Reports: Islamist Militants May Seek To Unite, Strike in Europe

Stratfor ^ | 18 October 2002

[Brian Mosely]

Summary

Islamist militants from scores of countries reportedly convened recently in Bosnia, agreeing to set aside differences and to present a united front in the face of "American-Zionist aggression." Although it is not known whether al Qaeda members were present, such a convention would suggest that militants are feeling the heat from the U.S. anti-terrorism war and are seeking to turn the tide by staging coordinated attacks against the West.

Analysis

Russian and Yugoslav intelligence sources claim that more than 150 Islamic radicals from more than 50 countries held a secret congress in Travnik, Bosnia and Herzegovina, on Oct. 8. Strana.ru, a pro-government Russian media source, issued a similar report, citing "well-informed diplomatic sources."

According to these sources, the Islamists declared jihad on the "European race" -- meaning both Americans and Europeans -- because it has become "the willing slaves of Jews and Israel." Participants also agreed to put aside any conflicts within the Muslim world in order to unite all Islamic forces as soon as possible for "a return strike" in response to "American-Zionist aggression," the sources say. The militants allegedly declared that all means, both legal and illegal, should be used for that purpose.

Although it is unknown whether al Qaeda members were present at the reported meeting, its occurrence would suggest Islamic militants are feeling the heat from the U.S. anti-terrorism war and are trying to turn the tide by staging coordinated attacks. A united front against the United States and its perceived domination in the Muslim world is something Osama bin Laden and al Qaeda have been calling for since the beginning of their struggle against the United States.

[Bon mots]

"We" didn't bomb them. Clintoon did.

We already know what side he is on.

[Man of the Right]

They'll hit Europe only when and if the U.S. becomes too hard a target.

Excluding the U.K., no European country is in a position to have any influence regarding the future of Islamism. Therefore, it's pointless to kill Europeans. It has no terrorism value. The Europeans do have value for the Islamists as Quislings, apologists, financiers and armorers, however.

I don't consider the U.K. European. Britain still has a sense of honor and courage.

[Destro]

"We" didn't bomb them. Clintoon did.

Correct! In fact when the Congress forced Clinton to take the Kosovo War to a vote the Republican Congress DENIED authorization for military force. Clinton violated that constitution and continued bombing anyway. Republican congressmen took the President to court right after. Case is still pending.

[Hoplite]

You mean firing a test cruise missiles over Northern Europe and getting it to a test site in Southern Russia does not involve any fly over of said missiles over Europe?

Quit changing your statements, Destro.

What you said, and I quote you directly here was:

By the time NATO scrambled its jets, the bombers fired several cruise missiles at targets in Southern Russia. The missiles flying overhead European countries (especially the UK) during insane U.S. General Clark's request to take out the Russians from Pristina airport sobered everyone up.

Now then, I challenged you on this statement, especially the portion highlighted in red and pointed out that nowhere in your linked article did it support your statement.

Just to make things crystal clear, here is what your linked article states:

Russian news agencies reported that the planes were on a 15-hour flight that took them across the North Pole. Col. Alexander Drobyshevsky was quoted by the ITAR-Tass news agency as saying the planes fired cruise missiles and hit targets in southern Russia. U.S. defense officials said the planes were not armed with active missiles.

Note, the Russians said their planes were flying over the North Pole and fired their cruise missiles, which we say weren't carried. Whatever - from the North Pole, it is over Russian territory that any missiles would fly, not over the U.K.

Unable to support your statement, you merely blustered it off, and now you have the temerity to lie about what you said.

Ergo, you lied, couldn't back it up, and now you are lying about it further.

How deep are you going to dig yourself in here Destro?

And please take note - it is not my responsibility to refute your lies with positive proof, it is your responsibility to back up your statements - I cannot explicitly prove the negative that none of the 19 hijackers were Bosnian, nor do I have to - I merely have to point out that you cannot support such an assertion, watch you bumble about trying to dissemble rather than address your fabrication, and voila, having utterly failed to support your statement you get exposed in yet another lie.

