Egypt asked Nigeria to question detained IRGC forces

Egypt asked Nigeria to effectively question the two Iranians from IRGC's Qods force who are detained in Nigeria following the exposure of weapons containers there. Egypt also demanded to receive the findings of the investigation, particularly those relating to Egypt.

The dialog between the two countries was initiated by Egypt when the exposure of the containers came to light. Egypt sent a personal envoy to Nigeria on behalf of the Egyptian General Intelligence and the minister responsible for it, Intelligence Minister Omar Suleiman. Nigerian sources aware of the Egyptian envoy's visit said that the Nigerians welcomed the Egyptian envoy warmly, and this is an indication of Nigeria's immediate consent to the Egyptian request.

The background for Egypt's demand regarding the exposure was information it received to the effect that some of the weapons exposed in Nigeria, including 107 mm rockets and various high explosives, were intended to be transferred to radical elements in Sinai. The Egyptian envoy to Nigeria presented this information and also noted that it was clear to him that most of the weapons were meant for the needs of internal organizations in Nigeria. Additionally, the envoy presented questions to ask the Iranian detainees during questioning. One of the main questions that the Egyptians requested to effectively question the detainees about, dealt with the exact weapons smuggling routes. Another main question dealt with the deployment of IRGC's Qods force throughout Africa, and especially in the countries that border Egypt, like Sudan.The envoy mentioned that Egypt was concerned about the Iranian subversion in Africa, including weapons shipments to rebel organizations on the continent, who were striving to undermine its stability. Egypt was also worried about Iran's penetration into its "back-yard" in Africa. Specifically, it was worried about the possibility of Sudan's stability deteriorating, and a civil war breaking out following the referendum expected to take place on 9 January 2011, on the issue of dividing the country between the north and the south.

The Nigerians, on their part, clarified that this was a shipment to local militias operating in Nigeria and abroad, including Hisbah, a fundamentalist organization operating in Kano state in northern Nigeria; Boko Haram also in northern Nigeria;and the Mend organization. In addition, it seems that some of the weapons were supposed to find their way to Senegal, for use by MFDC (Movement of Democratic Forces in the Casamance), rebels in the insurgency area of Senegal, south of Gambia.In this context, the Egyptian Intelligence Minister called his Nigerian counterpart on16 November 2010 and again asked to ensure that the detainees Sayyed Tahmasebiand Azim Aghajani be questioned effectively. The Nigerian minister assured him that it would be done. The Nigerian minister also mentioned that it was known that Nigeria had already approached the UN Security Council about the exposure of the containers, which were a violation of the UNSC resolutions prohibiting export of any kind of weapons from Iran (or via it). It seems that the background for the Egyptian Intelligence Minister's phone call was his concern about the statements by Iran's foreign minister Manouchehr Mottaki in the media on that day that stated that the misunderstanding regarding the weapons shipments was clarified with the Nigerians.He also said that the shipment belonged to a private company, and it was supposed to be sold legally to a west African country.

This is not Iran's only involvement in weapons smuggling to Africa. The Qods force is the IRGC's operational arm, and it is responsible for Iranian penetration activity tovarious arenas around the world, including Africa, and assists terror elements there.The Qods force is so important that its commander Qassem Soleimani is directly subordinate to the Leader of Iran, and not directly to the IRGC commander,Muhammad Ali Jaafari. The Qods force provides military assistance to Hezbollah in Lebanon and Hamas in Gaza. It works persistently to improve the weapons smuggling routes to Hamas in Gaza, via Sudan and Egypt. It assists the rebel forces in Yemen(the Houtis) by supplying weapons and encouraging them to increase the ircooperation with Al-Qaeda. The Qods force intends to continue consolidating Yemenas a central stage for its activity and a geographic connection between the Horn of Africa and the Middle East, particularly Saudi Arabia and the other Gulf States. It deals with the increased consolidation of Sudan as an activity hub and a transit country between the Middle East and Africa for Iran's operational, political,economic, and Islamic activity. It also promotes the consolidation of the Qods Force infrastructure in Latin America: Colombia, the Brazil-Paraguay-Argentina border triangle, Panama, and Venezuela, where Iran enjoys open support from President Chavez.