Iran Joining Forces With Al-Qaeda

 A match made in Hell, al-Qaeda and Iran:  "ABC News reports that senior U.S. officials are stating that in recent months there have been secret contacts between the Iranian government and the leadership of al Qaeda. It’s a development that has caught the attention of top officials in the White House, the Pentagon and the intelligence community."

There are several theories floating about as to why Iran would engage al Qaeda. Most of the theories point to Iran using several high-level operatives loosely detained in Iran, as pawns or bargaining chips. Those al Qaeda operatives include two of bin Ladens sons.

According to U.S. officials familiar with highly sensitive intelligence, the contacts are on the status of the al Qaeda operatives who have been under house arrest in Iran since 2003. The officials don’t believe Iran will allow these operatives to go free, but said they don’t know Iran’s motivation for initiating the talks.

“The Iranians know there would be hell to pay if these guys were set free,” a U.S. official told ABC News.

“Iran likely sees these individuals, as major bargaining chips,” says another official. “How and when they’re going to use those chips or whether they are going to keep them in the bank is part of an ongoing strategic discussion they are having internally.”

[…]

The fate of these al Qaeda operatives has been one of the most intriguing mysteries in the war on terror. Shortly after the U.S. invaded Afghanistan in late 2001, al Qaeda’s central leadership broke into two groups. U.S. intelligence believes that one group, headed by Osama bin Laden and Ayman al Zawahiri, fled to the east to find safe haven in Pakistan’s tribal areas. The second group, headed by an Egyptian named Saif al Adel, went west to Iran. This second group, which intelligence analysts say includes al Qaeda’s management council, or “shura,” includes about two dozen militants, including Adel, al Qaeda spokesman Suliman abu Ghaith and some of bin Laden’s relatives, including two of his sons, Saad and

Although U.S. officials rarely talk publicly about them, these militants are considered to be among the most dangerous terrorists in the world.  (ABC News,  via National Terror Alert)

Iran's partner in terrorism, Syria, is back in the news:  "The Bush administration is pressing U.N. inspectors to broaden their search for possible secret nuclear facilities in Syria, hinting that Damascus’s nuclear program might be bigger than the single alleged reactor destroyed by Israeli warplanes last year."

At least three sites have been identified by U.S. officials and passed along to the International Atomic Energy Agency, which is negotiating with Syria for permission to conduct inspections in the country, according to U.S. government officials and Western diplomats. U.S. officials want to know if the suspect sites may have been support facilities for the alleged Al Kibar reactor destroyed in an Israeli air raid Sept. 6, the sources said.

Iran's other friend in terrorism, Venezuela, may be holding a U.S. drug agent: 

Gen. Gabriel Oviedo said the man was acting suspicious when he was detained close to the border with Colombia while bearing Canadian and French passports and a Venezuelan identity card.

“The official at the scene proceeded to interrogate him and he said he was a DEA agent,” Oviedo told state television.

The U.S. Embassy in Caracas said it had no knowledge of the arrest. 

(National Terror Alert)

Comments

[abhi]

i want 2 join al qaeda show me the way.

[courtneyme109]

First off - excel report Debbie.

Iran and Aq buddying up? Sure - why not? After all the mullahs have co opted al Zarqawii's 'civil war - sectarian' strife plot by feeding and funding Mookie and Badr Corps and most likely any number of the the pre Surge Ba'Athists and Sunni guys.

Plus, such a hook up would give Persia a wonderful ability to distance and deny from bloody minions and their havoc. Kinda like that Al Qaeda attack in Saudi in late 2001 - 2002 - AQ cats alledgedly safe as milk in Iran magically appeared to attack royal compounds in Riyadh.

And, the mullahs know that a functional democracy anywhere in their hood is a very cool mirror fror their own people to look into and see a free future with no secret police, religious police or fashion posse

[Steve Harkonnen]

In other words, I don't think Bush is effective enough. We need someone in there who can conduct presidential business like he has a pair. So for that matter, count Hillary, Obama AND McCain out.

[Steve Harkonnen]

Typically I am not one to condone wars due to our brazent attempts at nation building and expansionist-style growth in other countries, but when countries are actively involved in pursuing the bomb, then it's time for us to move in and eliminate governments who do so.

Once Syrian and Iranian governments are toppled, maybe things in the ME may change for the better. From my gathering this morning, al-Qaida is losing big time, but if they get aid from the Iranians, that is a can of worms right there.

That can already opened up when we proved that Iranians were actively involved in the killing of our troops, making this a De facto-type war between Iran and the United States. Why we have yet to do something about it realy sways me.