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Bosnia and the Islamic Jihad In Europe
serbianna.com ^ | Sunday, May 1, 2005 | M. Bozinovich

Posted on 05/01/2005 9:07:13 AM PDT by Destro

Sunday, May 1, 2005

Bosnia and the Islamic Jihad In Europe

By M. Bozinovich

Cover of Jürgen Elsässer's book "Wie der Dschihad nach Europa kam. Gotteskrieger und Geheimdienste auf dem Balkan" (How Jihad came into Europe. Holy Warriors and Secret Services on the Balkans"), published by NP-Buchverlag, 243 p., 19.90 Euro (ISBN: 3-85326-376-3)

Jürgen Elsässer is the author of 12 books, 5 of which deal with the Balkans. He'll contribute his expertise at the May conference on Islamic terror influence in the Balkans.

While the mainstream press and standard literature about al-Qaeda describe the activities of the terrorists on all other continents at length, the Jihadists' European deployment area has been largely ignored.

In particular in the Bosnian civil war, several thousand Muslims from Arabic countries and Iran fought alongside their Muslim brethren against the Christians, i.e. Croats and Serbs. As in the 80s in Afghanistan, the US Administration did a deal with the devil: in violation of the UNarms embargo, Washington supplied the holy warriors with sophisticated weaponry.

Five of the hijackers that took part in 9/11 attacks are Bosnian veterans who did their Islamic tour of duty fighting Jihad against the Christians.

Jürgen Elsässer’s book, How Jihad came into Europe: Holy Warriors and Secret Services on the Balkans, is the latest look at the al-Qaeda in the Balkans and the secret network of CIA spies in bed with Jihadists. That Bosnian Muslims are neck-deep implicated in the world wide terror web is well documented by the author but the most stunning claim that Elsässer makes is that some of the 9/11 hijackers might have been on the CIA payroll while doing their bloody stint in Bosnia.

Jürgen Elsässer is a German author with an extensive book collection to his name. He will be among the panelists in Podgorica in May this year, debating the topic of Islamic terrorist influence in the Balkans. His latest book is in German-language print and hopefully may soon be available for the English speaking audience. The author was gracious to provide us with an interview.

What prompted you to write a book on this topic?

I have been writing about the Balkans since 1991 and it is the focus of my journalist activity. Eight of my twelve books deal with the Balkans and the reason is clear: United Germany tried its new muscle in South-East-Europe, in crushing Yugoslavia. So critical journalism in Germany "automatically" followed this policy.

Referring to the Balkan hostilities the then Secretary of State James Baker said in 1989 that the US has “no dog in this fight”. What changed all that 2 years later?

Much like his son now, Bush senior was not very much interested in the Balkans but more in the Middle East. This lack of American interest enabled Germany 1990/91 to create a zone of exclusive influence with Croatia and Slovenia as stronghold. When Washington realized what was going on they tried to counter Serbian influence and German influence by supporting the "third" party, the Muslims.

You unequivocally state that Osama bin Laden received a passport from Bosnian government. Media seems to discount that. Who’s correct?

That Osama Bin Laden got a passport was documented in 1999 by DANI, a Muslim weekly from Sarajevo. Later in 2001, Zurich "Wochenzeitung" got “more and more evidence" from Interpol that bin Laden had a Bosnian passport, in spite of Sarajevo denying it.

You state “Bin Laden himself discussed the details with the Bosnian President Alija Izetbegovic”. What’s the evidence of this personal friendship?

Not friendship, but alliance of interest. Renate Flottau, Spiegel-correspondent for the Balkans, saw Bin Laden 1993/94 at least two times WITH HER OWN EYES in Izetbegovic's palace and even spoke with him. She confirmed it to me personally. She said Izetbegovic didn't like Bin Laden, but needed him.

We see Turkey being used to deliver arms, Iran for buying them, al-Qaeda for providing fighters and Saudis for funding this via its “charitable” organizations. What got these Muslim countries, professing at times antagonism for one another, to come together on Bosnia?

