(Los Angeles Times) Sebastian Rotella - Syria functioned as a hub for an al Qaeda network that moved Islamic extremists and funds from Italy to northeastern Iraq, according to an Italian investigation. Two weeks ago, Italian police arrested seven alleged al Qaeda operatives who sent 40 extremists through Syria to terrorist bases operated jointly by al Qaeda and Ansar al Islam, whose stronghold in northeast Iraq was recently overrun by Kurdish and U.S. troops. Transcripts of wiretapped conversations among the suspected operatives paint a detailed picture of overseers in Syria coordinating the movement of recruits and money between Europe and Iraq.
2003-04-15 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive