mr. al-Bahri, settled in Sanaa. Now, a father of five, he teaches business administration and says he wants no part of the current group that calls itself al-Qaeda.

“There is a huge difference” between al-Qaeda and these people, he says.

“Sheik Osama never took a serious step against anybody until he heard the views of religious authorities,” Mr. al-Bahri said.

These new guys, however, are a law unto themselves, he says. “They accuse people of being non-believers and then attack immediately without any consultation.

“If some Salafist or other religious scholar were to criticize the behaviour of this group, I’m sure they would accuse the scholar of being a non-believer.”

The new guard have modelled the group’s behaviour after that of Abu Musab Al-Zarqawi, who led a fierce Islamist movement in Iraq from 2002 to 2006, Mr. al-Bahri said.

“Zarqawi didn’t agree with Sheik Osama either,” he said. “He spent more energy fighting other Muslims than he did Americans.

“I personally persuaded more than 80 young Yemeni men not to go to Iraq,” he said. “The new generation follows Zarqawi’s way.”

Of medium height, defined features and a trim beard, Mr. al-Bahri cuts a fine figure as he walks the student neighbourhood of Sanaa in stylish blue jeans and a scarf thrown over his shoulder.

Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh doesn’t deserve the attacks the new guard have made against him, Mr. al-Bahri says.

“Sure there may be corruption and problems here, but Saleh has been fair,” he said.

“He welcomed back the men who fought in Afghanistan [against the Soviet Union] and gave them jobs.”

Al-Qaeda has never forgotten that, he said.

Mr. al-Bahri says the Yemeni government is right in its assessment of the size of the al-Qaeda threat it faces. “There are no more than 500 operatives in Yemen,” he said, “and no more than 40 of them have come from outside the country.”

He said he is not surprised the government is cracking down on the group, but hopes it will not resort to U.S. assistance in doing so.

A better way, he suggests, would be to have religious scholars debate these men and convince them of the error of their ways. “The old guard, including me, is prepared to debate them, too.”

What’s important, Mr. al-Bahri says, is that the Americans not be allowed here in any form.

“We want to attract the Americans to fight on al-Qaeda’s choice of battlefields: Afghanistan and Somalia – not in Yemen.”

Israeli Lobby Hoping “Al Qaida” Comes To Gaza

Up next: ‘Al Qaeda in Palestine’?

A new report by a pro-Israel think tank warns that radical groups in Gaza may execute a major attack to secure an alliance with Al Qaeda. But a full-blown franchise is unlikely.

Gunmen from the Palestinian Islamist group Jund Ansar Allah (‘Soldiers of the Companions of God’) walked near a mosque after the Friday prayers in the southern Gaza Strip town of Rafah on August 14, 2009. The group says that Hamas has betrayed its Islamist ideals.

Said Khatib/AFP/Newscom/File

By Erin Cunningham

Gaza City, GazaMilitant Islamist groups in Gaza seeking an alliance with Al Qaeda may be planning to carry out a large-scale attack in order to boost their credentials, warns a report released today by the pro-Israel Washington Institute for Near East Policy (WINEP).

“Al Qaeda-inspired groups in Gaza ‘think big’ and are regularly plotting large-scale attacks,” says the report, coauthored by a former deputy director of Israel’s Shin Bet intelligence service. It also quotes an anonymous member of one of these groups as saying his operatives are “waiting to carry out a big jihadistoperation dedicated to Sheikh Osama Bin Laden.”

Mr. Bin Laden’s Al Qaeda organization, now believed to be hiding along the Afghanistan-Pakistan border, has long used the Israeli-Palestinian conflict as a cause célèbre for their fight against the West. But it has yet to establish authoritative operations in either the West Bank or Gaza, where both Hamas – the Islamist organization that rules the coastal territory – and its militant rivals are focused more on Israel than the vision of global jihad symbolized by Bin Laden.

While the existence of a global terrorist network under Al Qaeda’s control is a matter of debate, the formation of an “Al Qaeda in Palestine” would be a propaganda coup for both the Al Qaeda brand and local militants that share its ideology, analysts say. But for the Gaza-based groups, such an alliance could severely compromise their capabilities and long-term survivability.

“The biggest beneficiary of any recognition would be Al Qaeda itself,” says Scott Sandford, a Washington-based researcher on militant Islam and contributor to Jihadica, an online clearinghouse for materials from jihadist websites. “But I don’t think Al Qaeda could offer them a whole lot in terms of logistics. Because if it [recognition from Al Qaeda] were to happen, Hamas would attack that particular group aligned with Al Qaeda immediately.”

The WINEP report said that an Al Qaeda in Palestinian affiliate is unlikely to form because most Palestinians committed to violent resistance put national interests ahead of religion – keeping them focused on Israel rather than a broader fight.

Salafists: Hamas has gone soft

Hamas, an Islamist nationalist movement, limits its activities to the Palestinian arena, preferring to attack Israel and rejecting Al Qaeda-style calls for global jihad against the West. It has cracked down heavily on the territory’s growing extremist organizations since taking control of Gaza in 2007.

The new groups, of which there are about half a dozen, claim to practice what is known as “Salafism,” or the observance of Islam in the manner of the Prophet Mohammad in the seventh century. Local Salafis say Hamas, which limits its militant activities to Israel and has so far failed to implement strict Islamic law in Gaza, has betrayed its Islamist credentials.

Salafi groups have grown in strength in recent years amid rising poverty and a crippling Israeli siege on Gaza.

August clash between Hamas, Salafists

In August last year, an organization calling itself Jund Ansar Allah (“Soldiers of the Companions of God”) openly challenged Hamas by declaring an Islamic emirate from a mosque in the southern Gaza town of Rafah. A nightlong gun battle between the two groups resulted in approximately 30 dead, including a number of Hamas security forces.

Since then, Salafis have largely been in hiding – and threats to retaliate against Hamas have yet to crystallize.

“The Salafi groups in Gaza very much went underground after the shoot-out. There were a number of threats that they would seek revenge for the attack, but none of them were actually implemented,” says Mukhamair Abusaada, a Gaza-based political analyst and professor at Al-Azhar University. “My assumption is that Hamas sent a very strong message when it attacked their mosque in Rafah: that if you challenge their rule, they will deal with it in a very massive, bloody way.”

But the threat remains, analysts say. And while these groups have yet to establish official ties with Al Qaeda – the WINEP report claims Al Qaeda itself is skeptical of their abilities and sustainability – it doesn’t mean they aren’t inspired to carry out dramatic attacks, particularly against Israel, says Mr. Sanford.

“If these groups could carry out an attack, they would do it,” Sanford says. “But it’s a matter of getting past the security measures the Israelis have put in place, as well as Hamas surveillance.”

“They have had successful operations in the past – they kidnapped Alan Johnston and helped capture [Israeli soldier] Gilad Shalit. So they definitely have the military training to carry out a spectacular attack.”