Top Sunni Rebel On Iran Death Row Says U.S. Ordered Attacks
Please read my article entitled, "A "Working Relationship To Fund, Train, And Use Terrorists For Terrorist Activities?" Also, here's a small collection of articles I've collected with regards to the below article. - Jon
Source: www.dawn.com
Tuesday, 25 Aug, 2009 | 09:34 PM PST |
ZAHEDAN: A top Sunni rebel who is awaiting execution in Iran said on Tuesday that his militant group received orders from the United States to launch terror attacks in the Islamic republic.
Abdolhamid Rigi, brother of shadowy Jundallah (Soldiers of God) group leader Abdolmalek Rigi, told reporters his brother was an Al-Qaeda point man in Iran six years ago but that later the group broke off ties with him.
'The United States created and supported Jundallah and we received orders from them,' Rigi said in Iran's restive southeastern city of Zahedan, the capital of Sistan-Baluchestan province bordering Afghanistan and Pakistan.
'They (US officials) told us whom to shoot and whom not to. All orders came from them. They told us that they would provide us with everything we need like money and equipment.'
Wearing normal clothing, and not a prison uniform, Rigi addressed reporters in a government building in Zahedan, amid relatively light security.
Iran has accused Jundallah of launching several attacks inside the country, mainly in Sistan-Baluchestan.
The group also claimed a May 28 bomb attack on the Shia Amir al-Momenin mosque in Zahedan in which more than 20 people were killed and 50 wounded.
That attack came just weeks before Iran's June 12 presidential election which returned Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to power.
Iran has in the past blamed US and British agents based in neighbouring Iraq and Afghanistan for launching attacks on border provinces with significant ethnic minority populations.
The day after the mosque bombing, officials accused the United States of 'hiring' those behind the attack, linking it to the presidential election. Washington rejected the accusation.
'We condemn this attack in the strongest possible terms,' State Department spokesman Ian Kelly said. We do not sponsor any form of terrorism in Iran.'
Before Tuesday's news conference began, reporters saw a group of people who reportedly had relatives killed in attacks launched by Jundallah.
An AFP correspondent said that as Rigi sat down to address reporters, some of the victims' relatives called out, denouncing him as a murderer.
Video footage of the aftermath of attacks allegedly launched by Jundallah was also shown at the news conference.
The images included gory executions of several handcuffed and blindfolded people, scenes which provincial officials told reporters had been filmed by Rigi himself.
The officials said some of those shown being killed, who were not identified, had been captured by Jundullah in 2006 and later executed.
Sistan-Baluchestan has a large ethnic Sunni Baluch minority, and also lies on a major narcotics-smuggling route from Afghanistan and Pakistan.
Iranian officials have said Abdolhamid will be executed for his role in several attacks in the country. -AFP
- Jon Gold's blog
- Login to post comments
...
Do these people deserve to know how and why their loved ones were murdered? Do we deserve to know how and why 9/11 happened?
your intro to press for truth
Jon, well done from me here in London, UK
Seeing 9/11 Press for Truth was a big turning point for me.
Previously I had only researched online and for quite a while too.
At the end of the documentary I saw Bob Mc Ilvane speak and I started crying.
Then I thought- so what am I going to do? Continue digging up fascinating anomalies or.... actually do something?
So I did.
IThe first thing I did was to try and help with an organised action which was the Shell Game book buy-in
So I bought 10 hardback copies of Steve Alten's book in unison with others to try and push it up the bestsellers list and hence bring it to the public's attention.
Next I went to Speaker's Corner in Hyde Park here in London and gave out copies for free to tourists mainly!
That was on the 11th of the month that month (memory of a goldfish!)
Since then I've helped with street actions and organising visiting truth speakers.
Now I just donate to selected stuff eg NYCCAN (a lot!) and am available to help out using the tool of my trade- a private cab!
Travelling 9/11 Truth lecturers- I can give you a free ride between London UK airports and London UK hotels.
Previous happy customers RG + DRG ! Pls liaise with your UK hosts- they may know me.
911B e-mails me whatever you put on my personal contact
Thanks...
Do these people deserve to know how and why their loved ones were murdered? Do we deserve to know how and why 9/11 happened?
I believe
Sibel Edmond's recent testimony might have touched on the subject of the U.S. use of the Taliban in funding and fighting a continued "cold war" in Central Asia.
And...
I remembered this report from Seymour Hersh...
"A by-product of these activities has been the bolstering of Sunni extremist groups that espouse a militant vision of Islam and are hostile to America and sympathetic to Al Qaeda."
[...]
"Some of the core tactics of the redirection are not public, however. The clandestine operations have been kept secret, in some cases, by leaving the execution or the funding to the Saudis, or by finding other ways to work around the normal congressional appropriations process, current and former officials close to the Administration said."
[...]
"The key players behind the redirection are Vice-President Dick Cheney, the deputy national-security adviser Elliott Abrams, the departing Ambassador to Iraq (and nominee for United Nations Ambassador), Zalmay Khalilzad, and Prince Bandar bin Sultan, the Saudi national-security adviser. While Rice has been deeply involved in shaping the public policy, former and current officials said that the clandestine side has been guided by Cheney. (Cheney’s office and the White House declined to comment for this story; the Pentagon did not respond to specific queries but said, “The United States is not planning to go to war with Iran.”)"
However, Hersh doesn't mention Jundullah in this article.
I don't LIKE posting Amy Goodman, but...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OnUWcjXvdlo
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mmk9FbGZC7U
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nD6pyqtV9lc
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LwkrsenuEl0
Edit: As it turns out, in July 2008, Seymour Hersh ran a related story that DOES mention Jundullah...
"One of the most active and violent anti-regime groups in Iran today is the Jundallah, also known as the Iranian People’s Resistance Movement, which describes itself as a resistance force fighting for the rights of Sunnis in Iran. “This is a vicious Salafi organization whose followers attended the same madrassas as the Taliban and Pakistani extremists,” Nasr told me. “They are suspected of having links to Al Qaeda and they are also thought to be tied to the drug culture.” The Jundallah took responsibility for the bombing of a busload of Revolutionary Guard soldiers in February, 2007. At least eleven Guard members were killed. According to Baer and to press reports, the Jundallah is among the groups in Iran that are benefitting from U.S. support."
I don't have that article on my site. I must have missed it. Good find Jon (pats self on back). So this means that Seymour Hersh's investigation is the same one I've been looking into without knowing it was Seymour Hersh's story.
Edit: I do have that story on my site. I've just been following Hersh's story the whole time. Doh.
To my knowledge, I don't think any of "my story" mentions Hersh. Does that mean there are now multiple sources for the same story?
Edit: Please go through "my story" and tell me whether or not this does indicate there are now multiple sources for the same story... it would be much appreciated.
Edit: If there are multiple sources that show the Iran/Contra people that were in office on the lead up to 9/11 and on the day of 9/11 had NO problem using the system to "enable" terrorism later, and during the Afghanistan/Russia War... then... what stopped them from using it for 9/11?
Does that make sense?
Edit: I sent everything I have to Sy Hersh through a "proxy." :)
Do these people deserve to know how and why their loved ones were murdered? Do we deserve to know how and why 9/11 happened?