Raid on agency in Bosnia points to al-Qaeda link

Financial Times (UK) ^ | February 22, 2002 | Judy Dempsey

[Canuck1]

Raid on agency in Bosnia points to al-Qaeda link
By Judy Dempsey in Brussels
Published: February 21 2002 21:13

A Bosnia-based Saudi aid agency raided last October by Nato troops contained computer files with photographs of terrorist targets, maps of Washington's government buildings and materials for forging US State Department identification badges.

Western diplomats said the findings, finally confirmed on Thursday after weeks of speculation among diplomats and Bosnian officials, suggested that Osama bin Laden's al-Qaeda cells were still in Bosnia-Herzegovina.

More than 3,000 Islamic fighters signed up with the Bosnian Muslim army to fight Croat and Serb forces during the early 1990s. After the 1995 Dayton peace accords, most of the fighters were ordered to leave but diplomats estimate that more than 300 remained, most of them taking up Bosnian citizenship.

The October raids were carried out on the Sarajevo offices of the Saudi High Commissioner for Aid to Bosnia, as well as in the town of Zenica. Six suspects were arrested, including Bensayah Belkacem, who allegedly headed al-Qaeda's operations in Europe.

All six were held by the Bosnian authorities until last month, but were released when the federal judicial authorities and the human rights chamber, which comprises six Bosnian and seven international judges, released them for lack of evidence.

On their release they were seized by US officials, stripped of their Bosnian citizenship and transferred to Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, despite sharp criticism from the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights in Sarajevo. Madeleine Rees, head of the UNHCR's Sarajevo office, said: "We can't have a dual system applying here. There is either the rule of law or there is not."

Western intelligence sources say Bosnia-Herzegovina is an ideal base for the al-Qaeda network, as the central authorities are still weak, policing is poor and borders are porous.

The weak infrastructure has facilitated crime, particularly in trafficking of women, weapons and drugs, which local and international police forces have had little success in curbing.

[Tamodaleko]

Nice try setting a trap! :)

[Wraith]

A former Bosnian Army commander is to surrender to the war crimes tribunal in The Hague today to face charges over atrocities that his forces allegedly committed against Bosnian Croat civilians in 1993.

General Sefer Halilovic, Bosnian Minister for Social Affairs until this week, is the highest-ranking Bosnian Muslim officer to be charged. The Bosnian Government, which is co-operating with the tribunal, said that it had received a sealed indictment from The Hague concerning General Halilovic’s “command responsibility”.

This is good joan, you are making progress in understanding that all sides committed war crimes against the other sides civilian populations. In this case its a Muslim General indicted for War crimes against Croat civilians. Now all you have to do next in order to become a human being of complete understanding is to recognize that the Milosivic Regime controlled Paramilitary forces like Arkan and his Tigers, Captain Dragan (Aka Daniel Sneden) and his Red Berets that were involved for the sole purpose of ethnic cleansing which did take place in the Balkans.

You will not acknowledge this for some reason but are more than happy to point out the atrocities against the civilian Serb population by the Muslim and Croats. What is the malfunction here?

[Wraith]

All sides committed horrendous deeds or acts, or whatever you wish to call it. All numbers and accusations are or were hyped for "informational" reasons.

Mladic Garde very true and I appreciate your open mind and comments. Serbs need to be heard. Their are always two sides to a story and the Serbs have the right to challenge the facts as anyone. In stating what you have posted opens a very important door in regards learning and understanding the factual TRUTH, good or bad, then having the opportunity as a people to deal with it.

A desire to understand the TRUTH from all sides of the Balkan conflict is the first step in coming to terms with atrocities that had been committed against the Serb people and those committed against the opposing sides. No different for the Croats and Bosnian Muslims.

A good example of this, is post WWII Japan self realization of what it had done and the misery caused to other nations and eventually to its own people i.e. the first and only country to get nuked. The result was Japans governing itself and passing laws never to wage an offensive war again. This happened and maybe the people in the Balkans may one day come to grips with this direction. The rest of the world can learn from Japans example.

