By: Reza Shafa
The mullahs’ regime is trying to use Albania as a foothold in the European continent. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has expanded its operations to continental Europe. Albania has a geopolitical importance for mullahs ruling Iran. The majority of the country’s population is Muslim which makes a prime tidbit for the IRGC.
IRGC once again used the old tactic of opening its way in the targeted country through charity organizations which in fact are nothing but front entities to ensure a foothold for the deadly force. This time around is no different than the case has been in Iraq, Lebanon, and Palestine as well as more recent cases in Latin American countries such as Venezuela, Nicaragua, and Bolivia.
Some of the cover religious and cultural organizations opened in Albania
Bonyad Saadi Shiraz
It is an offshoot of the conglomerate Islamic Culture and Communication Organization (ICCO) which is operating worldwide apparently to promote Islamic beliefs but practically it is a sister organization to the IRGC and more accurately the Ministry of Intelligence and Security (MOIS). ICCO has a unique task of spreading fundamentalism and terrorism abroad. Since the Albanian authorities will not allow the mullahs’ agents to operate freely in the area, IRGC utilizes the home made charity organizations to pursue its real intentions. Struggling not to blow the cover, Bonyad Saadi Shiraz prints some books propagate Khomeini’s thoughts.
A college with the same title, Saadi Shiraz, opened-up in Tirana with 39 students for 2001-2002 school years. It then admitted more students from Albania and Kosovo the following years.
Quran Institute
This organization is another charity association run by the ICCO in Albania. As the name implies under the pretext of teaching Quran, the IRGC is recruiting susceptible individuals for future terrorist acts in Europe.
Khomeini Assistance Committee
Since the early days of 1979 Iran Revolution, under Khomeini’s direct supervision an organization was setup in Iran called Kommitte Imdad Imam Khomeini (Khomeini Assistance Committee) to recruit among the poorest and most needy youths worldwide for IRGC and other security apparatus. The same organization now has spread its wings over to Albania with its vast economic resources enabling it to send as much as the project requires. Not long ago, Habibollah Asgar Owladi a close confidant of Ali Khamenei, the mullahs’ supreme leader, traveled to Tirana. Asgar Owladi is known for his irreplaceable services to Khomeini Assistance Committee. He was to meet the country’s religious leaders hopping to pave the way for the IRGC’s later activities. Khamenei briefed him in person since the visit was very important for Tehran’s mullahs.
Openning Exhibitions
In a parallel move, the Iranian regime opened up an exhibition of Iranian products manufactured by firms belonging to the MOIS. In 2007, the MOIS local agents tried contacting Albanian firms to make their activities look like a legitimate economical endeavor.
A document obtained from Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s cabinet indicates that in the last fiscal year $19.5 million were allocated to cover expenses in some targeted countries; out of that $1.5m were spent in Albania.
It is interesting to note that no matter how hard the Iranian regime tries to cover its trails already the authorities are highly alerted of what the IRGC and MOIS are up to in Albania.
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Reza Shafa is an expert on the Iranian regime’s intelligence networks, both in Iran and abroad. He has done extensive research on VEVAK (MOIS), IRGC’s Intelligence Office, and Quds Force among others. Currently he is a contributor to NCRI website.
