Afghanistan a haven for Islamic militants?

By Kesava Menon

MANAMA (BAHRAIN) JAN. 22. As Arab Governments turn decisively against Islamic militants, one remarkable feature is the ubiquitousness of the ``Afghani'' phenomenon. Whether it is the long-standing militant movement in Algeria or the more nascent one in Lebanon, those Arab nationals who took part in and got radicalised in the Afghan war are seen to have emerged as central figures. The concerned governments cannot take up the matter directly with the Taliban since none of them recognises the regime in Kabul and they have also not made public whether they have taken up the matter with Islamabad which too has a major contributory role.

In Algeria, the security forces are reported to have ringed the bases of the remaining radical groups to liquidate them. One of the major militant movements - the Islamic Salvation Army and a smaller faction the Islamic League for Preaching and Jihad - have dissolved themselves and their cadres are to assist the Algerian army in the crack-down. This combination of soldiers and reformed militants is waiting for the green signal to launch attacks on the Armed Islamic Group (GIA) and the Salafist Group for Preaching and Combat.

If optimistic projections bear out and the security forces succeed in their operation, they would wipe out the hard- core which has taken terrorism to new depths over the last eight years. The security forces are holding back because the Government has extended by a few days the period during which militants not guilty of serious crimes can seek amnesty. Throughout the Algerian crisis, the role of the ``Afghanis'' has been known to be a crucial one. With their combat experience and ideological training, those Algerians who had taken part in the Afghan war against the Soviets are believed to have provided the frame-work for the militant groups.

In fact, after the Algerians began to get the upper hand from a few years ago, it was believed that the leader of the GIA, Anton Zoubari (a known ``Afghani''), had taken refuge in Afghanistan. But he was recently said to have been spotted ruing an encounter and it is unclear whether the earlier reports of him having fled to Afghanistan were accurate or whether he had chosen to return at a time when the GIA could emerge as the sole militant movement.

If Islamic militancy in Algeria seems to be entering its terminal stage, the militancy in Lebanon appears to be entering into a new and dangerous phase. Through much of the 1970s and 80s, Lebanon was wracked by warfare between its ethnic militias - Shiite Amal and Hizbollah, Druze, Phalangist and Sunni - but they had begun to observe a tentative truce if not complete peace since the Taif Agreement of 1989. However, recently there has risen the new phenomenon of a radical Sunni group which has decided to take on the Lebanese army. Earlier this month, this group which has been training near the Syrian border ambushed a unit of the Lebanese army and 11 soldiers and 30 militants were killed in the fighting.

Not many details are known about this new Sunni group but Lebanese newspapers report that it is believed to be part of a loose network of militant groups which have ``Afghanis'' at their core and draw at least a part of their funding from the al Qaeda of Saudi dissident, Osama bin Laden. The leader of the Lebanese group who was reportedly killed in the encounter - Bassam Kanj - was said to be an ``Afghani''. The emergence of this Sunni group spells bad news for a Lebanon which is still delicately held together. But it could also pose a long term threat to Syria where the Alawites, a Shia off-shoot, dominate a society which has a Sunni majority.

Developments in Sudan are at a shaky stage. But from the manner in which the President, Lt. Gen. Omar al Bashir, has been courting regional States for assistance in arriving at an agreement with opposition groups, it would appear that the Government is readying itself for a show-down with the Islamists.

It is early days yet but if the Sudanese Government decides to go against the Islamists, if for no other reason than to please the U.S., it would mean that yet another Arab country has turned against the Islamists.

The current head of the Islamic radical group which assassinated Anwar Sadat, former Egyptian President, is believed to be yet another militant who has taken refuge in Afghanistan. These are the underlying causes which have restrained these Arab countries from recognising the Taliban.

Unofficially, all these Governments also state that they have been taking up the matter with Pakistan but it is probably the necessity of retaining the semblance of Islamic solidarity which prevents them from talking about it more openly.

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Section  : International
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