It was not formal alliance, more improvisation. Sudan/Sudan did most of the smuggling 1992, 1994 Iran took over. Turkey helped with infrastructure, airports in Cyprus and in Anatolia were important as basis for the smuggling. Yossef Bodansky, an Anti-Terrorist-expert at the US Senate, found evidence that Sudanese leader Al Turabi, ObL's host, built close ties between Teheran’s secret service and Bin Laden, despite his religious differences between them.

After Dayton in 1995, we see Chechnya war start, then Kosovo, then Macedonia then 9/11. What’s common to all 5 of these events is Islamic militants and al-Qaeda. Is there a global coordination of these events and if so what’s the goal?

The spider in the net is MPRI, a subcontractor of the Pentagon. They took over the Arab/Iranian weapons-smuggling in 1995, helped the Mujahadeen to "liberate" Sarajevo in September 1995, took the best Mujahadeen fighters after Dayton on their own payroll, trained them with the help of Turkish army and sent them to Kosovo and later to Macedonia. I could not fin a link between Chechnya and MPRI, but Aukai Collins, an American Mujahadeen, who fought in Chechnya and had contacts with some of the 9/11 bombers, was at least on the payroll of FBI and CIA. Not Al Qaeda is in the center of all these events, but American secret services, which used Al Qaeda.

Two of the 9/11 hijackers were veteran jihadists in Bosnia. What did they do in Bosnia that made them so exceptionally qualified to kill Americans?

Not two, but five: Al Hazmi and Al Midhar (Plane Nr.3/Pentagon), Mohammed Atta (Plane Nr. 1/WTC) and the "Masterminds" Binalshibh and Khalid Sheikh Mohamed. Al Hazmi and Al Midhar were from Jan. 2000 until 9/11 under surveillance of US-Secret Services as was Atta's flat in Hamburg-Harburg. Binalshibh and Sheikh Mohamed are in US-custody since their arrest in 2002/2003 and are the main witnesses for the Pentagon-Version of 9/11, voluntarily or involuntarily they also work for US-interests. These people killed 3000 people, mostly Americans, but it is likely that they also worked for US secret services.

Is there an al-Qaeda link with the Kosovo Albanian KLA army and if so what is the evidence?

MPRI sent 80 – 120 Mujahadeen into Kosovo to help KLA. This is proven. ObL's own attempts to smuggle men into Kosovo failed. Originally, KLA had a rather weak Muslim influence. KLA are bunch of criminals with a great Albanian nationalist agenda. There's one exception: KLA-Commander Honda (Same din Thesauri), who praised himself (in German TV!) as coordinator for the pogroms around Prizren in March 2004. NATO sees him as confident of Bin Laden, but he himself says he has worked for CIA and BND. Another guy with double loyalty is the KLA-successor, so called ANA that is now split into several factions. One branch works with Al Qaeda, and the other is against this alliance.

Who in today’s Muslim governments in Bosnia and Kosovo have had or have al-Qaeda links?

The governing SDA-Party sponsors fundamentalist youth organizations, which train people for Jihad. Mudjahedin who stayed in Bosnia after Dayton are at the core of the training. Most important is Aktivna Islamska Omladina (AIO) with string Wahhabi influences, training terrorist techniques in so called youth camps during holidays.

Your book details how Pentagon contractor MPRI trained Bosnian and Kosovo Albanian KLA army. Dyn Corp who recently got their bid to buy Belgrade airport approved owns MPRI. Some see conspiracy here. Is there one?

Private companies form a Corporate Military Monster ("Mother Jones"), who does the dirty jobs for US foreign policy all over the world. Is this conspiracy? Some call it simply outsourcing.


TOPICS: Editorial; Extended News; Foreign Affairs; Germany; News/Current Events; War on Terror
KEYWORDS: alqaeda; balkans; bosnia; islamonazis; jihad; jihadapologists; jihadineurope; muhammedans; serbs
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To: FormerLib
When the Muslims and Albanians guilty of equal (or worse) crimes stand beside Slobo in the dock, those charges and that court will have some legitimacy

You are misinformed yet again, F-Lib. Time to update your Serb-victimization talking points. There are Croats, Bosniaks, and Kosovo Albanians indicted or on trial; to include notables such as Naser Oric--commander of Bosniak forces in the Srebrenica region, Ante Gotovina--commander of Croatian forces, and Ramush Haradinaj--former Prime Minister of Kosovo.

