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West. The same goals were enunciated even more clearly as matters of national security by Clinton and his administration." Eventually the threat presented by Islamist rebels persuaded the governments of Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan to allow American as well as Russian bases on their soil. The result was to preserve artificially a situation throughout the region where small elites grow increasingly wealthy and corrupt, while most citizens suffer from a sharp drop in living standards.” The gap between the present Bush administration's professed ideals and its real objectives is well illustrated by its position towards the regime of Karimov in Uzbekistan. America quickly sent Donald Rumsfeld to deal with the new regime in Kyrgyzstan, installed in March 2005 after the popular "Tulip Revolution" and overthrow of Askar Akayev.'* But Islam Karimov's violent repression of a similar uprising in Uzbekistan saw no wavering of US support for a dictator who has allowed US troops to be based in his oil- and gas-rich country."* America) did not become involved.” The operation was not a small one. Over the course of the next two years, [MEGA Oil] procured thousands of dollars worth of weapons and recruited at least two thousand Afghan mercenaries for Azerbaijan—the first mujahedin to fight on the territory of the former Communist Bloc." vot mrt > The gap between the present Bush administration's professed In 1993, the mujahedin also contributed to the ousting of ideals and its real objectives is well illustrated by its position Azerbaijan's elected president, Abulfaz Elchibey, and his towards the regime of Karimov in Uzbekistan. America quickly replacement by an ex-Communist Brezhnev-era leader, Heidar sent Donald Rumsfeld to deal with the new regime in Kyrgyzstan, Aliyev. installed in March 2005 after the popular "Tulip Revolution" and At stake was a US$8 billion oil contract with a consortium of overthrow of Askar Akayev.'* But Islam Karimov's violent Western oil companies headed by BP. Part of the contract would repression of a similar uprising in Uzbekistan saw no wavering of __ be a pipeline which, for the first time, would not pass through US support for a dictator who has allowed US troops to be based Russian-controlled territory when exporting oil from the Caspian in his oil- and gas-rich country."* Basin to Turkey. Thus the contract was bitterly opposed by Russia, and required an Azeri leader willing to stand up to the US Operatives, Big Oil and Al-Qaeda in Azerbaijan former Soviet Union. In one former Soviet Republic, Azerbaijan, Arab Afghan The Arab Afghans helped supply that muscle. Their own eyes jihadists clearly assisted this effort of were set on fighting Russia in the US oil companies to penetrate the disputed Armenian-Azeri region of region. In 1991, Richard Secord, Nagorno-Karabakh, and in liberating Heinie Aderholt and Ed Dearborn, the neighbouring Muslim areas of three veterans of US operations in syne Russia, i.e., Chechnya and Dagestan. Laos and later of Oliver North's At stake was a US$8 billion To this end, as The 9/11 Commission operations with the Contras, turned up i i i Report notes (p. 58), the bin Laden in Baku under the cover of an oil oil contract with a consortium organisation established an NGO in company, MEGA Oil." This was at a of Western oil companies Baku, which became a base for time when the first Bush terrorism elsewhere.” It also became a administration had expressed its headed by BP. transshipment point for Afghan heroin support for an oil pipeline stretching to the Chechen mafia, whose branches from Azerbaijan across the Caucasus "extended not only to the London arms to Turkey." MEGA never did find oil, market, but also throughout but did contribute materially to the continental Europe and North removal of Azerbaijan from the sphere of America" post-Soviet Russian influence. The Arab Afghans' Azeri operations were financed in part with Secord, Aderholt and Dearborn were all career US Air Force Afghan heroin. officers, not CIA. However Secord explains in his memoir According to police sources in the Russian capital, 184 heroin [Honored and Betrayed, 1992] how Aderholt and he were processing labs were discovered in Moscow alone last year occasionally seconded to the CIA as CIA detailees. Secord [1991]. describes his own service as a CIA detailee with Air America, first "Every one of them was run by Azeris, who use the proceeds in Vietnam and then in Laos, in cooperation with the CIA station to buy arms for Azerbaijan's war against Armenia in chief Theodore Shackley."’ Secord later worked with Oliver North Nagorno-Karabakh," [Russian economist Alexandre] to supply arms and materiel to the Contras in Honduras and also Datskevitch said** developed a small air force for them, using many former Air America pilots.'* Because of this experience in air operations, CIA This foreign Islamist presence in Baku was also supported by director Casey and Oliver North had selected Secord to trouble- bin Laden's financial network.” With bin Laden's guidance and shoot the deliveries of weapons to Iran in the Iran—Contra Saudi support, Baku soon became a base for jihadist operations operation.'” (Aderholt and Dearborn also served in the Laotian against Dagestan and Chechnya in Russia.” And an informed CIA operation and later in support of the Contras.) article argued in 1999 that Pakistan's ISI, facing its own disposal As MEGA operatives in Azerbaijan, Secord, Aderholt, Dearborn —_ problem with the militant Arab Afghan veterans, trained and and their men engaged in military training, passed "brown bags armed them in Afghanistan to fight in Chechnya. ISI also filled with cash" to members of the government and, above all, set encouraged the flow of Afghan drugs westward to support the up an airline on the model of Air America which soon was picking — Chechen militants, thus diminishing the flow into Pakistan itself.” up hundreds of mujahedin mercenaries in Afghanistan.” (Secord As Michael Griffin has observed [ Reaping the Whirlwind, and Aderholt claim to have left Azerbaijan before the mujahedin 2001], the regional conflicts in Nagorno-Karabakh and other arrived.) Meanwhile, Hekmatyar, who at the time was still allied disputed areas, Abkhazia, Turkish Kurdistan and Chechnya... with bin Laden, was "observed recruiting Afghan mercenaries [i.e., ..each represented a distinct, tactical move, crucial at the Arab Afghans] to fight in Azerbaijan against Armenia and its time, in discerning which power would ultimately become Russian allies".*! At this time, heroin flooded from Afghanistan master of the pipelines which, some time in this century, will through Baku into Chechnya, Russia and even North America. transport the oil and gas from the Caspian basin to an energy- It is difficult to believe that MEGA's airline (so much like Air avid world.” of Western oil companies headed by BP. This foreign Islamist presence in Baku was also supported by bin Laden's financial network.” With bin Laden's guidance and Saudi support, Baku soon became a base for jihadist operations against Dagestan and Chechnya in Russia.” And an informed article argued in 1999 that Pakistan's ISI, facing its own disposal problem with the militant Arab Afghan veterans, trained and armed them in Afghanistan to fight in Chechnya. ISI also encouraged the flow of Afghan drugs westward to support the Chechen militants, thus diminishing the flow into Pakistan itself." As Michael Griffin has observed [ Reaping the Whirlwind, 2001], the regional conflicts in Nagorno-Karabakh and other disputed areas, Abkhazia, Turkish Kurdistan and Chechnya... ..each represented a distinct, tactical move, crucial at the time, in discerning which power would ultimately become master of the pipelines which, some time in this century, will transport the oil and gas from the Caspian basin to an energy- avid world.” 12 = NEXUS APRIL — MAY 2006 At stake was a US$8 billion oil contract with a consortium www.nexusmagazine.com