Listening to the "chatter"
A "radical" and former UK-based militant, Moazzam Begg, has a column on foreign fighters (subject of a thread) and within is this passage:
Quote:
One of the leaders of Ahrar al-Sham is Abu Khalid al-Suri, an associate of mujahideen ideologue Mustafa Setmariam Nasser (aka Abu Musab al-Suri) who was arrested by Pakistani forces in 2005 and handed over to US authorities as part of the War on Terror. Through the US rendition programme Abu Musab al-Suri was sent to the Asad regime. Both men remained in Syrian custody until the former was released in 2011 while the latter’s whereabouts remained a mystery.
Link:http://www.cageprisoners.com/our-wor...-war-on-terror
No surprise: AQ order ISIS not to attack Iran
Catching up I found this Long War Journal report, dated May 12th 2014:
Small piece in the jigsaw
The first paragraph in an article on the AQ -v- ISIS contest which fits here, my emphais:
Quote:
The latest edition of Dabiq, the flagship publication of the group that calls itself the Islamic State (IS), includes an eviscerating, accusation-laden polemic against al-Qaeda’s central leadership in Pakistan’s Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA). The article, titled, “Al-Qa’ida of Waziristan – A Testimony of Within,” was written by Abu Jarir al-Shamali, an al-Qaeda commander who spent around seven years in an Iranian prison followed by three years in FATA, and defected to IS earlier this year (some media reports that al-Shamali actually spent the immediate post-9/11 years in Iraq rather than Iran)
Link:http://nationalinterest.org/feature/...da-heats-11962
There’s no way Iran will ever help fight al Qaeda.
More of an updated amalgam of plots, perhaps the "alliance that shall not be spoken of" needs some barbs inside The Beltway?
Link:http://m.weeklystandard.com/articles...html?nopager=1
From OBL's "treasure trove"
Within a longer WoTR article on how to use the newly released documents from Bin Laden's home in Abbottabad I spotted this:
Quote:
The al Qaeda operatives holed up in Iran have always been a big black hole in understanding al Qaeda. Why did they go there? What were they up to? Was Iran in bed with al Qaeda?
Check out this document in particular and others describing the Iran linkages with al Qaeda. It appears al Qaeda lost a lot of manpower to Iranian detention. It’s possible that the reason for al Qaeda’s weak showing in Libya post-Arab Spring was due to its losing many of its key former members of the Islamic Fighting Group to Iran’s prisons. The entire Iran aspect in these documents is new stuff.
Link:
Follow the underlined link to the document (6 pg PDF in English):http://warontherocks.com/2015/05/con.../?singlepage=1
Did Iran Give Up the Khobar Towers Terrorist?
An Ali Soufan column on FP explaining how the long wanted suspect for the Kobar bombing in 1996, is now in Saudi custody; having flown from Iran to Lebanon and being arrested:http://foreignpolicy.com/2015/09/08/...zbollah-iran/?
Under-statement:
Quote:
...the question of why Hezbollah allowed Mughassil to be plucked from its own backyard — without any retaliation or even a tangible response — may be even more fascinating.
(Later) Mughassil’s capture and arrest should be a lesson to state-sponsored terrorists everywhere: They are being played as pawns and are only safe as long as they are useful.
Iran Frees five Al Qaeda Members for kidnapped diplomat
Anonymous intelligence sources led to this Sky News report; it starts with:
Quote:
Iran has released five senior al Qaeda operatives from detention and will soon allow them to leave the country, prompting fears they will join other terrorists in Syria planning attacks on the West. According to intelligence sources, three of the five are members of al Qaeda's ruling committee the Shura Council.
They were released in exchange for an Iranian diplomat kidnapped in Yemen earlier this year.
(Later) intelligence sources said, were believed to be still in Iran but there are fears that they will be allowed to leave - probably to refill positions inside al Qaeda's leadership structure that has been mauled by drone attacks in Pakistan, Afghanistan, Yemen, Syria and Somalia.
Link:http://news.sky.com/story/1552303/te...-qaeda-members
Iran frees five AQ Members for kidnapped diplomat: Part 2
The NYT adds:
Quote:
The Iranian government, in a statement on Thursday after the release was reported by Sky News earlier this week, denied that the five men had been freed....The release of the men could re-energize the militant group, providing an influx of vetted leaders at a crucial time, terrorism experts say.
Link:http://www.nytimes.com/2015/09/18/wo...-a-trade.html?
So six months ago this release happened or didn't, then a week ago the Khobar Towers suspect appears to have been "given up".
Could this be a move to counter ISIS?
The Long War Journal assesses the recent reports and concludes:
Quote:
There is no question that Saif al Adel, Abu Mohammed al Masri and Abu Khayr al Masri are among al Qaeda’s most senior leaders....the freed jihadists may serve another purpose. Jihadists on social media have circulated a rumor suggesting that al Qaeda plans on relaunching a new branch inside Iraq, in direct competition with the Islamic State. The al Qaeda leaders released from Iran are well-positioned to lead this effort....These men could argue the opposite, saying they, and al Qaeda, are Zarqawi’s true heirs.
Link:http://www.longwarjournal.org/archiv...-from-iran.php
Now if that assessment is correct the Iranian "release" makes sense in countering ISIS. Indeed a certain US general has mooted using AQ to counter ISIS; strange world sometimes.
Bin Laden's treasure trove: what his letters say
Hat tip to Outlaw 09 spotting these passages, with my emphasis in bold:
Quote:
The collection includes letters to subordinates in al-Qaeda, messages from followers willing to carry out suicide attacks, and screeds on issues including bin Laden’s conviction that the United States and Iran were poised for an apocalyptic war. In one letter, bin Laden scolds one of his deputies for threatening attacks against Iran, saying, “As you are aware, Iran is our main artery for funds, personnel and communication.”
Members of bin Laden’s family were held in Iran for years in a murky state of house arrest, leading to speculation that al-Qaeda and Tehran had formed a wary partnership. But U.S. intelligence officials said they have found no evidence in the Abbottabad files of any formal arrangement along those lines.
Link:https://www.washingtonpost.com/world...4ec_story.html
Another, Arabic source (in English) and hat tip to Outlaw 09:http://english.aawsat.com/2016/01/ar...ed-to-al-qaeda
Iran & AQ: a safe haven or holding cell?