From: wolda002@umn.edu
Date: Fri Jul 10 2009 - 17:54:54 EDT
BRIEFS
Publication: Terrorism Monitor Volume: 7 Issue: 20
July 9, 2009 04:06 PM Age: 1 days
Category: Terrorism Monitor, Brief, Global Terrorism Analysis, Terrorism
“THE WHOLE OF AFRICA WILL GO UP IN FLAMES”: THE TALIBAN LOOK AT U.S.
DESIGNS ON AFRICAN ENERGY RESOURCES
Afghanistan’s Taliban movement turned their attention to the U.S. role in
Somalia and elsewhere in Africa in an article published in the latest issue
of the Taliban’s Arabic-language magazine, al-Sumud (Media Center of the
Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan-Taliban, June 27).
The article, entitled “Somalia: Next Target for the Global Tyrant, the
United States of America,” focused on the alleged neo-colonial ambitions
of the United States, especially in respect to the consolidation and
exploitation of African energy resources. The author, using the name Anwar,
maintains that God provided Muslims ample blessings in the form of natural
resources, but Muslim inattentiveness and inability to benefit from these
resources has allowed “the cunning enemy” to take advantage of them.
“This is indeed an unforgiveable crime committed by the Muslims against
themselves!”
The author accuses America of seeking to create chaos and insecurity in
Africa as the first step in controlling Africa’s resources. Somalia is
their “first and most important target.” Despite its lack of confirmed
oil or gas reserves, the author describes Somalia as “a country rich with
oil wells.” There is some energy exploration ongoing off the coast of
northern Somalia’s semi-autonomous province of Puntland, but the main
player in this effort is Range Resources, an Australian rather than
American company.
Citing unnamed Russian analysts who “stated that the United States has
prepared a plan for a long war in Africa,” the author claims American
concerns over piracy in Somalia are nothing more than an excuse to justify
an eventual military occupation of Somalia, arguing “In fact, the United
States is seeking to find a situation that justifies the necessity of
deploying its soldiers in Africa. Therefore, Somalia, Sudan, and Libya will
submit to the U.S. power, especially since these three Islamic countries
are rich in high quantities of natural resources and minerals, as indicated
by recent studies.” American support for Somalia’s Transitional Federal
Government (TFG) as led by veteran Islamist Shaykh Sharif Shaykh Ahmad is
described as the result of Washington’s “need for a supportive or agent
government to facilitate its seizure of natural resources like minerals and
[oil] wells.”
The article clearly supports Somalia’s extremist Mujahideen Youth
Movement (better known as al-Shabaab) in its efforts to take control of
Somalia. In an oblique reference to Western criticism of the amputations,
beatings and executions carried out by al-Shabaab’s ad-hoc Islamic
courts, the author suggests “the United States sometimes accuses the
Shari'a courts of violating human rights and being careless about them”
as part of its effort to dominate Somalia.
The Taliban examination of American policies in Africa concludes by
predicting a U.S. colonial expansion in Africa that will not be restricted
to Somalia alone. “When war breaks out, the whole of Africa will go up in
flames, especially Sudan and Libya.”
IRAN CLAIMS CONFESSIONS REVEAL JONDOLLAH’S LEADER IS AN AMERICAN AGENT
As tensions continue to mount between Iran and the United States over
Iran’s disputed presidential election, its nuclear program and Vice
President Joe Biden’s apparent go-ahead for Israeli strikes on Iran
(since refuted by President Obama), authorities in Tehran continue to
insist the insurgency and various terrorist attacks in Iran’s Sistan and
Balochistan province are inspired and funded by the United States. On June
29, a provincial prosecutor announced that 13 members of the Sunni Muslim
and ethnic-Balochi Jondollah insurgent group had confessed that their
leader, Abdolmalek Rigi, was an agent of the United States and Israel
(Vision of the Islamic Republic of Iran Sistan-Balochistan Provincial TV,
June 29; Khorasan, July 2). Sistan and Balochistan is Iran’s poorest and
most underdeveloped province. Its eastern border divides it from
Pakistan’s Balochistan province, similarly underdeveloped and also home
to a Balochi insurgency.
Abdolmalek’s brother, Abdolhamid, was extradited from Pakistan during the
presidency of Pervez Musharraf and tried by Iranian authorities on charges
of terrorism, kidnapping and murder. He was reported to have been executed
in the provincial capital of Zahedan on June 6, but Iranian authorities
later stated Abdolhamid was alive and there had been some confusion when a
condemned man with the same name was hanged on that date (Press TV, June
10). Reza Qalandarzehi, a Jondollah member extradited from Pakistan along
with Abdulhamid, was hanged at the same time as the other prisoner after
his conviction on terrorism charges (Fars News Agency, June 6).
In an interview with Iranian Press TV, Abdolhamid said his brother
Abdolmalek had been in steady contact with U.S. FBI and CIA agents in
Karachi and Islamabad. According to Abdolhamid, the Americans had initially
been wary of Abdolmalek’s previous connections to al-Qaeda, but the
Jondollah leader assured them he had no contact with al-Qaeda since 2002
and needed financial support only to fight Iran. Abdolhamid described a
meeting in Islamabad where two female U.S. agents had offered weapons,
training and bases in Afghanistan. The agents wanted to know how many
recruits the Jondollah leaders could bring in for military training (Press
TV, June 9; Tehran Times, June 10). A Jondollah statement claimed
Abdolhamid’s confessions broadcast on Iran’s Press TV had been
extracted through severe torture and prolonged solitary confinement
(junbish.blogspot.com, June 8). On July 1, Abdolhamid repeated his
allegations of American backing for Jondollah in a Zahedan courtroom.
In the last few years, the Pakistan-based Jondollah organization has
claimed responsibility for a string of ambushes on Iranian security forces
as well as a series of terrorist bombings, including the May 28 bombing of
the Amir al-Mohini mosque in Zahedan that killed 25 people and another two
explosions in Zahedan on June 9. A Jondollah spokesman claimed the bombing
of the Shi’a mosque had targeted a secret meeting of Revolutionary Guards
commanders (al-Arabiya TV, May 29; junbish.blogspot.com, June 10).
Pakistan’s ambassador was summoned to the Iranian Foreign Ministry in
Tehran two days after the mosque bombing (Xinhua, May 30). Three men
arrested before the bombing on suspicion of terrorism were hanged in public
the same day after reportedly admitting to providing explosives for the
blast.
The Iranian Interior Minister, Sadeq Mahsuli, laid the blame for the mosque
blast on the United States and Israel despite a strong denial of
involvement from Washington (E’temad, June 5; Fars News Agency, May 30).
Jondollah has not been placed on the U.S. list of designated terrorist
organizations (Boston Globe, May 30).