A 9/11-style plot foiled in Iraq is being reported by Iraqi and U.S. security officials. Two senior Iraqi officials reported on Wednesday that two men allegedly linked to the plan have been arrested. According to Iraqi authorities, al-Qaeda in Iraq planned to hijack airliners and fly them into Shiite holy shrines.
The arrest of the two men shut down Baghdad airport for a few hours on April 7th and the airport in Najaf has been closed since April 8th. The airport in Najaf is still closed because of its proximity to the gold-domed Imam Ali shrine, one of the most revered Shi’ite mosques in the world. Najaf is also home to Iraq’s senior Shi’ite cleric, Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, and is the site of one of the first car bombings as the Sunni-led insurgency got underway: a blast outside the Imam Ali mosque that killed at least 95 people on Aug. 29, 2003.
Iraq’s defense minister, Abdul-Qader al-Obeidi said the Najaf airport will remained closed while officials discuss what extra security measures might be needed. Iraqi Major General Mohammed al-Askar of the Defense Ministry, would not elaborate on the alleged plot.
U.S. intelligence officials confirm the incident, but say that they don’t believe the alleged plotters were very far along in their planing and it is questionable as to whether or not they had the ability to carry the plan out.
It seems that there has been an up-tick in violence in Iraq since the March 7th parliamentary elections failed to give a clear winner. Also, as of August 31, 2010, all but 50,000 American troops are scheduled to leave Iraq. The remaining 50,000 U.S. troops are to be out of Iraq by the end of 2011.
It is generally felt that these issues are being used by al-Qaeda in Iraq to re-group there and continue their efforts at creating chaos in the country. The Sunni-dominated al-Qaeda is known for targeting Shiite holy sites in an effort to bring back sectarian violence and civil war.
Al-Qaeda in Iraq had also targeted the ‘Sons of Iraq’, a former Sunni insurgency group that rejected the al-Qaeda terror network and joined forces with U.S. troops.
Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki has tightening screenings at all Iraqi airports following the foiled 9/11-style plot which is said to have involved hijacking flights as they depart Iraqi airports. Passengers and airport workers are having to undergo more rigorous searches and VIP lanes are discontinued. Apparently, President Jalal Talabani is the only person who will be able to go through Iraqi airports without this additional screening and him only because of his age and health issues.
All parties agree that the plan was aimed at re-igniting sectarian violence within Iraq. The investigation into the 9/11-style plot that was foiled in Iraq is still ongoing.