The Milosivic's trial is an important step towards this because it can be seen as an opportunity for the Serbs to have their perspective judged not only by the Tribunal but by the world. Let Milosovic speak after all, he seems to be doing a good job. As for the outcome we have to see.

[Great Dane]

Have fun - as in the past, I'm sure you won't disappoint us with a lack of imagination.

No need to rely on imagination........... the facts will do nicely, thank you.

[Great Dane]

#27........ Yes, the Serbs needs to be heard, the trouble is, we never did hear their side, this is one reason I started to look at things differently, as I have said before, in the beginning I believed everything NATO and it's allies told us, it wasn't until Kosovo I changed my mind.

[Wraith]

Mladic Garde Read what I have written very carefully, I believe you may have missed the point.

[Wraith]

The trouble with any conflict is that misinformation which is in fact part of a military arsenal used against an enemy. What perception is required in order to gain public support? I am like you very interested in questioning what someone wants me to believe. Every side has something hidden in the old closet.

[Wraith]

Many times, their was a "tit for tat" reaction among the volunteer units on each side

What do you mean by volunteer units and what side is the other side you speak of? Paramilitaries? Come on MG get into something or not at all.

[Wraith]

That is self explanatory with what I did right.

Listen MG you can't come on to FR and expect to be understood by a posting a few lines asking to be understood. If you have something to say great but support it. You have a Serbian perspective of the Balkan conflict so lets hear it. Gorazde, Srebrenica. If you and your unit did no wrong lets hear about it. If wrong was done explain why. Milosivic is defending himself so Commit to the operation.

[vooch]

Fikret Abdic was the moderate elected President of BiH........too bad you HumWarriors supported installing the fanatic Iztebgovic in his place

The Lisbon Agreement was a decent plan which would have prevented the BiH war.........too bad you HumWarriors convinced Iztbegovic to reject it

The Vance-Owen Plan was another decent plan which would have stopped the carnage in 1993.........too bad you HumWarriors convinced Iztbegovic to reject it

Finally, in 1995 you HumWarriors forced Dayton upon poor Iztbegovic.

At every step of the way, you HumWarriors praticed death and destruction. And you dare call people who are preaching peace and tolerance whiners ?

[vooch]

Now all you have to do next in order to become a human being of complete understanding is to recognize that the Milosivic Regime controlled Paramilitary forces like Arkan and his Tigers, Captain Dragan (Aka Daniel Sneden) and his Red Berets that were involved for the sole purpose of ethnic cleansing which did take place in the Balkans.

slippery slope here wraith

Now all you have to do next is......recognize that the Kfor military occupation forces controled the KLA/KPC.....

[Wraith]

Not slippery at all. KFOR does not control the KLA they baby-sit them and now and again the KLA child throws a tantrum and has to be rained in. Yes thier is a relationship between KFOR (particularly the U.S.) and the KLA. The U.S. are trying to control them by treating them as allies which is not working very well and never will. You know the old saying "keep your friends close but your enemies closer".

That photo that was posted of Thaci, Gen. Jackson, Idiot Kushner, Gen. Clark and of course Gen. Ceku I believe is being misinterpreted. You look at and imply that this photo is prof of a conspiracy to take over the world of which Macedonia is the first place, not so. The so called good will behind it was an all out effort by all involved to implement peace in Kosovo. KLA sucked us in once again by their lip service they gave in regards to peace. I know the KLA and this is how they work. They tell you what you want to hear and this is constantly keeping KFOR on their toes. This is a fact the British have no love for the KLA and aggressively deal with them in their Sector. I know this for a fact because I worked on the KLA and someday very successfully.

As for joan and her continued therapy, Mladic Garde is making progress by admitting what Joan can not. You are protecting joan by deflecting this issue. Only when someone can acknowledge the all round barbarity of what went on during the Bosnian conflict will it be possible to move on to fixing the problem.

[Wraith]

I thought you had more balls than that. Dovijenya.