Note: The translations of articles from the Hebrew press are prepared by the Government Press Office as a service to foreign journalists in Israel. They express the views of the authors.
THE TENTACLES OF TERRORISM
(Background by Roni Shaked, "Yediot Ahronot", Aug 10, 1998, p. A6)
Out of Afghanistan came the attack on American soldiers in Saudi Arabia.
From Sudan -- the second deadly attack in Saudi Arabia. Iran is
responsible for the two bombings in Argentina. The attack on the World
Trade Center was born in Egypt. The four main centers for exporting
international terrorism.
FBI agents, trying to track down the perpetrators of the deadly attacks in
Kenya and Tanzania, have already focused on possible lines of
investigation that are not especially surprising.
Countries like Egypt or Afghanistan, from which, according to certain
suspicions, the attackers came, have in the past been used as convenient
bases for international terrorism. International terrorism is based along
four main axes:
Afghanistan
Beginnings: The struggle for Afghanistan's independence during the
mid-1980s brought thousands of volunteers who joined the fundamentalist
organizations. The Islamic Mujahedin, which succeeded in taking over most
of the country, supported an extremist line. In effect, the export of
terrorism from Afghanistan began. It increased two years ago, "thanks" to
Saudi millionaire Osama bin Laden, who came to Afghanistan and turned it
into a base for terrorist operations.
Operations: November 1996 -- The attack on the Egyptian embassy in
Pakistan, 17 dead; June 1997 -- the attack on the U.S. air base at
Dhahran, Saudi Arabia, 19 American soldiers dead, 380 wounded; aid to
Islamic terrorism in Chechniya, Bosnia, Bangladesh and other countries.
Official policy: The extremist Taliban movement last year took control of
most of Afghanistan. It actively supports terrorist operations.
Sudan
Beginnings: Various efforts in the 1980s, after the coup d'etat that
turned Sudan into a radical Islamic state, making it a central actor
supporting terrorism. Terrorist training bases for terrorism and rear
headquarters for most of the Islamic movements can be found on its
territory. Between 1991-94, before moving to Afghanistan, Osama bin Laden
operated there and initiated murderous attacks.
Operations: December 1992 -- attack on a hotel in Yemen hosting American
soldiers, 3 dead; June 1993 -- attempted assassination of Jordanian Crown
Prince Abdallah; November 1995 -- car bomb at the Saudi National Guard
training base in Riyadh, 7 dead and 60 wounded; assistance for terrorist
attacks in Israel, Algeria, Bosnia and other countries.
Official policy: Sudan's official policy denies supporting terrorism. At
the same time, the authorities continue to provide patronage for extremist
Islamic organizations.
Iran
Beginnings: The "blood pact" between Iran and international terrorism was
born with the Khomeinist revolution in 1979. Since then, Iran has actively
and systematically supported terrorism.
Operations: March 1992 -- attack on the Israeli embassy in Buenos Aires,
30 killed and 250 wounded. September 1994 -- attack on a Jewish communal
building in Buenos Aires, Argentina, over 80 dead, 150 wounded; support
for Hizballah in Lebanon, for terrorist attacks in Israel and in European
countries such as Greece, Spain and Germany.
Official policy: Despite the support and aid given to terrorism in order
to achieve political objectives, Iran officially denies any involvement in
terror.
Egyptian extremists:
Beginnings: The murder of Sadat in 1981 was the first important landmark
for Islamic terrorism in Egypt. Since the end of the 1980s, the the
extremist organisations have grown in strength.
Operations: February 1993 -- attack on the World Trade Center in New York,
five killed and 1,000 wounded; many attacks within Egypt, mainly against
tourists.
Official policy: This is in fact the only state "teeming with terror" in
which the extremist organizations have no support from the authorities.
From the point of view of the Egyptian authorities, terrorism is a threat
not only to world peace, but first and foremost to the authorities
themselves. Despite this, the Islamic organizations in Egypt are managing
to survive and even to widen their activity.