Skip to main content
Tags: al-qaida
OPINION

No Surprise Iran Cooperates With al-Qaida

Charles Faddis By Tuesday, 26 July 2016 12:06 PM EDT Current | Bio | Archive

For more than a decade we have listened to those who pushed the narrative that the “secret 28 pages” of the 9/11 report would demonstrate conclusively that Saudi Arabia was behind the horrible attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. We have now seen the “secret 28 pages” and we know that there is no such evidence in them, nor anything even remotely supporting such a conclusion. The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia may have been slow to realize the danger posed by Sunni extremists, but there is not now and never has never been any evidence to suggest it was involved with 9/11, supported 9/11 or knew about the attacks before they occurred.

In stark contrast to the continuous focus on the “secret 28 pages” has been the almost total media silence surrounding the recent U.S. Treasury designation of three individuals living and working inside Iran as high ranking al-Qaida terrorists: Faisal Jassim Mohammed Al-Imri Al-Khalidi; Yisra Muhammad Ibrahim Bayumi; and Abu Bakr Muhammed Muhammed Ghumayn. These are not minor figures, but are figures in al-Qaida’s worldwide organization. Nor are they in hiding, in exile, or somehow have their terrorist activities restricted by Iranian authorities. They are skilled purveyors of international terror operating with impunity from inside Iran.

Al Khalidi has been described by the United States government as one of a new generation of al-Qaida operatives. He was previously an al-Qaida brigade commander and before that a battalion commander. In May 2015 he was reported to have participated in an al-Qaida council meeting with other senior al-Qaida officials to discuss the acquisition of weapons for the organization. At that time he was reportedly the head of al-Qaida’s military commission. He is considered to be one of al-Qaida’s most important members and is responsible for the relationship between al-Qaida and the Pakistani Taliban.

Yisra Bayumi is also a veteran al-Qaida member, having been in the organization since at least 2006, and has been operating out of Iran since 2014. He has responsibility for handling the formal relationship between al-Qaida and the Iranian government and for obtaining funds for al-Qaida operations.

Abu Bakr Ghumayn is yet another senior al-Qaida leader who has served in financial, communications and logistical roles. Currently, he is in charge of financing and organizing of the large number of al-Qaida members in Iran. Before being assigned to Iran he operated in Waziristan in Pakistan. Ghumayn has also served in intelligence and security capacities.

As significant as these three individuals are, the Treasury Department’s action last week in formally designating them as terrorist operatives represents only the latest in a long series of pronouncements by the federal government acknowledging the existence of an extensive al-Qaida network inside Iran.

Here are a handful of examples:

Jan 2009. The Treasury Department noted the existence of a secret deal between Iran and al-Qaida and identified six known al-Qaida operatives operating inside Iran. One of them was Yasin Al Suri, a prominent al-Qaida facilitator. At the time, David S. Cohen, Under Secretary for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence said, “ By exposing Iran’s secret deal with al-Qaida allowing it to funnel funds and operatives through its territory, we are illuminating yet another aspect of Iran’s unmatched support for terrorism.”

Dec 2011. The State Department announced a ten million dollar reward for Al Suri who was still operating in Iran.

Feb 2012.
The State Department officially declared that Iran “allowed al-Qaida members to operate a core facilitation pipeline through Iranian territory, enabling al-Qaida to carry funds and move facilitators and operatives to South Asia and elsewhere.”

October 2012. The State Department noted that “Under the terms of the agreement between al-Qaida and Iran . . . al-Qaida must refrain from conducting any operations within Iranian territory and recruiting operatives inside Iran while keeping Iranian authorities informed of their activities.” Adding, “As long as al-Qaida abided by those terms, the Government of Iran gave the Iran-based al-Qaida network freedom of operation and uninhibited ability to travel for extremists and their families.”

May 2013. The State Department reported that al-Qaida facilitators Muhsin Al-Fadhli and Adel Radi Saqr Al-Wahabi Al Harbi were moving fighters and money through Iran to South Asia and Syria. Both men were operating with the knowledge and permission of Iranian authorities.

Feb 2014. Al-Qaida facilitator Olimzhon Adkhamovich Sadikov was identified as operating inside Iran. He was reported to be providing logistical and funding support to al-Qaida’s Iran-based network.

In short, we have known and the U.S. government has openly acknowledged for more than a decade that there is an express agreement between Iran and al-Qaida pursuant to which, in exchange for immunity from al-Qaida attacks, Iran grants that terrorist organization safe haven and support. That is an inconvenient fact for those, including many in the current administration, who are working overtime to create the fantasy that Iran has changed, that it is in the hands of “reformers,” and that it is now to be relied upon to play a constructive role on the world stage. But the fact is nonetheless true.

ISIS, al-Qaida and other Sunni terrorist organizations are barbaric and must be crushed. Yet their capabilities pale in comparison to what remains the world’s greatest sponsor of terrorism, the radical, virulently anti-American Islamic Republic of Iran.

Charles S. Faddis, president of Orion Strategic Services, LLC, is a former CIA operations officer with 20 years of experience in the conduct of intelligence operations. He is the senior intelligence editor for AND Magazine and a contributor to a wide variety of counterterrorism and homeland security journals. He is author of "Operation Hotel California." For more of his reports, Go Here Now.






 

© 2025 Newsmax. All rights reserved.


CharlesFaddis
ISIS, al-Qaida and other Sunni terrorist organizations must be crushed. Yet their capabilities pale in comparison to what remains the world’s greatest sponsor of terrorism, the radical, virulently anti-American Islamic Republic of Iran.
al-qaida
940
2016-06-26
Tuesday, 26 July 2016 12:06 PM
Newsmax Media, Inc.

Sign up for Newsmax’s Daily Newsletter

Receive breaking news and original analysis - sent right to your inbox.

(Optional for Local News)
Privacy: We never share your email address.
Join the Newsmax Community
Read and Post Comments
Please review Community Guidelines before posting a comment.
 
TOP

Interest-Based Advertising | Do not sell or share my personal information

Newsmax, Moneynews, Newsmax Health, and Independent. American. are registered trademarks of Newsmax Media, Inc. Newsmax TV, and Newsmax World are trademarks of Newsmax Media, Inc.

NEWSMAX.COM
America's News Page
© Newsmax Media, Inc.
All Rights Reserved
Download the Newsmax App
NEWSMAX.COM
America's News Page
© Newsmax Media, Inc.
All Rights Reserved