lucky wilbury
02-29-2004, 01:48 AM
http://news.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2004/02/29/wiran29.xml&sSheet=/news/2004/02/29/ixworld.html/news/2004/02/29/wiran29.xml
Iran poised for terror campaign against Gaddafi
By Con Coughlin
(Filed: 29/02/2004)
Iran is trying to prevent Libya from disclosing incriminating details of Teheran's top-secret nuclear weapons programme, by threatening to unleash Islamic fundamentalist groups opposed to Colonel Muammar Gaddafi.
Western intelligence specialists have learned from interrogation of al-Qaeda suspects, captured close to Afghanistan's border with Iran, that a militant group of Libyan extremists is being protected and trained by terrorism experts from Iran's Revolutionary Guards.
The Libyan Combat Islamic Group (GICL) was expelled from Libya by Gaddafi in 1997 after it was implicated in attacks against government targets. At first the group relocated to Afghanistan, where it became closely involved in Osama bin Laden's al-Qaeda organisation.
After the war in Afghanistan in 2001 the Libyan group was given a safe haven in Iran, together with other North African terrorist groups linked to al-Qaeda. Now the Iranians have agreed to provide the Libyan dissidents with expert training to enable them to attack Libyan targets and intensify their campaign to overthrow Gaddafi.
The Iranians have told Libya of the group's presence in Iran, but promised to restrict its activities to al-Qaeda operations elsewhere so long as Gaddafi does not reveal details of Iran's secret nuclear activity.
One of the reasons that Gaddafi sought to improve relations with British intelligence following September 11 was his concern about the growing effectiveness of Libya's Islamic terrorist groups. The improved relations culminated in Gaddafi's decision, announced at the end of last year, to dismantle his weapons of mass destruction.
"This is a serious initiative by the Iranians," said a Western intelligence official with access to the interrogation transcripts of al-Qaeda detainees in Afghanistan. "They are desperate to prevent Gaddafi from spilling the beans about either Iran's involvement in international terrorism or in developing nuclear weapons."
Teheran is known to have enjoyed an unofficial co-operation pact with Libya on nuclear weapons development since the mid-1990s. Iran's nuclear programme has come under intense scrutiny since Gaddafi finally acknowledged the existence of the Libyan nuclear bomb project at the end of last year.
In the past, Libyan military officials regularly attended test-firing sessions of Iran's Shahab ballistic missile, which many weapons experts believe is being developed as a delivery system for nuclear weapons.
New evidence, collated by officials from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in Vienna since Gaddafi agreed to dismantle his nuclear programme, has revealed how Pakistan provided both Tripoli and Teheran with the expertise and materials to construct a nuclear device.
Now that Libyan scientists are co-operating fully with IAEA officials and are revealing the extent of Gaddafi's nuclear weapons project, Teheran is becoming increasingly concerned that the Libyans will also reveal details of Iran's nuclear weapons project.
Officially, the Iranians deny any attempt to develop a nuclear weapon, claiming that their research programme is designed solely for civilian uses, such as developing a nuclear power industry.
Last week, however, Mohammed ElBaradei, the IAEA's director-general, reported that Iran had undertaken nuclear experiments that it failed to declare, raising fears that Teheran is still trying to build an atom bomb. Inspectors discovered undeclared nuclear material, including polonium, a radioactive element used to trigger a nuclear bomb, and traces of uranium enriched to a far greater degree than the Iranians had previously admitted.
Iran's government fears that it may become the next target in the war on terrorism if it cannot convince the IAEA that its nuclear development project is harmless.
For now, the Libyan dissidents are being trained at a camp in southern Iran. If Tripoli makes any unauthorised disclosures about the Iranian programme, however, they will be encouraged by Teheran to resume their violent campaign to overthrow Gaddafi.
Iran poised for terror campaign against Gaddafi
By Con Coughlin
(Filed: 29/02/2004)
Iran is trying to prevent Libya from disclosing incriminating details of Teheran's top-secret nuclear weapons programme, by threatening to unleash Islamic fundamentalist groups opposed to Colonel Muammar Gaddafi.
Western intelligence specialists have learned from interrogation of al-Qaeda suspects, captured close to Afghanistan's border with Iran, that a militant group of Libyan extremists is being protected and trained by terrorism experts from Iran's Revolutionary Guards.
The Libyan Combat Islamic Group (GICL) was expelled from Libya by Gaddafi in 1997 after it was implicated in attacks against government targets. At first the group relocated to Afghanistan, where it became closely involved in Osama bin Laden's al-Qaeda organisation.
After the war in Afghanistan in 2001 the Libyan group was given a safe haven in Iran, together with other North African terrorist groups linked to al-Qaeda. Now the Iranians have agreed to provide the Libyan dissidents with expert training to enable them to attack Libyan targets and intensify their campaign to overthrow Gaddafi.
The Iranians have told Libya of the group's presence in Iran, but promised to restrict its activities to al-Qaeda operations elsewhere so long as Gaddafi does not reveal details of Iran's secret nuclear activity.
One of the reasons that Gaddafi sought to improve relations with British intelligence following September 11 was his concern about the growing effectiveness of Libya's Islamic terrorist groups. The improved relations culminated in Gaddafi's decision, announced at the end of last year, to dismantle his weapons of mass destruction.
"This is a serious initiative by the Iranians," said a Western intelligence official with access to the interrogation transcripts of al-Qaeda detainees in Afghanistan. "They are desperate to prevent Gaddafi from spilling the beans about either Iran's involvement in international terrorism or in developing nuclear weapons."
Teheran is known to have enjoyed an unofficial co-operation pact with Libya on nuclear weapons development since the mid-1990s. Iran's nuclear programme has come under intense scrutiny since Gaddafi finally acknowledged the existence of the Libyan nuclear bomb project at the end of last year.
In the past, Libyan military officials regularly attended test-firing sessions of Iran's Shahab ballistic missile, which many weapons experts believe is being developed as a delivery system for nuclear weapons.
New evidence, collated by officials from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in Vienna since Gaddafi agreed to dismantle his nuclear programme, has revealed how Pakistan provided both Tripoli and Teheran with the expertise and materials to construct a nuclear device.
Now that Libyan scientists are co-operating fully with IAEA officials and are revealing the extent of Gaddafi's nuclear weapons project, Teheran is becoming increasingly concerned that the Libyans will also reveal details of Iran's nuclear weapons project.
Officially, the Iranians deny any attempt to develop a nuclear weapon, claiming that their research programme is designed solely for civilian uses, such as developing a nuclear power industry.
Last week, however, Mohammed ElBaradei, the IAEA's director-general, reported that Iran had undertaken nuclear experiments that it failed to declare, raising fears that Teheran is still trying to build an atom bomb. Inspectors discovered undeclared nuclear material, including polonium, a radioactive element used to trigger a nuclear bomb, and traces of uranium enriched to a far greater degree than the Iranians had previously admitted.
Iran's government fears that it may become the next target in the war on terrorism if it cannot convince the IAEA that its nuclear development project is harmless.
For now, the Libyan dissidents are being trained at a camp in southern Iran. If Tripoli makes any unauthorised disclosures about the Iranian programme, however, they will be encouraged by Teheran to resume their violent campaign to overthrow Gaddafi.