United Arab Emirates and state-sponsored terrorism

No official connection to state sponsored terrorism was found between the United Arab Emirates government to terrorists. However, the UAE has been listed as a place used by investors to raise funds to support militants in Afghanistan, Pakistan, and financing of the September 11 attacks.[1][2] Businesses based in the UAE have been implicated in the funding of the Taliban and the Haqqani network[3]. In the 72nd session of the UN General assembly in New York, UAE foreign minister Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan affirmed the United Arab Emirates policy of zero tolerance towards terrorism financing.[4]

The United Arab Emirates Armed Forces plays an active role in US-led War on Terrorism and have been nicknamed by US defense secretary James Mattis and other United States Armed Forces Generals as "Little Sparta" for being US right hand ally on War on Terrorism, and for conducting operations effectively against terrorists in the Middle East.[5]

The Cabinet of the United Arab Emirates following the implementation of the UAE Federal Law No. 7 in November 2014, designated a list of 83 organizations and entities including the Muslim brotherhood, Al-Qaeda, Taliban, Hamas, Hezbollah, Houthis and the Islamic State as terrorist organizations.[6]

History

Al Qaeda

The 9/11 Commission Report states that several 9/11 hijackers traveled to the US via Dubai. The report also indicates that the hijackers received funding from terror investors in the UAE who raised funds through their UAE based business.[7]

Unnamed skeptics in Washington raised concerns that the United Arab Emirates might be associating with Osama Bin Laden, citing a missed opportunity for a drone strike in 1999 mentioned in the September 11 Commission report which was abandoned due to being located in a UAE run hunting camp. No evidence or proof apart from speculations was presented. [8]

The family of the late FBI counter-terrorism chief John P. O’Neill, who was killed in the September 11 attacks, filed a lawsuit against Dubai Islamic Bank, a UAE based bank, implicating the bank that it was directly involved in the funding of the 9/11 hijackers.[9][10]

An investigation by the Associated Press implicated that the United Arab Emirates, as part of Saudi-led intervention in Yemen, has brokered deals with Al-Qaeda militants in Yemen, and have recruited them to fight against the Houthis.[11] The notion of the UAE recruiting or paying AQAP has been thoroughly denied by the United States Pentagon with Colonel Robert Manning, spokesperson of the Pentagon, calling the news source "patently false".[12] A Washington Post report indicated that more than 2,000 militants have been removed from Yemen, with their controlled areas now having improved security and a better delivered humanitarian and development assistance such as to the port city of Mukalla and other liberated areas.[13] US defense secretary James Mattis called US-UAE joint counter-terrorism operations against Al Qaeda in Yemen a model for American troops, citing how the United Arab Emirates Armed Forces liberated the port of Mukalla in April 2016 from AQAP forces in 36 hours after being held by AQAP for more than a year.[14]

Lashkar-e-Taiba

Investors based in the UAE are implicated for providing financial aid to the Lashkar-e-Taiba.[15] In 2008, the United Nations Committee conducted an investigation of the terrorist organization Lashkar-e-Tayibba (LeT) which found them to be associated with the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks. The investigation found that UAE based banks cleared financial transactions from UAE based investors which was then used to fund the terrorist organization.[16] [17]

Haqqani Network

The Haqqani network, the militant partners of the Afghan Taliban, has received significant funding from UAE-based businesses. In January 2009, the US intelligence sources stated that two of Taliban's senior fundraisers travelled regularly to the UAE where the Haqqani networks and Taliban laundered money via local front companies.[18][19]

Allegations of hosting a Taliban Embassy

On July 31, 2017, a New York Times' correspondent published an article reportedly based on the information gathered from the leaked emails of the UAE Ambassador to the US, Yousef Al Otaiba, stating that in June 2013, both Qatar and the United Arab Emirates competed with each to host a Taliban embassy.[20]

UAE response

In response to the article, ambassador Otaiba wrote an open letter to the New York Times on the August 9 2017, claiming that the previously issued article carried half information and as a result, told the half story. Ambassador Otaiba commented on the allegation by arguing that the decision to host the Taliban embassy was requested from the US and the UAE offer was made due to being pressured by the US. The ambassador added that the UAE had presented three conditions to the group and the refusal to accept has led the Gulf nation to withdraw its offer to host them. The Taliban refused all three conditions, and the UAE withdrew its offer."[21]

Measures against state sponsored terrorism

Lebanon

The UAE advises its citizens to avoid traveling to Lebanon because of safety and security concerns due to the increasing influence of Hezbollah across the Lebanese government.[22]

Iran

Following the 2016 attack on the Saudi diplomatic missions in Iran, UAE recalled its ambassador Saif Al Zaabi, decreased the number of diplomats in Iran, and downgraded diplomatic relationship with Iran to charge d’affaires.[23] The UAE also lowered the amount of Iranian diplomats in the Iranian embassy in Abu Dhabi.[24]

