Bin Ladin Calls His Balkan Brigades to Arms

26 September: DEBKAfile’s military sources report that Osama Bin Laden’s deputy, the Egyptian Jihad chief Ayman al-Zawahri, has ordered Al Qaeda and Jihad activists in Bosnia, Kosovo, Albania and Macedonia – an estimated 6,000 men – to report for duty and prepare to open a second Islamic front against the United States in the Balkans. According to our sources, that nucleus group is capable of mustering another 40,000 trained and well-armed fighting men. Many hold on to the up-to-date weapons handed out to them by NATO, including the US Army, during the 1998 Kosovo War.

In Bosnia, the Bin Laden-Jihad alliance commands a reservoir of 7,500 fighting men; in Kosovo – 15,000; in Albania – another 15,000 and in Macedonia – 5,000.

Earlier this week, rumors went round European and NATO intelligence circles that al-Zawahri was in Tirana to organize the Balkan fighting force. He was said to be drawing for help on the Jihad’s extensive infrastructure in the Albanian capital, the Albanian criminal underworld and the Albanian Liberation Army command posts that control large stretches of Kosovo.

NATO Headquarters in Brussels also received reports of some 3,000 Chechen rebels funded by Bin Laden beginning to cross into Georgia, Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan. They are in flight from President Vladimir Putin’s 72-hour ultimatum to give themselves up and surrender their arms. They suspect that Putin received an American carte blanche to crush the Chechen rebellion in return for his support of the US operation in Afghanistan. The generals in Brussels fear the Chechens will strike at the US bases going up n Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan and Tadjikistan.

There is every indication, according to DEBKAfile’s military sources, of preparations by Bin Laden and his network of militant Islamic fundamentalists to launch two fronts - in the Balkans and in Central Asia – to attack US and allied forces as they open their offensive in Afghanistan.

NATO maintains 60,000 servicemen in the Balkans, one third American; US strength in the former Soviet republics of Central Asia now stands at some 15,000.

Washington’s hopes of bringing Arab nations into its anti-terror coalition were further dashed Monday, September 24, when Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and Iraqi president Saddam Hussein, both called Syrian President Bashar Assad with a promise of any political and military support he might need to frustrate an American strike against the militant Shiite Hizballah in Lebanon and the radical Palestinian groups based in Damascus.

Saddam disclosed he had placed his armed forces on supreme battle preparedness in anticipation of the United States following up on its operation in Afghanistan with an assault on Iraq in an attempt to topple his regime.

DEBKAfile’s military sources confirm that the Iraqi army was placed on its highest preparedness at the end of last week. Hundreds of thousands of Iraqi civilians are reported fleeing Baghdad and Basra and making for remote villages.

Another sign of the rising tension in Iraq is the airlift Beijing has instituted to remove the 1000 Chinese technicians and military men upgrading Iraqi air defense command centers with new optic fibers systems.

These major military movements heavily overshadowed Yasser Arafat’s abruptly aborted trip to Damascus Tuesday and the news that his oft-delayed and unpopular meeting with Israeli foreign Minister Shimon Peres in Gaza would finally come off Wednesday morning.

If that meeting does indeed come about, the two are expected to sign a memorandum affirming a cessation of hostilities, the application of the ceasefire negotiated by CIA director George Tenet four months ago and of the first stages of the recommendations made by former Senator George Mitchell and his team.

According to DEBKAfile’s sources in Washington, Arafat had already set out for his long-awaited meeting with the Syrian president in Damascus, when he turned round and retraced his steps to Gaza. He changed course after US secretary of state Colin Powell had harangued him by telephone from before he embarked from Dahaniyeh airport in Gaza all the way to Amman. Powell finally slapped down an ultimatum: Go to Damascus and meet Assad, and he would not only burn all his bridges to Washington once and for all, but he would be deemed to have lined up with Saddam Hussein once again as he did in the 1991 Gulf War – only this time there would be no forgiveness from Washington and he could expect full punishment.

If the situation of mankind facing the Third World War were not so serious, then this piece of "news" would be quite humourous. I don't think even the wildest conspiracy nut believes the Islamic entente is preparing to launch a Balkan front.

The forces of the Kosovo Liberation Army are trained, financed, and equipped by the United States. These Albanian freedom fighters certainly are not going to attack Americans now that the Tetovo Republic has been liberated and Kosovo independence assured. Besides, they are too busy preparing to renew their assault on the Macedonian government that has reneged on previous peace agreements.

The Moscow propaganda offensive to label Chechen freedom fighters as "terrorists" collapsed with a thud that could be heard around the beltway Wednesday. George Bush has made it clear he continues to support the democratically elected government of president Aslan Maskhadov in the Second War of Chechen Independence.

Unlike the older Stingers the Taliban now prepare to use, the Chechen forces are equipped with the third generation MANPADS from the US. They are kicking Moscow's ass every week and still may launch a bold bid to regain Grozny before the winter snows come.

Since no one cares to post anything concerning the truth about Chechnya in this Russian loving forum, I present below President Maskhadov's most recent remarks --

********* I remind the command links of the ChRI Armed Forces of the fact that we wage war against Russia. Its special services attempt in every way possible, by means of some groups of Chechen militia which hide themselves from pursuit by Russia on the territory of Georgia, Azerbaijan, etc., to draw Chechens into internal conflicts with the fraternal peoples. I separately notify all military subdivisions of the Chechen Republic of Ichkeria that I categorically forbid the planning and realization of operations generally, and even against Russian objects with military subdivisions, on the territory of the following states: Georgia, Armenia, Azerbaijan.

I remind the mojahedeen who aren't indifferent to the fate of their republic and its people, who are subordinated to the orders of the Supreme Commander-in-chief of the ChRI Armed Forces, of the impossibility to conduct any combat operations, including those against the Russian subdivisions, on the territory of states which are friendly to us, especially Georgia (Svanetiya, Ajaria, Abkhazia, South Ossetia), which are characterized by the fact that the Russian services precisely in these regions are preparing for provocations with the purpose to stir up hatred between our peoples and to secure the option to influence the policy of Tbilisi.

All those who won't carry out these my requests and orders, will be considered accomplices of the Russian special services and traitors against the interests of their state and people. **********

Now that is a man who knows how to lead his people in a war. Claims that the Chechens are linked to the enemy are merely clever Slavic propaganda from an ex-KGB hood in Moscow. No one is fooled.

The KLA and the Chechens are allies of the United States -- and have been for a number of years. An attack on either is an attack on America.

The forces of freedom on the move. Europe trembles.

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