Al-Qaida's Jihad in Europe : The Afghan-Bosnian Network

People who argue that "Bosnia's Muslims are secular" are only partly correct in that they *were* secular. The Bosnian war opened the doors of opportunity and hardline, radical Muslims came through the threshold. Most Muslims don't travel half way across the world to fight a war alongside Muslim "brothers" who don't even share a common language unless they are jihadists and make it their life's purpose to serve Allah by battling the kafirs wherever there is a need. These same individuals brought their jihadi skills to Bosnia and formed the El-Mujahedin Brigade. To the unskilled Bosnian Muslims, these were true jihad professionals. They offered to help train the locals in jihadi tactics but part of this training included lessons in "true Islam" because, as secular Muslims, they were practicing Islam "incorrectly." Long story short, many of these foreign fighters remained in Bosnia, married locals, started families, got jobs with NGOs who began paying locals and providing them with services the post-war Bosnian government could not provide, and, in doing so, have established a technique of indoctrination. Sarajevo is a very European-like city, but spend some time in front of the King Fahd mosque (established and owned by Saudi Arabia) and see the long bearded, fundamentally dressed men walking in and out for prayer and sermons. Go to Gornja Maoca, Jajce, Zenica, etc., and see the "secular" Bosnian women covered from head to toe as they would be in any other "non-secular" Islamic state. Then, read the various press articles to see how many of these "secular" types have been brought up on charges of various terrorist-acts. Secular Bosnia exists no more. The saddest thing is that this transformation happened right under the noses of the various western peacekeeping forces. Read the book and enjoy it. Pay no heed to the 1-star reviewers who are obviously missing the point of the piece. Why did so many of the September 11th hijackers spend time in Germany? How did terrorist sleeper cells plant themselves in cities such as London, Paris, Rome, and Hamburg? This is the first book to uncover the secret history of how Europe was systematically infiltrated by the ranks of the most dangerous terrorist organization on earth. Terrorist analyst Evan F. Kohlmann argues that the key to understanding Al-Qaida's European cells lies in the Bosnian war of the 1990s. Using the Bosnian war as their cover, Afghan-trained Islamic militants loyal to Usama Bin Laden convened in the Balkans in 1992 to establish a European domestic terrorist infrastructure in order to plot their violent strikes against the United States. As the West and the United Nations looked on with disapproval, the fanatic foreign mujahideen, or holy warriors, wreaked havoc across southern Europe, taking particular aim at UN peacekeepers and even openly fighting with Bosnian Muslims at times. Within a few months of the war's end, home-grown terrorist sleeper cells appeared on the streets of Europe's cities. Al-Qaida's Jihad in Europe unveils a new angle to the deadly international terrorist organization and includes recently declassified American and European intelligence reports, secret Al-Qaida records and internal documents, and interviews with notorious figures such as London-based Bin Laden sympathizer Abu Hamza Al-Masri. "Why did so many of the 9/11 hijackers spend time in Germany? How did terrorist sleeper cells plant themselves in cities like London, Paris, Rome, and Hamburg? What exactly is Al-Qaida's connection to Europe? Terrorism analyst Evan F. Kohlmann unveils a new angle to the deadly international terrorist organization and reveals the root of its terror lies in the Bosnian War. He includes recently declassified American and European intelligence reports, secret Al-Qaida records and internal documents, and interviews with notorious figures such as London-based Bin Laden sympathizer Abu Hamza Al-Masri. This is the first book to uncover the secret history of how Europe was systematically infiltrated by the ranks of the most dangerous terrorist organization on earth, as told by the terrorists themselves and the daring investigators who have tirelessly tracked them over the past decade."--Publisher description Preliminaries......Page 1 Contents......Page 5 List of Illustrations......Page 7 Acknowledgments......Page 9 Preface......Page 11 Prologue In the Land of Ice Cream......Page 15 1 The Afghan Crucible......Page 17 2 Jihad Comes to Bosnia......Page 29 3 The Role of the Islamic Charities......Page 49 4 The Battle Begins......Page 67 5 Confrontation with the Croats 1993 4......Page 85 6 Attention Turns Westward......Page 121 7 The Final Campaign......Page 139 8 A Post Dayton Wave of Terror......Page 163 9 Blowback The North African Sleeper Cell Network......Page 199 10 Post 9 11 Implications for Bosnia......Page 231 Epilogue Lessons of the Afghano Bosniaks......Page 243 Index......Page 249 Why did so many of the September 11th hijackers spend time in Germany? How did terrorist sleeper cells plant themselves in cities such as London, Paris, Rome, and Hamburg? This is the first book to uncover the secret history of how Europe was systema tically infiltrated by the ranks of the most dangerous terrorist organization on earth. Terrorist analyst Evan F. Kohlmann argues that the key to understanding Al-Qaida's European cells lies in the Bosnian war of the 1990s. Using the Bosnian war a s their cover, Afghan-trained Islamic militants loyal to Usama Bin Laden convened in the Balkans in. Prologue : In The Land Of Ice Cream -- The Afghan Crucible -- Jihad Comes To Bosnia -- The Role Of The Islamic Charities -- The Battle Begins -- Confrontation With The Croats (1993-4) -- Attention Turns Westward -- The Final Campaign -- A Post-dayton Wave Of Terror -- Blowback : The North African Sleeper Cell Network -- Post-9/11 Implications For Bosnia -- Epilogue : Lessons Of The Afghano-bosniaks. Evan Kohlmann. Includes Index. To fully comprehend the Islamic jihad in Bosnia, one must first appreciate the significance of the Soviet-Afghan war of the 1980s through the eyes of the ideological 'godfather' of the contemporary Sunni Islamic revolutionaries, Shaykh Abdullah Yusuf Azzam.