Dual Al Qaeda missile attack on Aqaba and US-led MFO

The National - Abu Dhabi Media Company ^ | 8/2/10 | Suha Philip Ma’ayeh

[Jack_1]

They paid it again yesterday when a rocket struck the Jordanian port of Aqaba, killing a 51-year-old taxi driver outside the Intercontinental Hotel and wounding four others. Three rockets fell into the Red Sea, while two others hit an open area in the nearby Israeli town of Eilat, according to Israeli media.

Muhammad Abu Rumma, an analyst with Alghad daily newspaper, was confident he knew the attack’s origin and intended target.

“It is evident that the main target is Israel, though the operation was not accurate. Initial information indicates that the rockets were launched from Egyptian territory and that they were targeting Israel,” Mr Rumma said.

“Lately, there is a real security problem between the Egyptian authorities and the tribes in Sinai, and there are elements from al Qa’eda and militant groups infiltrating into that area,” he said. “Al Qa’eda is trying to make political gains and promote itself in the media through announcing operations against Israeli targets. This means that the Palestinian issue is on its agenda.”

Although it appears the rockets were fired at Israel from Egypt, some analysts said Jordan could well be within the sights of militant groups such as al Qa’eda, although the group’s threat to Jordan is widely believed to have diminished since Abu Musab al Zarqawi, a Jordanian militant, was killed in 2006 in Iraq.

“The attacks are a message to the US and its allies, and they come at a time when the US is escalating action against Iran and pressuring the Palestinians to get into direct negotiations” with Israel, said Marwan Shehadeh, an Amman-based expert on Islamist movements.

“My interpretation is that the perpetrators are Palestinian groups that carry the ideology of the Salafi Jihadi movements but have no organizational links with al Qa’eda.”

[Jack_1]

US, Israeli, Egyptian and Jordanian counter-terror experts are following leads indicating that the Grad missiles fired at Aqaba early Monday, August 2, killing a Jordanian security officer and injuring four people, was part of a coordinated attack against Jordan, a US ally, and the US-led Multinational Force & Observers Organization in Sinai -MFO.

The explosions, which also caused extensive damage to the Intercontinental Hotel in Aqaba, were heard clearly in the Eilat, the Jordanian resort's Red Sea twin at 7.45 a.m. Monday. However, Eilat is ruled out for now as an objective.

At the same time, too, the MFO's command base at Al Gura, northeast of the northern Sinai port of El Arish on the Mediterranean was also attacked. Al Qaeda was apparently demonstrating its ability to hit two US or US-allied Middle East targets at the same time.

This was be the first time that Al Qaeda branches in Jordan and Sinai have been known to synchronize their operations - but not the first time the jihadists have targeted the thriving Jordanian resort of Aqaba, a tourist favorite alongside next-door Eilat.

[humblegunner]

I have a real problem with taking seriously anything written by “Suha Philip Ma’ayeh”.

It makes me question what kind of command of English this “Suha” has.

[eastforker]

Mabe thats how they call the hogs suha instead of suey!