More Serbs are indicted than from any other nationality, but of course there are more Serbs than any other nationality; plus nobody else in the Balkans fought four wars against their neighbors. So, if we presuppose equal proclivity for atrocities among the various groups, by virtue of sheer numbers of people & number of wars fought, the Serbs would naturally have committed more war crimes and have more indictees.

In any event, if you based your posts on facts and the concepts of right & wrong instead of on emotions, ethnicity & nationalism; you might see why everybody from the first President Bush to the current President Bush, from Secretary Baker to Secretary Rice, from Senator Bob Dole to Senator Jesse Helms, and including Powell, Rumsfeld, and the Joint Chiefs all see the Balkans differently than you do.

21 posted on 05/02/2005 8:07:11 AM PDT by mark502inf
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To: mark502inf

You're just gonna hate Bolton! LOL!

Nice sidestep attempting to shift to the Croats when I was talking Muslims. Do you think anyone falls for that rot, marky?


22 posted on 05/02/2005 4:33:10 PM PDT by FormerLib (Kosova: "land stolen from Serbs and given to terrorist killers in a futile attempt to appease them.")
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To: sheik yerbouty; Bombardier

Unfortunately, we do have folks such as marky here who will support the Islamofascists until the bitter end.

Plus, he's upset that Orthodox Easter Sunday just passed and not one bomb fell on any Serbs that day. First Hitler, then Clinton; birds of a feather!


23 posted on 05/02/2005 4:35:01 PM PDT by FormerLib (Kosova: "land stolen from Serbs and given to terrorist killers in a futile attempt to appease them.")
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To: mark502inf
More Serbs are indicted than from any other nationality

That's because the Hague is anti-Serb and a political weapon against Serbs and Serbia. They throw in a few token non-Serbs to give a veneer of fairness.

There are many mass murdering non-Serbs whom the Hague knows about but doesn't do a thing.

For instance, Miro Bajramovic, a Croat who confessed to being responsible for the murder of 86 people - most all civilian Serbs. He was doing this, along with the men in his group, under the command of Tomislav Mercep. He says he knows, by name and surname, all whom he killed. Many of those he murdered had been SEVERELY tortured in prison for days.

A Muslim within his unit, Munib Suljic, was responsible for many murders of Croatian Serbs as well, including a 12-year-old Serb girl named Aleksandra Zec and her parents. (A few months ago Croatia did pay the surviving children of that once wealthy family a few thousands dollars in compensation.)

This man who alone killed almost the double alleged at Racak, which was a battle, but is free and unindicted and ignored by the Hague and the mainstream press. His commander Tomislav Mercep, who was doing the same thing in Vukovar - torturing and murdering Serbs - before he was sent to Gospic and other towns, is free and unindicted by the Hague. The Muslim man, who accoriding to Miro Bajramovic, enjoyed harassing the tortured and dying Serb prisoners, and who shot the 12-year-old girl, is free and unindicted.

Further, Miro Bajramovic, says the same kind of thing was going on in many places throughout Croatia, but was kept quiet, and he says they would have gotten away with all these tortures and killings, if not for a few snags - like one of a the Croat oddly taking an injured Serb to a hospital instead of killing him.

The Muslims and Croats did the same in Bosnia about anywhere they could, but the outside world knows nothing if the mainstream media doesn't report it. Heck, even this case is unknown, but for the internet.

24 posted on 05/02/2005 5:03:52 PM PDT by joan
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To: FormerLib
You're just gonna hate Bolton

Be careful what you wish for, F-Lib. Bolton is an American patriot and believes in American values. Just like President Bush, he will stand up for what is right. If you think he's going to give a pass to Mladic, Karadzic or any other of the mass-murdering thugs in your pantheon of heroes, you will be sorely disappointed.

