TANZANIA Terror "Operation Kaaba"

Tanzanian Islamic Weekly Blames USA for 1998 Terror Attacks in East Africa

By: iStockAnalyst Saturday, August 02, 2008 3:53 PM

Text of commentary by Omar Msangi entitled "Ten years on, who attacked the American embassy, and what was the aim?" published by Tanzanian weekly Islamic newspaper An-Nuur on 1 August

It is almost 10 years since the terrorist bombing of the US embassies in both Dar es Salaam and Nairobi. The two attacks, which happened simultaneously between 1030 and 1100 a.m. [0730 and 0800 gmt], killed some 213 people and injured more than 5,000 others in Nairobi, while in Dar es Salaam 12 people died and 186 others injured. Using the number of deaths and extent of injuries, this was a major terrorist attack. Honestly, it was a very frightening experience.

So while we mark the 10th anniversary of these attacks, the question is: who was responsible, what were their motives?

Moments after the attacks, even before the investigations had started, the American government said that the main culprit was Usamah Bin Ladin and Al-Qai'dah. This is the song that the media continues to sing today. No-one questioned the evidence or demanded that the US provides it. Most of the journalists didn't question the statements made by the White House and Pentagon. They even went ahead and say that the suspects were Muslims and that the attacks had Islamic blessings. The journalist Lawrence Wright claimed that the attack on the Nairobi embassy had been code-named "Operation Kaaba", while that of Dar es Salaam was known as "Operation Al- Aqsa." Both are names of key holy mosques. This was an effort by the reporter to emphasize that the culprits were Muslims.

What followed was the unending arrest of Muslims, including Tanzania's Ahmed Khalfan Ghailan who is still being tortured in Guantanamo.

However, who was exactly involved in the attacks? Who was responsible for the murder of 213 Kenyans and 12 Tanzanians? Since the USA is the complainant, prosecutor, witness, and judge it might not become clear who was involved, or their motives, since this could expose some American secrets. There are some things if examined could cast light on the attacks on Nairobi and Dar es Salaam.

Michel Chossudovsky has authored a book by the name Al-Qai'dah and the "War on Terrorism" [book title in English throughout] (20 January 2008). The first edition was published in Italian and termed the statement by the American government on 11 September as one full of lies. (Why the Official Version on 9/11 is a Falsehood [insertion in English]). In his book, America's War on Terrorism (2005), Chossudovsky starts by stating that the purpose of the propaganda by the American government was to create an enemy, a foreign enemy. An enemy like Usamah Bin Laden cannot tolerate the USA. He says that in this war, the truth is always turned upside down to such an extent that you cannot distinguish it from the lies. (Michel Chossudovsky is a professor of economics at the University of Ottawa, Canada; a famous author of an international best-seller known as America's "War on Terrorism". He is also the director of Centre for Research on Globalization [name of organization in English].)

Come 11 September, he says, the USA identified through its propaganda that Usamah and Al-Qai'dah were the main suspects and the enemy. He notes that this very Al-Qai'dah was created by the CIA in the fight against the USSR in Afghanistan. Professor Chossudovsky presents his evidence saying that, since 1979 the American government had through the CIA started a huge operation of creating a Mujahidin force that could be used to fight the Soviets. Using some Arab governments and Pakistan, some 35,000 Muslim youth underwent military training in various camps, while the Pakistani intelligence body, ISI, was the link between the CIA and Al- Qai'dah's commanders.

Let it be known that these Muslim youths sacrificed themselves for a jihad meant to defend fellow Muslims. They didn't know what was going on between the CIA and the ISI. As a result, by 1992, thousands of Muslims from some 40 countries had received training under Al-Qai'dah on the use of various weapons and the making of bombs. Money was not a problem since the budget was being controlled from Washington. Therefore, the USA knows what Al-Qai'dah is since those on its list, those who trained under Al-Qai'dah, passed through the hands of both the CIA and ISI. It seems that when you want to do something, you blame it somebody else. What America doesn't say is that all these are graduates of its camps.

