Beirut veteran blamed over Basra attacks

The Sunday Telegraph (U.K.) ^ | 04/25/04 | Con Coughlin

[Pokey78]

A leading Lebanese terrorist accused of blowing up the American embassy in Beirut in the 1980s is being held responsible for the increase in suicide bomb attacks against coalition targets in southern Iraq.

In the latest blasts, in the British-controlled sector in Basra at the end of last week, 73 people - including 18 children - were killed when five suicide car bombs exploded outside police stations.

Western intelligence officials have uncovered evidence that the attacks are being co-ordinated by Imad Mugniyeh, a leading figure in Lebanon's extremist Hizbollah Shia Muslim terror organisation.

Washington has accused Mugniyeh of blowing up the American embassy and the United States marine compound in Beirut in the 1980s, killing more than 300 US officials and troops.

Mugniyeh, who is now in his fifties and has a close relationship with Iran's Revolutionary Guards, has been based in Teheran since the end of the Lebanese civil war, and is also known to have close links with Osama bin Laden's al-Qa'eda terrorist network.

Intelligence officials in Iraq have uncovered evidence that Mugniyeh has been helping to train the self-styled al-Mahdi army set up by Moqtada al-Sadr, the dissident Iraqi Shia leader.

Mugniyeh, the head of Hizbollah's external security apparatus, has deployed scores of Lebanese Hizbollah fighters in Iraq, and set up secret training camps along the southern part of the border with Iran.

The Hizbollah fighters are working closely with members of Iran's Revolutionary Guards, with whom they developed a close relationship during the 1980s when their terror tactics forced the Reagan administration to withdraw US forces from Beirut.

"This is all part of a strategy devised by hardliners in Iran to repeat their success in Lebanon and drive coalition troops out of Iraq," said a senior intelligence official.

"Their main aim is to create an Iranian-style Islamic republic in Iraq."

In recent weeks Sadr has made a number of public references in support of Hizbollah, while Hizbollah supporters demonstrated in Beirut earlier this month in support of "the Iraqi intifada".

The National Council of Resistance of Iran, a prominent Iranian exile group, also claims that a significant number of Revolutionary Guards fighters have been sent to Iraq to support Sadr and the al-Mahdi army.

Attempts by Iranian hardliners to encourage attacks on coalition targets are being undertaken against the wishes of the Iranian government, which earlier this month sent a team of diplomats to Iraq to persuade Sadr to end his stand-off with American troops.

But at the same time as Iranian officials were negotiating with Sadr, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran's hardline spiritual leader, was circulating a cassette tape in Arabic to a number of Iraqi mosques in which he called on the Iraqis to "unite and expel the occupiers to ensure the establishment of a new power based on Islam".

[cavtrooper21]

Another terrorist scumbag that deserves a slow death wrapped in raw pig skin.

[monkeywrench]

"Washington has accused Mugniyeh of blowing up the American embassy and the United States marine compound in Beirut in the 1980s, killing more than 300 US officials and troops."

It's a shame he wasn't dealt with then.

[genefromjersey]

That is VERY interesting !

All you hear about is "al-Qaeda", "linked to al-Qaeda", etc.

One of the biggest trouble makers has been Ansar al-Islam (Followers of Islam) which seems to have ties to both Sunnis and Shi'ites.The Jordanian leader,al-Zarqawi,took refuge in Iran after the US wounded him in Afghanistan.He then moved to Iraq,where the old Saddam-ite made him welcome.

Today's bit (speedboats doing suicide runs in Basra) sounds like something from the 1st Gulf war. Iran did a lot of sneak attacks on shipping,set up missiles on oil towers,etc.

[vbmoneyspender]

How can someone with a brain say this:

Attempts by Iranian hardliners to encourage attacks on coalition targets are being undertaken against the wishes of the Iranian government

and then say this:

But at the same time as Iranian officials were negotiating with Sadr, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran's hardline spiritual leader, was circulating a cassette tape in Arabic to a number of Iraqi mosques in which he called on the Iraqis to "unite and expel the occupiers to ensure the establishment of a new power based on Islam".

and fail to see the utter lunacy they spouted in the first statement. Then again I am probably expecting too much from reporters for them to be able to recognize that statements they write within 20 words of each other are diametrically opposed to such an extent that either one statement is true, or the other, but not both.

[observer5]

So whatever happened --- you are with us or against us.

Bomb Iran now!

[Camel Joe]

I recon its high time for a little payback don't you?

[OneLoyalAmerican]

MOST WANTED

- SCUMBAG -

TERRORIST

ALERT!

bump

[monkeywrench]

Yup! So many losers in the terrorist lottery of life. His numbers up!

[Camel Joe]

The official government and the spiritual leaders are not the same .. officially. Only in practice does Iran have one ruler.

[Squantos]

Bottom Feeder has surfaced again.......I've got book on this weenie somewhere ! Gotta do some looking in old paper files.

Stay safe !

[vbmoneyspender]

So if you were a reporter what would you write. What the Iranians says is the truth or what the truth is.

[Shermy]

Muginiyeh.

Dang. Now I gotta credit DEBKA.

[XHogPilot]

Thought you would be interested. Hizbollah link indentified in Basra attacks.

[bitt]

Intelligence officials in Iraq have uncovered evidence that Mugniyeh has been helping to train the self-styled al-Mahdi army set up by Moqtada al-Sadr, the dissident Iraqi Shia leader.

---

This article links this guy to AQ/Iran/Hizbollah - where are our friends from Hamas? Why should we leave THEM out of the party?

[genefromjersey]

Hamas has been playing pattycake with Hezbollah for years-brand of Islamic madness notwithstanding.

They figure: Kill all the infidels,Jews, Crusaders,etc. first..................THEN we'll try to kill each other !

[Keith]

Instead of airing the ridiculously partisan claims of every anti-Bush book of the week, our nations news networks could do us a big service by putting together a national briefing connecting all the dots between Al-Qaida, Iraq, Hamas, Hezbollah, etc. Then we could understand the worldwide nature of this battle. If the want to cover their liberal asses with a disclaimer about it being a "Bush Administration" viewpoint, so be it. But in years past, they would have done such an investigative report.

But that would require work, wouldn't it? Ugh.

[LibFreeUSA]

-"Washington has accused Mugniyeh of blowing up the American embassy and the United States marine compound in Beirut in the 1980s, killing more than 300 US officials and troops."

-" Mugniyeh, who is now in his fifties and has a close relationship with Iran's Revolutionary Guards, has been based in Teheran since the end of the Lebanese civil war, and is also known to have close links with Osama bin Laden's al-Qa'eda terrorist network."

Ok, so what are we waiting for??

[Destro]

Hamas link identified in Kosovo attack on Americans.

[Travis McGee]

Even Alan Dershowitz just wrote an article saying Sadr is a legit military target, and should be shot asap.