Replies

If alQ is in Jordan, does this not put Israel in real trouble, with them also taking over in the Gaza, Israel is now in a vice.
granny

o view this item online, visit http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=45929

Wednesday, August 24, 2005

FROM WND'S JERUSALEM BUREAU
Zarqawi setting up bases in Jordan, Gaza
Strip?
Terror chief boasts of Eilat, Aqaba attack amid concerns of
network expansion

Posted: August 24, 2005
1:00 a.m. Eastern

By Aaron Klein

© 2005 WorldNetDaily.com

JERUSALEM – A website affiliated with al-Qaida yesterday announced
the terror groups' Iraq insurgency leader Abu Musab al-Zarqawi was
responsible for last week's rocket attack that nearly hit a U.S. naval
ship in the Gulf of Aqaba and an airport in Israel's Eilat port town,
driving home fears here the terror chieftain has established a base in
Jordan intent on carrying out attacks against both the Heshamite
kingdom and the Jewish state.

Some are pointing to ideological connections between Zarqawi's group
and Hamas, and warning al-Qaida may try to gain a foothold in the
Gaza Strip after Israel's departure from the area.

On a website affiliated with al-Qaida's Abdullah Azzam Brigades,
Zarqawi this morning claimed his "Al-Qaida of the Two Rivers" carried
out the "raid on Aqaba and missile firing on Eilat." The statement also
said terrorists involved in the attack returned safely to their "base" in
Iraq, challenging Jordan's arrests yesterday of militants it suspects
were behind the rocket launchings.

Jordanian officials announced they detained Mohammed Hassan
Abdullah al-Sihly, a Syrian national with ties to the Abdullah Azzam
Brigades accused of plotting the attack and firing the missiles with two
of his sons and an Iraqi militant. The officials said the alleged plotters
were part of an Iraq-based terrorist group led by Iraqi Mohammed
Hamid Hussein, know to be involved with the Abdullah Azzam
Brigades.

Al-Sihly, who lives in Amman, had been surveying sites for the attack
in Aqaba since Aug. 6, the Jordanians said.

On Friday, Katyusha rockets were fired toward two U.S. warships
docked in Aqaba and an Israeli airport in Eilat. One missile struck a
Jordanian military hospital. A Jordanian soldier was killed in the
attacks.

Zarqawi was immediately suspected of involvement. Audiotapes
purportedly from Zarqawi recently vowed to punish Jordan's rulers for
"aiding the treacherous enemy America." The Iraqi terrorist was
suspected last year of plotting a chemical attack against U.S. officials
in Jordan, and has long talked of striking the "Zionist enemy" and U.S.
interests near the Jewish state.

The strike in Eilat set off an internal debate here about whether the
missile was an intentional hit against Israel, or strayed from targeting
America's naval ships in Aqaba.

Officially, a spokesperson for the Israeli Defense Forces would only
say the attack is "still being investigated." But military officials told
WND the Katyusha strike near Israel's coastal airport is being taken as
an al-Qaida-linked attack directed against Israel.

"We believe Eilat was the target," a military official said. "This leads to
questions about a new cell established in Jordan to open a new front
and attack U.S. and Israeli interests right here. Jordan is a major
supply route for American efforts in Iraq."

The official said Jordanian forces were combing the country for a new
al-Qaida network with suspected bases on their soil.

Jordan denies providing logistical backing to President Bush's military
campaign in Iraq, though the U.S. Army has said in briefings it has
used the country as a main supply route.

The Aqaba and Eilat attacks were immediately claimed by al-Qaida's
Abdullah Azzam Brigades, an umbrella group that is said to include
Zarqawi's network, and which claimed responsibility for attacks in
Sharm el Sheikh in July and Taba last year, which together killed more
than 100 people.

Dr. Reuven Erlich, director of the Terrorism and Intelligence
Information Center at Israel's Center for Special Studies, told WND
ideological links between the Azzam Brigades and Hamas is of major
concern, particularly as the Palestinian terror group gains a foothold in
the Gaza Strip in the wake of Israel's pullout from the area.

"The connections between Hamas and Abdullah Azzam are deep and
need to be addressed," said Erlich. "We found Azzam's picture on
Hamas posters from Gaza and a lot of Hamas' material. He is one of
the most important figures in both al-Qaida and Hamas Palestinian
terrorism."

Azzam, from the north Samarian village of Silat al-Harithiya, was an
early member of the Muslim Brotherhood. He met Osama bin Laden in
the early '80s and, according to many reports, became his main
spiritual mentor. He wrote a book, "The Defense of Muslim Lands, the
Most Important Personal Duty," stressing that land previously under
Islamic control must be returned by way of jihad. The book, widely
touted by Hamas, is among al-Qaida's stated guidelines for its global
jihad.

During Operation Defensive Shield in March 2002, Israel captured a
large amount of Hamas material containing the images and doctrine of
Azzam.

According to an analysis of the Hamas material by the Center for
Special Studies: "Azzam's portrait in materials reveal that he is
perceived by Hamas as one of the four 'outstanding figures' of the
Islamic 'struggle' in Palestine and around the world. ... Dr. Azzam is a
prominent source of inspiration for global jihad. By glorifying him and
turning him into a role model, Hamas exceeds its Palestinian-national
aspect and positions itself ideologically in the global jihad camp,
although in fact at this time its terrorist-operational activities are
focused only on Israel and the PA-administered territories."

With Israel yesterday completing its evacuation of Jewish homes in
Gaza, there has been concern al-Qaida, including groups linked to
Zarqawi, is looking to establish a cell in the area.

A group calling itself Jundallah or "Allah's Brigade" claimed in May it
set up shop in Gaza. The new terror group is said to consist mainly of
former Hamas and Islamic Jihad members who believe Palestinian
terror groups have become too moderate. Jundallah says it has close
ties to al-Qaida in Afghanistan, Pakistan and Iran.

Also, several al-Qaida-connected militants have been arrested by
Israel's Shin Bet Security Services for attempting to set up cells in
Gaza.

Yaacov Amidror, former chief of research for Israeli military
intelligence, told WND, "It's becoming clear Hamas will take over
Gaza when Israel leaves. Today, one of the weaknesses of al-Qaida is
its lack of a safe haven in the Middle East. The new realities in Gaza
will make it one of the most convenient places for al-Qaida to base
their global operations. The Gaza Strip will become a paradise
because it will be area in which the population and the terror groups in
power, especially Hamas, share the same ideology as al-Qaida."

Amidror said al-Qaida is not seen by Hamas as a threat to its
dominance in Gaza.

"Al-Qaida isn't seeking control of Gaza. Hamas emphasizes the war
against Israel before the struggle against the rest of the West, the
Christians and the non-Islamist world. Al-Qaida would use its Gaza
base to fight against infidels around the world."

Related stories:

Al-Qaida's next base Jewish homes?

In Israel's vacuum, al-Qaida moves in to Gaza