Qatar

In June 2017, the UAE alongside Bahrain, Egypt, the Maldives, Mauritania, Senegal, Djibouti, the Comoros, Jordan, the Tobruk-based Libyan government, and the Hadi-led Yemeni government severed diplomatic relations with Qatar due to allegations of Qatar being a state sponsor of terrorism, citing sources which implicated that Qatar paid $700 million to Iranian-backed Shi'a militias in Iraq, $120–140 million to Tahrir al-Sham, and $80 million to Ahrar al-Sham.[25]

The UAE, alongside Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and Bahrain moved to implement sanction on Qatar by boycotting and banning air travel, shipping, media, finance, and energy between the two countries unless Qatar complies with a list of 13 demands imposed by Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt, and Bahrain.[26]

References

  1. ↑ Walsh, Declan (December 5, 2010). "WikiLeaks cables portray Saudi Arabia as a cash machine for terrorists". The Guardian. London. Archived from the original on December 15, 2016.
  2. ↑ "WikiLeaks cables portray Saudi Arabia as a cash machine for terrorists". ”The guardian,. December 5, 2010.
  3. ↑ "US embassy cables: Afghan Taliban and Haqqani Network using United Arab Emirates as funding base". ”The guardian",. December 5, 2010.
  4. ↑ "UAE calls for zero tolerance for all those who support terrorism financing". United Nations. Retrieved 15 September 2018.
  5. ↑ "In the UAE, the United States has a quiet, potent ally nicknamed 'Little Sparta'". The Washington Post. Retrieved 15 September 2018.
  6. ↑ "List of groups designated terrorist organisations by the UAE". The National. Retrieved 15 September 2018.
  7. ↑ "UAE: Financial and Transit Hub of 9/11 Terror". ”Huffington Post",. Sep 14, 2017.
  8. ↑ 9/11 report cited possible bin Laden, U.A.E. ties Archived 2018-03-10 at the Wayback Machine.
  9. ↑ "'TERROR' BANKS TARGETED IN 9/11 SUIT". ”New York Post",. May 16, 2005.
  10. ↑ "UAE warned US it could end intelligence cooperation over 9/11 victims claims". ”The Telegraph",. June 21, 2017.
  11. ↑ "AP Investigation: US allies, al-Qaida battle rebels in Yemen". "Associated Press". August 7, 2018.
  12. ↑ "Pentagon denies reports of U.S. allies bribing, recruiting al Qaeda fighters in Yemen". Washington Times. Retrieved 29 August 2018.
  13. ↑ "The Arab coalition is making progress against extremists in Yemen". The Washington Post. 12 September 2018.
  14. ↑ "US-UAE counter-terrorism operations on the rise in Yemen". "The National". 15 March 2018.
  15. ↑ "US embassy cables: Hillary Clinton says Saudi Arabia 'a critical source of terrorist funding". ” The Guardian",. Dec 30, 2009.
  16. ↑ "Pak banks sent funds to UAE to finance 9/11, 26/11 attacks". ” The Business Standard",. June 27, 2017.
  17. ↑ "REVEALED: 9/11 families could sue UAE for alleged role in attacks". ” Middle East Eye",. July 14, 2017.
  18. ↑ "WikiLeaks cables portray Saudi Arabia as a cash machine for terrorists". ”The Guardian ,. Jul 15, 2017.
  19. ↑ "Haqqani Leaders Detained in Persian Gulf, Not Inside Afghanistan". ”The Wall Street Jornal",. Oct 19, 2014.
  20. ↑ "Persian Gulf Rivals Competed to Host Taliban, Leaked Emails Show". ”The New York Times ,. Jul 31, 2017.
  21. ↑ "The United Arab Emirates and the Taliban". ”The New York Times ,. Aug 9, 2017.
  22. ↑ "UAE advises citizens not to travel to Lebanon". Gulf News. Retrieved 2018-09-23.
  23. ↑ "UAE recalls ambassador to Iran". The National. Retrieved 2018-09-17.
  24. ↑ "Bahrain, Sudan, UAE limit ties with Iran over Saudi embassy attack". Times of Israel. Archived from the original on 2016-02-03. Retrieved 2016-01-27.
  25. ↑ Erika Solomon, The $1bn hostage deal that enraged Qatar’s Gulf rivals: Doha reportedly paid al-Qaeda affiliate and Iran to win release of royal hunting party Archived 5 June 2017 at the Wayback Machine., Financial Times (5 June 2017).
  26. ↑ "It's a boycott, not a blockade". Gulf News. June 14, 2017. Retrieved August 31, 2018.
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