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Report: Recruits Flowed to Iraq Via Syria NewsMax.comAs the certainty of an American invasion of Iraq grew, Italian authorities noted increased chatter between terrorist suspects in Italy and the Ansar terrorist training camps in northeastern Iraq. The monitored and taped conversations indicated that the underground highway to the terrorist stronghold in Kurdistan led through Syria, according to a report in the L.A. Times.
The Italian investigation, which began over a year ago, was recently highlighted by the arrest by Italian police of seven alleged al-Qaida agents. These suspected operatives were charged with routing scores of Muslim holy warriors through Syria to terrorist bases operated by both al-Qaida and Ansar al Islam, whose camp in Iraq was recently overrun by U.S. and Kurdish forces.
Ansar's struggle against Kurdish forces had evolved into the cause-de-jour for militant extremists spawned from among Europe's Muslim immigrant populations.
According to the Times, the wiretapped conversations indicated a structure of key figures in Syria directing not only the flow of recruits but also the passage of money between European sources and Iraq.
Italian investigators are trying to identify a notable figure on the tapes, Mullah Fuad. During an intercepted conversation with another suspect named Ayashi, the following: "Listen ... this week you'll be getting guests," Ayashi said. "I'm in agreement, but the guests better be alert and prepared," Fuad said. "No, good people with good intentions." "I don't need good men, I need alert people who are prepared...," Fuad said.
The Italians, however, say that they have no proof that the Syrian government was aware of the network. According to the Times, they will seek help with the unfolding case from Syrian authorities. The Syrian government is noted for its active security services that perhaps should have been aware of militants operating in their country.
9-11 Connection
In the meantime, the Italians continue to try and nail down Mullah Fuad and others, including an African suspect in Syria named Abderrazak. Adberrazak reportedly has been caught on tape conversing with Mohamed Daki, the alleged Moroccan document forger and associate of the Hamburg, Germnay cell that plotted the Sept. 11 attacks.
Since the 9-11 attacks, Syria claims to have detained more than 30 members of Osama bin Laden's al-Qaida network. Furthermore, last summer, U.S. and Syrian officials jointly disclosed that Syria had fed the U.S. information that helped foil an al-Qaida attack on American military personnel in the Persian Gulf.
But Middle East experts suggest that Syria’s good deeds are done only in its self-interest and only on its own terms. "There is good anti-terrorism cooperation with a narrow focus on al-Qaida," a Western diplomat recently told NewsDay. "We're still as far apart as ever about the presence of Palestinian militant groups in Damascus and Syrian support for Hezbollah."
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