Iran has turned over 16 al-Qaida terrorists to Saudi Arabia, according to Prince Saud al-Faisal, the Saudi foreign minister. These were Saudi nationals who had escaped from Afghanistan to Iran. This report challenges earlier charges by Pentagon officials that Iran was deliberately giving safe haven to and harboring al-Qaida remnants. This allegation never made much sense, since strongly Shi`ite Iran deeply dislikes the hyper-Sunni al-Qaida and Taliban, and almost went to war against the latter itself.
About the Author
Juan Cole is the founder and chief editor of Informed Comment and Richard P. Mitchell Professor of History at the University of Michigan. He is author of, among many other books, Muhammad: Prophet of Peace amid the Clash of Empires. Follow him at @jricole.
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