Did you demand of your math teachers to disprove your wrong answers in this same manner? Simply, the world just doesn't work the way you think it does.

[mamelukesabre]

The english don't consider britain to be european either.

I don't know what the irish, scotts, and welsh think though. The english call europe the "continent". And a simple glance at a map will show that brittain is not part of it.

[Hoplite]

You started out with a false supposition, and, quite frankly, I could care less where you went from there.

Bye.

[Destro]

I already proved it. See my post above. Why was info gathered on one of the 9/11 terrorists by the UN's Yugoslav kangaroo court? Since they only gather info on criminals within the former Yugoslav states and all. And again, plot a course from Iceland to Southern Europe with a ruler and tell me what nations a cruise missile needs to overfly to get to target. But then any post that shows how incredibly wrong the Kosovo mission was and how it hurt national security sends you into a tither, doesn't?

[mississippi red-neck]

Very true.

[Hoplite]

I already proved it.

No, you didn't prove squat, Spar, and now you're lying yet again. What Del Ponte handed over was not specified - it could have been anything from a data file containing one of the hijacker's names pulled off of a seized computer's hard drive to proof that one of the hijackers was actually in Bosnia, but again, it's not specified, and you just went right on and colored outside the lines like you're wont to do.

None of the hijackers were Bosnian, and Germany, where Atta was, was where any foreign planning for 9/11 took place outside of Afghanistan.

Of course, you could quote the particlular post which gives the particular hijacker's name and provide a link to it to vindicate yourself, but we both know that's impossible, don't we Destro.

Quite simply, the closest you ever got to this was trying to fob off a picture of Ahmed Zuhair, aka Handala, as Ahmad Ibrahim A. Al Haznawi aka Amir.

Keep digging, bub.

Furthermore, I even highlighted the relevant portions of your own source material for you and you still don't get it - no missiles were fired from the vicinity of Iceland.

You're just batting 1.000 here today, aren't you.

[Destro]

And why won't they reveal that informantion gathered by the Del Puta? It might harm the reputation of said hijacker? Maybe it would damage the image of Bosnia?

That guy Spar is on to something! Check out that receding hairline/part down the middle of that terrorist.

[Hoplite]

And why won't they reveal that informantion gathered by the Del Puta? It might harm the reputation of said hijacker? Maybe it would damage the image of Bosnia?

Can I answer your question here without knowing any relevant information and still call it fact, like you do all the time?

And, yeah, you really are on to something - like more of the same.

According to the latest report available, Ahmed Zuhair is currently a resident at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba - so much for another one of your stupid, half baked theories.

29 August, 2002
Ahmed Zuhair, a Saudi citizen known in BiH as Handala, was arrested three days ago in Pakistan and immediately transferred to the US base in Guantanamo on Cuba..

It was plain to see from the very beginning that the pictures aren't of the same man, yet you persist in believing you are smart enough to fool people - ignorance and hubris don't mix, Destro.

[Hoplite]

Ich nicht sprechen ze this.

Anything of interest in there besides bio (corpus of crimes) info?

[DestroyEraseImprove]

Your fears of 'Muslim domination' are unfounded and simply show that you have been led by the nose, rather than having taken the time to think things through for yourself.

