Balkans and al-Qaeda, Six Years Later
by Nebojsa Malic
The September morning six years ago that saw three hijacked jetliners slam into the World Trade Center and the Pentagon has often been called “the day everything changed.” What really changed was Americans’ skepticism of their own government – a fact that has been abused ever since. The man from Crawford who campaigned on the promise of a “more humble foreign policy” and against Clintonian “nation-building” quickly became Emperor George, launching two foreign wars in rapid succession and asserting the right to attack anyone, anywhere, for any reason. The rest of the world was either “with us or against us,” and the same stark choice was given to the American people.
All of this was justified by a perpetual “war on terrorism.” That war, it turned out, was against many things – but terrorism was not one of them. Once it was established that Islamic militants were behind 9/11, many analysts believed that Emperor Bush would start paying attention to the Balkans. The presence of mujahedin – “holy warriors” engaged in jihad for Islam – in Bosnia has been one of the best-known secrets of the 1992-95 war. Not only did the regime of Islamic fundamentalist Alija Izetbegovic welcome thousands of “Afghans”, it established domestic mujahedin units and encouraged the foreigners to settle in Bosnia after the war.
The U.S. not only knew about this, but also actively aided the Bosnian regime, turning a blind eye to illegal arms shipments from Iran. Several Clinton administration officials got a slap on the wrist during the 1996 Congressional investigations, but nothing more.