In an article marking the 8th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, senior Pakistani journalist Suhail Qalandar claims that the attacks were orchestrated by the U.S. in order to capture Afghanistan's natural resources.
Suhail Qalandar, Peshawar city resident editor of Pakistan's mass-circulation Urdu-language newspaper Roznama Express, has been critical of the Taliban in the recent past, despite threats to his own life.
His article, titled "Eight Years of 9/11," was published in Roznama Express. Following are excerpts: [1]
"No Authentic Book or Document has Proved Al-Qaeda or Osama Bin Laden's Involvement" In 9/11
"Eight years ago, on September 11, 2001, deadly attacks were carried out on Washington, New York and Pennsylvania - but no authentic book or document has proved Al-Qaeda or its chief Osama bin Laden's involvement in the 9/11 attacks thus far. Question arises that if Al-Qaeda was not involved in the attacks, then who was behind them?
"Prominent Afghan jihadi [anti-Soviet] commander Ahmad Shah Masood was assassinated 48 hours before the incident of 9/11, when Taliban controlled over 90 percent of Afghanistan. The Taliban were Pashtuns, while Ahmad Shah Masood was a non-Pashtun Afghan. The Taliban enjoyed all-out support of Pakistan and Arab countries, while Ahmad Shah Masood was backed by Iran, Russia and India."
"Pakistan Wanted Taliban Control over 100% of Afghanistan - When a Troika of Al-Qaeda, Taliban, and Pakistan Already Existed There"
"Pakistan wanted Taliban control over 100% of Afghanistan, when a troika of Al-Qaeda, Taliban and Pakistan already existed there and the death of Ahmad Shah Masood was in the interest of this troika, but Masood's death posed a threat to this troika. The troika broke down after the U.S. held Al-Qaeda responsible for 9/11 attacks and Pakistan entered the U.S. camp… leaving the Taliban and Al-Qaeda alone. The U.S. was adamant to disrupt Al-Qaeda, but the Taliban too faced the brunt as Al-Qaeda was present in Afghanistan.
"The Taliban were contacted through Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and other Muslim countries to expel Osama bin Laden from Afghanistan, but the Taliban were not willing to do so; as a result, the U.S. attacked Afghanistan. The Taliban's creator, Gen. (ret) Naseerullah Babar [Pakistan's Interior Minister in Benazir Bhutto's second government during 1993-96], says that Afghan leader Professor Burhanuddin Rabbani had invited Osama bin Laden to Afghanistan when he was the president of Afghanistan.
"A friend told me that when he visited the U.S. in connection with a training course after 9/11, he saw a long list of people working for the U.S. interests, saying that Osama bin Laden had also been among them. Osama might have once been a U.S. agent, but the growing American influence in Arab countries distanced him from the U.S., and he invited approximately 30,000 youth from Yemen, Sudan, Syria, UAE, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Palestine, Jordan and African Muslim countries to Afghanistan. They were told that the U.S. wanted to capture the resources of Muslim countries and they have therefore to fight against the U.S."
"Some... Say That Osama or Al-Zawahiri Claimed Responsibility for 9/11 Only Because Of Anti-U.S. Sentiments"
"Afghanistan became a safe haven for Osama and his aides, where they had access to weapons and opportunity to contact the world. Some people who once had close links to Al-Qaeda say that Osama or Ayman Al-Zawahiri claimed responsibility for 9/11 only because of anti-U.S. sentiments..."
"The U.S. Needed a Pretext to Directly Interfere In [South Asia] - And Played the 9/11 Drama After Seeing Its Future Bleak In Pakistan, Afghanistan And Central Asia"
"Around 100,000 U.S. and coalition troops are present in Afghanistan today. If Al-Qaeda could strike far away in the U.S., then why can't they carry out 9/11-style attacks in Jalalabad, Kunar, Kabul, Khost, Kandahar and Helmand?
"The U.S. needed a pretext for direct interference in the [South Asian] region, and played the 9/11 drama after seeing its future bleak in Pakistan, Afghanistan and Central Asia."
"Only Time Will Tell How Many More Regions of the World Will Be Targeted by the U.S. on the Pretext of 9/11-Like Incidents"
"Only time will tell how many more regions of the world will be targeted by the U.S. on the pretext of 9/11-like incidents…. Rulers of Muslim countries can only remain powerful if they adopt a one-point agenda of development in economy, education, science and technology departments.
"It is not necessary for Pakistan to attack the U.S. No one had ever thought of the crisis faced by the U.S. today. It is better for all Muslim foreign nationals to leave Pakistan and Afghanistan.
"It is a tradition of the region that all foreign invaders have suffered defeat here - whether they are Britons, Russians, or the US. Isn't the U.S. finding ways to leave Afghanistan?"
Endnote:
[1] Roznama Express, Pakistan, September 11, 2009.