No one is leeding me by the nose, except you. Who's talking about fears? Not me. It is very simple. Look, you can praise the bosnian muslims as much as you want. You can even tell me that they are the best muslims living on this planet. I realy don't give a sh*t about it. Fact is, the serbs had to live under ottoman muslim occupation for five hundred years. That's enough. The serbs did not want to be stripped away from Yugoslavia and incorporated into a muslim dominated Bosnia against their declared will. Did you get that finally?! The serbs had been pushed to war by the UNCONSTITUTIONAL declaration of independence. Do you understand the meaning of constitution? There are people in some countries, who do honour their constitution. The bosnian serbs in 1992, were Yugoslav citizens, with Yugoslav passports on souvereign Yugoslav soil and the only thing they did was to reject the criminal seccession of Alija Izetbegovic. They fought for their right NOT TO LEAVE the Yugoslav federation. The problem is, that there was no need for war at all, if people like you were not there to encourage Alija Izetbegovic and to deny the bosnian serbs THEIR constitutional rights. I think it is very impudent of you, to tell other nations, that their own constitution is not valid any more and there's no need to fight for your own God given rights!

And I am the same person to tell the Serbs what to do as I am the same person to tell post WWII Germany and Japan what to do - you (yes you - Nationalist Serbs) started a stupid series of wars and you lost - deal with it and quit whining so damn much.

Now this one does it. Who are you? Heman-Master of the Universe!? As you are a US citizen and the US won both World Wars, you think you have the right to tell other people how to live in their own countries. But you see, the serbs also fought both World Wars. And for what? So that people like you can tell them, they have to bow down to muslims and Nazis?! The serbs did not start a series of wars as you claim. The serbs wanted to preserve their country, they wanted to preserve their constitution and their constitutional rights as Yugoslav citizens. They didn't want to be carved into small pieces, but to preserve their national unity, for which their forefathers fought and died for in two bloody world wars. Irony!

[Hoplite]

You speak of constitutionality to defend the actions of the biggest mass murderers Europe has seen this generation - that's what it boils down to, and no amount of argument is going to vindicate you on this matter.

[DestroyEraseImprove]

I'm talking about why the war was forced on the bosnian serbs, having in mind the events of World War II and the genocide commited against the serbs in this area and yes, I am talking about constitutional rights that were breached. Denying the right to self-determination to the Bosnian and Krajina Serbs,and at the same time consisting on those rights by the muslims for themselves, was and still is a historical crime having in consideration the events and the outcome of both World Wars. That's why the war was inevitable and I'm trying to explain why.

And it was an ugly war. Here we agree, I guess. But speaking of mass murder, how many dead did we have in this war? How many dead serbs, croats and bosnian muslims in particular?

How many Sarajevo serbs, were amongst the victims of the muslim staged 'Markale' massacre?

What came first, the breach of the bosnian constitution or the break out of the war? There is cause and effect in this scenario as well and you are trying to smear it. That's what I call, leading someone by the nose, and no amount of argument is going to vindicate you on this matter.

[Destro]

More evidence of Bosnin Muslim contacts with al-Qaeda! It was only a suggestion by Spar, since as we all know, the UN and the US are keeping the Bosnian's identity a secret.

[Hoplite]

Neither Markale shelling was 'staged'. Mortar shells killed civilians on each occasion. In both instances, Bosnian Serbs immediately started spinning wild stories to absolve themselves of any possibility that one of the over a million shells that they fired during their siege actually performed its intended task. I refer you to the trial of Stanislav Galic for information refuting the Serb position on the February 1994 incident and would be happy to hear your proof as to Serb claims for the 1995 incident. (Clue - I've heard all the old stories before, so try to come up with something new, ok?)

As to your question, since the Serbs instituted SAOs (can you say 'breach of constitution'?) and started arming themselves for war in Bosnia back in 1991, it is moot to start with and is further answered by the rapidity of the Serb takeover, starting in April of '92, which came from a well thought out bloody plan consisting of the use of terror to both drive out non-Serbs and prevent the ethic communities from ever living side by side again. You presume to defend the indifensible. Spare yourself the aggravation.

I've already been vindicated, DEI. That you cannot accurately judge your own history is not my problem.

It is yours.

[Hoplite]

So you deal in suggestions, is that it?

I don't. I deal with facts.

And the fact of the matter here is that you are a liar and not mature enough to admit being caught red-handed in the act.