Al-Qaeda-Linked Terrorist Claims American Support
Is the enemy of your enemy ever really your friend?
In one of the strangest possible “strange bedfellow” cases in the war on terror, on Tuesday Iran said it forced a Kyrgyzstan Airways passenger airplane to land, and then sent its commandos onboard to remove and arrest Abdol Malek Rigi. Since 2002, Rigi has been the leader of an Iranian militant group called Jundallah (“Soldiers of God”), whose goal is to overthrow Iran’s current regime.
Before his arrest, Abdol Malek Rigi was the most wanted man in Iran. Now he remains in custody of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard, the very people his organization has focused on killing for eight years.
Here’s where it gets even stranger. Iran says that Abdol Malek Rigi was carrying an Afghan passport supplied by Washington and was recently photographed at an American military base in Afghanistan. Iranian intelligence chief Heydar Moslehi held a press conference during which he showed a photograph that he said placed Rigi outside a U.S. military base with two other men.
No details of “where the base was, or how or when the photograph was obtained,” reported the Vancouver Sun’s Richard Spencer, one of the first North American newsmen on the story. Iran’s Heydar Moslehi also displayed Rigi’s Afghan passport and identity card which he says had been given to him by the United States.
Iran did not limit the finger-pointing to America. Instead, they say that the hidden hands of Britain, Israel, and NATO are also involved. During the press conference, Moslehi claimed that Rigi met with Jaap de Hoop Scheffer, the NATO secretary general, in 2008. Tuesday’s arrest of Rigi was “a great defeat for the U.S. and UK,” Moslehi said.
On Thursday, the BBC reported that Iranian state television had broadcast a confession from Rigi in which the leader of Jundallah says he had American support. He also specifically named the U.S. military facility as being the Transit Center at Manas, Kyrgyzstan. Rigi “says he was on his way to a meeting with a ‘high-ranking person’ at the Manas U.S. military base in Kyrgyzstan when he was captured,” according to the BBC.
Right. And we’re supposed to believe a “confession” extracted by the ayatollahs’ questioners, why?
The claim that the Americans, Brits, and/or Israelis are secretly behind everything from gas shortages to earthquakes is standard Iranian propaganda fare.
Obie’s own Iran-Contra?
The Iranians have photoshopped pictures before. Remember their missile tests where they added a bunch more missiles to the photo?
Is that right ?
Iran has sworn to destroy both the United States and Israel, yet we are supposed to feel sorry for them when they allege that the U.S. and Israel (the countries they have advocated the destruction of) support a violent opponent of their regime. Classic passive aggressive behavior (the palestinian have perfected this art form as well).
When you play in this arena, your team mates are not likely to be candidates for the Mormon Tabernacle Choir. This is a dangerous and dirty game, always has been.
There are two Jundallahs, one against Iran based in Pakistan/Afghanistan, another allied with Qaeda based in Pakistan. According to several reports, Iran intentionally conflates the two to claim US/UK/PAK support for a Qaeda based terrorist.
Pretty basic stuff. Reports and claims from the Iranian press shouldn’t even be viewed with a wary eye, they should be discredited completely, then gone over with a fine tooth comb, then you might be able to find one or two facts that stand up to even basic journalistic scrutiny. Press TV’s report last night on Rigi was surreal. Almost as mind warping as RTV’s reporting during the conflict with Georgia.
“John the Libertarian: The Iranians have photoshopped pictures before. Remember their missile tests where they added a bunch more missiles to the photo?”
I really liked the way all their missiles launched simultaneously went off in all possible directions.
I felt like saying, “Hey, do another one!!!”
“It has been Jundallah’s ability to target commanders of Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps that have been keeping Iranian mullahs up late at night”
The way things are going these days, another explanation could be that we turned him over to the mullahs in an effort to help them stay in power. I hope not, but we’ve done nothing to help the Iranian people and is it really such a stretch these days to wonder if our government would acutally assist the Rev Guard by turning over their arch enemey?
The US military base at Manas is collocated with the preexisting civilian airport. So yeah, it’s entirely possible he was photographed “outside” or “at” any one of the facilities. Whether he was actually inside the exclusive US area is another matter.
Like we are supposed to believe anything coming out of Iran??Why didn’t the “o” support the uprising over there?He is as much a liar as the Iranians. . . .
Confessions derived from torture in an Iranian jail have as much validity as American politicians’ campaign promises!
Why no press uproar over the plane hijack by Iran and the kidnap of the American agent (Abdol Malek Rigi)?
Why no press uproar over the 5 bogus passports the terrorist murderer arms dealer in Dubai had: from the same countries as the alleged Dubai contract killers?
Why no disclosure the so called number 2 Taliban was thrown to the wolves (great satin) by “mule a” Omar?
Only possible conclusion: The press is controlled by the terrorist.
Cog is probably right: after using a fine tooth comb, you’ll likely find a few bits of truth in there from what the Iran, Afghan and Pakistan people are saying.
Notable in their silence: the US Marines, who are applying a blunt-toothed comb to Helmand Province, a short distance from the Iran cities in question.
This sounds serious! Can we interview the corpse?
Don’t discount this. Jundallah was a Baloch-Nationalist group fighting the Revolutionary Guards. I am almost certain Rigi had US/British/Israeli support. How much support? I don’t know, but I know they gave Rigi technology that allowed him to moniter Revolutionary Guards communications.
There were CIA leaks published in 2007 by Sy Hersh that reported the CIA was supporting Jundallah.
But I thought the coincidental timing of Jundallah’s attacks odd. Following a historic meeting that ended 30 years of closed US-Iran relations, Jundallah killed Iranian security leaders in an attack just as Iran and US delegates were planning a second summit to close a deal to reduce Iran’s nuclear enrichment. This hampered the deal.
Anything is possible here – Rigi could be supported by rogue elements that want Obama to fail, just like when Reagan’s campaign allegedly used Daddy Bush’s CIA ties to make backdoor deals with the Iranians to hold our hostages until the day after Reagan was elected.
Let’s list other possibilities, shall we?
A very smart and diplomatic answer. It’s really appreciable and general
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