A Terrorist Confesses: Excerpts From Iraqi TV
Austin Bay Blog
This translation is from memritv.org. (I hope the link holds.)
memri.org
I’ve read a couple two other confession transcripts –one that was televised in Iraq earlier this year. This one is particularly grim. In 2001 the Kurds said that Ansar al-Islam was connected to Bin Laden. Saddam connived with Ansar to attack the Kurds. At one point the terrorist –Ramzi Hashem Abed– says that Ansar “is bin Laden’s group.”
Abed describes some of the tactics used to implement Zarqawi’s strategy in Iraq — to incite a Sunni vs. Shia civil war, ignite Arab-Kurd antipathies, and embroil the Turks.
Read the whole thing.
Here are some excerpts of the excerpt:
<<<
Interrogator: “What organization do you belong to?”
Abed: “Ansar Al-Islam.”
Interrogator: “What organization is this?”
Abed: “It is bin Laden’s group.”
[…]
Abed: “Mullah Al-Shafi’i said that we were going to carry out operations in Najaf.”
Interrogator: “What kind of operations?”
Abed: “The Al-Qabanji operation, for example, or sending them poisoning food on the day commemorating the martyrdom of Imam Hussein.”
[…]
Interrogator: “Give me an example of an operation.”
Abed: “The Turkish embassy, for example.”
Interrogator: “The Turkish embassy in Baghdad?”
Abed: “Yes, or the Red Cross. We bombed it. The guys and I bombed it.”
Interrogator: “What was the goal of bombing the Turkish embassy or the Red Cross?”
Abed: “By bombing the Turkish embassy, we wanted to cause a problem between the Turkmens and the Kurds.”
Interrogator: “In other words, to cause civil strife between the two sides?”
Abed: “Yes.”
Interrogator: “As for the murder of Muhammad Baqer Al-Hakim, you were one of the perpetrators, right?”
Abed: “Yes.”
Interrogator: “Tell me how it took place.”
Abed: “The operation… It was agreed upon right from the start by Mullah Al-Raikan, Mullah Al-Shafi’i, and Al-Zarqawi. They took us Iraqis to do surveillance from a distance. There were people there who specialized in bombing operations. They are still in Baghdad and Mosul.”
Interrogator: “How many were you?”
Abed: “About four or five people.”
Interrogator: “Those who carried out the operation?”
Abed: “Yes.”
Interrogator: “They sent an ambulance and used remote control.”
Abed: “Yes.”
Interrogator: “Where were you exactly at the time of the incident?”
Abed: “We were in the cemetery.”
Interrogator: “Why weren’t you close to the incident?”
Abed: “Because there were specialists who carried out the operation.”
Interrogator: “Specialists? Who were they?”
Abed: “Abu Sajjad, Abu Haidar, and Abu Hamza.”
Interrogator: “All these are aliases. What are their real names?”
Abed: “They never give out their real names.”
Interrogator: “You don’t even know their real names?”
Abed: “No. For example, my name is Ramzi, right? They call me Abu Shema’, after my daughter.”
>>>
Yes. Father of Shema.
Here’s another “operation” involving Abu Shema.
<<<
Interrogator: “Did you kidnap women?”
Abed: “Yes.”
Interrogator: “There were operations of kidnapping and rape, carried out by the squad you belong to?”
Abed: “Yes.”
Interrogator: “Tell me how many rape and kidnapping operations were carried out. My information says that the kidnapped women were university students or daughters of famous people. You raped them and got money for it, and if they were not slaughtered afterwards…. Did this really happen?”
Abed: “Yes, it did.”
Interrogator: “Who would carry out these operations?”
Abed: “Abu Sajjad.”
Interrogator: “Your superior?”
Abed: “Yes.”
>>>
Read the entire report. Think about the tactics. And shudder.
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