Examining the relationship between Al-Qai'dah and the CIA, Prof Chossudovsky said that in 1998, Mr Zbigniew Brzezinski, who was the national security adviser of President Jimmy Carter, confirmed that it was the CIA that created and worked with Al-Qai'dah immediately the Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan on 24 December 1979. The USA didn't want to confront the Soviets directly, but it saw it fit to use people inspired by their faith and religion to fight the Russians since these would not get tired. It is President Carter who signed the secret order that approved American assistance to the Mujahidin.

On the other hand, he goes on to say that, after America created the terrorist organisation to do its evil work, and after spreading frightening propaganda on deadly threats, events like attacks on its embassies in Nairobi and Dar es Salaam had to take place, same as 11 September so that it could be seen that terrorism continued to thrive. Chossudovsky dismisses as rubbish claims that the attacks of 11 September on Washington and New York were the work of Al- Qai'dah. He adds that the lying includes statements on the London bombings, claims of plots to attack planes by people with no passports, tickets or travel plans.

Statements on these actual events are planned and effected by America itself and are meant to garner support for its military adventures against certain people and countries. What happened on 11 September or the attacks on the American embassies in Nairobi and Dar es Salaam frightened the world, especially Americans. Afterwards America got huge support when it announced that it would deal militarily with the perpetrators of the attacks. (See: Fabricated Intelligence for Political Gain-2006, also check Sheila Copps, Edmonton Sun, 13 August 2006 [Source in English])

This is like what happened during Operation Northwoods (US false flag conspiracy [Source in English]) of 1962 in which America planned attacks against its civilians, including shootings, and bombing of its ships and planes, and then claim that Cuba was planning to invade it. Under such circumstances, you can see it is hard to know what exactly happened on 7 August 1998 at the American embassies in Dar es Salaam and Nairobi. Who was involved, and what were their aims? Like I said, the truth will become clear the moment top secret [preceding two words in English] documents or "classified information" [preceding two words in English] are declassified. Let me conclude by saying that if you leave it to them, you will never know what happened.

The American warship USS Liberty was attacked by Israel, but the blame was directed towards Egypt so as to give the USA the opportunity to attack [then Egyptian President] Abd-al Nasir. Various Israeli reports showed that some 34 soldiers died during the 8 June 1957 attack on the American ship, USS Liberty H01, by Israeli soldiers. Reports said that this was the worst attack, but termed it an accident. A commission appointed by President Lyndon Johnson and then [US] Secretary of Defence Robert McNamara termed the attack an accident since the Israeli soldiers had mistaken it for an enemy ship. This is now being revealed by then senior people in the American military like retired Capt Ward Boston and Admiral Thomas Moore, who was the then chairman of the US joint chiefs of staff, and who spend a whole year investigating the issue. Moore concluded that the attack on USS Liberty had been "one of the classic all- American cover-ups" [words in quotation marks in English].

However, this was not the end of comments by this retired military officer. At one time during an interview with the media, he wondered why the American government seemed more concerned with Israeli interests than those of the American citizens.

This has been discussed by the writer Peter Hounam who says that what emerges is a conspiracy plotted by the American government together with the Israeli soldiers to perpetrate the attack so that it can get the excuse to attack Egypt on Israel's behalf. Hounam added that the conspiracy was code-named "Operation Cyanide".

In conclusion, there are some people who want to continue singing the American song of Al-Qai'dah's role in the attack on Dar es Salaam embassy. Let them continue singing. Those with brains should however, ponder on "Operation Northwood" and "Operation Cyanide."

Originally published by An-Nuur, Dar es Salaam, in Swahili 1 Aug 08.

(c) 2008 BBC Monitoring Africa. Provided by ProQuest Information and Learning. All rights Reserved.tracking

Story Source: BBC Monitoring Africa

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