25 posted on 05/02/2005 5:28:09 PM PDT by mark502inf
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To: joan

Joan, I know there are criminals associated with each of the nationalities involved in the Balkans Wars. As I've told you before, every criminal deserves appropriate punishment and the victims and their families deserve justice. However, there's representatives of only one nationality on FReeRepublic denying the crimes, trying to misrepresent the nature of the conflict, and attempting to leverage 9-11 and the war on terror to retroactively justify their actions. Murder is murder, even when the person pulling the trigger is a Serb and the victim is not.


26 posted on 05/02/2005 5:40:25 PM PDT by mark502inf
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To: mark502inf
What's your explanation for why the media and the Hague have allowed people like Miro Bajramovic to murder 86 people and live scot-free?

Have you ever heard of Tomislav Mercep? Yes or No.

27 posted on 05/02/2005 5:44:19 PM PDT by joan
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To: FormerLib

They will both meet each other in the same place..


28 posted on 05/02/2005 8:49:52 PM PDT by sheik yerbouty
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To: mark502inf
If you think he's going to give a pass to Mladic, Karadzic or any other of the mass-murdering thugs in your pantheon of heroes, you will be sorely disappointed.

And if you think that's my "pantheon of heroes" little marky, then you are even dumber than your posts make you appear! LOL!

29 posted on 05/03/2005 6:04:22 AM PDT by FormerLib (Kosova: "land stolen from Serbs and given to terrorist killers in a futile attempt to appease them.")
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To: joan

Joan, if you are trying to say that all criminals should be brought to justice regardless of the nationality of the criminal or their victim, then we agree.


30 posted on 05/03/2005 6:36:46 AM PDT by mark502inf
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To: FormerLib

.....


31 posted on 05/03/2005 9:53:56 AM PDT by Diocletian
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To: mark502inf; joan
...all criminals should be brought to justice regardless of the nationality of the criminal or their victim, then we agree.

Ping us when Ceku is arrested, OK?

32 posted on 05/03/2005 10:37:33 AM PDT by FormerLib (Kosova: "land stolen from Serbs and given to terrorist killers in a futile attempt to appease them.")
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To: FormerLib
Include Thaci in that list, and while you're at it, ask Mark why Thaci was let go when he was arrested by INTERPOL?
33 posted on 05/03/2005 10:43:08 AM PDT by montyspython
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To: montyspython
...why Thaci was let go when he was arrested by INTERPOL?

He'll just blame that on the Serbs as well, you know.

34 posted on 05/03/2005 10:49:55 AM PDT by FormerLib (Kosova: "land stolen from Serbs and given to terrorist killers in a futile attempt to appease them.")
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To: mark502inf

Is'nt it a tad curious when talking to soldiers that have been to Kvo and they sympathise with the Serb side? Many changed their opinions of the situation when they saw what the Albanians are, monsters.


35 posted on 05/04/2005 6:16:07 PM PDT by ma bell ("Take me to the Brig. I want to see the "real Marines". Major General Chesty Puller, USMC)
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To: ma bell

Mark was in Albania proper, he never saw the Squipa terror to temper his biases. Brainwashing through voluntary ignorance.


36 posted on 05/06/2005 7:29:36 AM PDT by montyspython
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To: montyspython

yep, just am putting 2 and 2 together in figuring him out. I'm in San Jose tommorow, waiting to have hot chocolate with our residential idiot, hoplite in the A.M.


37 posted on 05/06/2005 12:08:41 PM PDT by ma bell ("Take me to the Brig. I want to see the "real Marines". Major General Chesty Puller, USMC)
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To: ma bell

Heh, give him a big warm hug and a swift kick in the nuts for me will you?


38 posted on 05/06/2005 12:41:37 PM PDT by montyspython
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To: montyspython; Wraith

he has no nuts, they shriveled up from old age.


39 posted on 05/06/2005 12:44:02 PM PDT by ma bell ("Take me to the Brig. I want to see the "real Marines". Major General Chesty Puller, USMC)
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To: ma bell

Hoplite Raisinballs?


40 posted on 05/06/2005 12:47:28 PM PDT by montyspython
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