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20.07.2005
Unknown History of Jihad
Michel Elbaz, AIA general coordinator
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Messages about the links of one of the main ideologists and leaders of jihad with the Russian secret services sound a bit strange. Could it be so that the pathways of the Kremlin's clandestine battel and the fanatic adherent of the most radical current in the Islamic fundamentalism intersected in some way? And it is not at all clear what sense does it makes for the Russian secret services to deal with one of the most odious personage in modern times. To get answers to these, and many other questions, one must attentively examine some of the pages in the history of the 20th century…

Shadow of the Great Game

Incidentally or not, but the Russian adventures of Ayman al-Zawahiri amazingly coincide in their timing with the activization of the USA in Central Asia. Few days before the date, when al-Zawahiri left Daghestani jail due to the mercy of FSB, Turkmen President Saparmurad Niiazov

Portrait of Saparmurad Niiazov, Ashkhabad, Sept, 1997 (photo: Corbis)
Portrait of Saparmurad Niiazov, Ashkhabad,
Sept, 1997
(photo: Corbis)
put his signature under the protocol on "concluding creation of a consortium for laying the gas pipeline via Afghanistan, till the 1st of October, this year". Thus, the chances grew considerably for the realization of a grandiose project for transportation of the Central Asian energy carriers via Afghanistan to the Pakistani Indian Ocean ports. At the first stage, the pipeline was supposed to deliver gas from Turkmenistan. Later on, Uzbekistan was expected to join the project. The key role in realization of this plan was played by the American company UNOCAL International Energy Ventures Ltd. In case of success, Washington's influence in the former Soviet republics of Central Asia would have multiplied. Moreover, the states of this region would have got an opportunity to finally end their dependence of Moscow. Until the export of their energy carriers was performed through Russia, the Kremlin had a powerful gear of pressure over its former satellites.
As soon as, in the early 1990s, the idea of this pipeline emerged, the Americans and their Pakistani partners agreed that its construction would be possible only after termination of the internecine war in Afghanistan. After the Talibs appeared, it seemed that it is them, who will

Taliban troops (photo: Corbis)
Taliban troops
(photo: Corbis)
bring their country the long-awaited stability. However, regardless of their military success, to the North of Kabul the fights never ceased. At the end of 1997, the USA came forward with the initiative of negotiations between the Talibs and the Northern Alliance. In November, UNOCAL company organized the visit to Washington of a high-ranking Talibs' delegation. During the meetings with them, the issue of pipeline construction had been discussed, as well as the question of future internal Afghani negotiations. It is after the return of this delegation to Kandahar that al-Zawahiri began to prepare the terrorist attacks on the American embassies in Africa. However, there was still more than half a year left until the realization of his plan. And for the moment, the events were unfolding according to the American scenario.
Few months after Talibs' visit to Washington, secret talks began between them and the representatives of the Northern Alliance. Furthermore, the Central Asian capitals were visited by Yan Kalitsky (White House adviser for the CIS states), and Robert G. Card (US Deputy Minister

Robert G. Card
Robert G. Card
of Energy). Following this, the Turkmen President came to Washington. On the 23rd of April, there was a meeting between the two leaders. As soon as the month of May, the American representative in the UN, Bill Richardson, arrived in Kabul. With his direct participation, and with the assistance from the Pakistanis, the backstage contacts between the Talibs and their adversaries were activated. They continued during the next two months, and were supposed to end by signing a cease-fire approximately till the end of August. It was expected that after this a national unity government would be created, naturally opening a way to construction of the gas pipeline.
Powerful blasts in the morning of August, the 7th, in Nairobi and Dar As-Salam destroyed all these plans. As it had to be expected, Washington's reaction followed soon after. On the 20th of August, the Pentagon delivered a missile attack on the Afghani territory. Few days later, Talibs' envoy in the UAE, Mohammed Madani declared: "After these totally unjustified missile strikes, we are in the state of war with the USA".
American diplomats and the representatives of UNOCAL had vanished from

President of Russia V. Putin (l), Political leader of Northern Alliance B. Rabbani (c), and President of Tajikistan I. Rahmonov
President of Russia V. Putin (L),
Political leader of
Northern Alliance B. Rabbani (C),
and President of Tajikistan I. Rahmonov
Afghanistan. Further work on the gas pipeline project became prospectless. Negotiating process terminated. Getting unspoken support from Tajikistan and Russia, the troops of Ahmad Shah Massoud made an effort to take the offensive. Although the latter had been successfully beaten off by the Talibs, the threat to Russian interests in the region passed away…

Suspicious coincidence

On the 18th of September, 1981, the Soviet official daily Pravda published the statement by the USSR

Anwar Sadat make a speech in Israeli Parliament, Nov, 1977
Anwar Sadat's speech
in Israeli Parliament, Nov, 1977
Ministry of Foreign Affairs as to the aggravation of the relations with Egypt. In the 1950s – 1960s, this Arab country was Kremlin's main strategic partner in the Middle East. The situation had changed after the death of the President Nasser, and Anwar Sadat's coming into power in autumn, 1970. Step by step Moscow had lost all of its influence over Cairo. In the summer, 1972, Egyptian leader demanded a withdrawal of the thousands of Soviet troops from the country. The following year, after the war with Israel, Sadat made his final choice, when he agreed to negotiate with his adversary under the US aegis.

Sadat assassination, Oct, 1981
Sadat assassination, Oct, 1981
This dialogue finished with signing the Camp David agreements. Egypt's rapprochement with the USA, and the peace agreement with Israel caused Kremlin's fury. Moscow finally lost its most important outpost in the Middle East. As a result, its positions in the region had been considerably weakened. Hereafter, the Soviet Union began to support almost openly the adversaries of Sadat in the Arab world. This made the relations between the two countries even more complicated. In the first half of October, 1981, several officials of the Soviet embassy were accused of espionage by the Egyptian authorities. In response, Moscow recalled its ambassador from Cairo. The staff of Egypt's Defense Attaché Office was instructed to leave the USSR in seven days.
Publication in Pravda reflected the Kremlin's position concerning these events. Its last passage contained a hardly concealed threat towards the Egyptian regime: "The Soviet side leaves itself the right to undertake any necessary actions directed toward protection of its interests". After two and a half weeks, during military parade in Cairo, the President Sadat was killed by the officer, who was member of the radical Islamic organization Al-Jihad.