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| Need Info re:French Paratroopers in Makkah in 1979 |
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| SuperHiMY |
| 05/15/03 at 10:17:38 |
AsalamAlayKum, I'm writing something and I need a vital piece of information. In 1979, The Grand Masjid in Makkah was closed due to hostage taking. The Kingdom eventually sent in FRENCH PARATROOPERS into the Holy Sanctuary to flush out the hostage takers. The bullet holes are still in the walls throughout the Harum to this day. Does anyone have ANY info on this? Does anyone have ANY photos of the bullet holes still in the walls? When I was 10 years old in 1980, my family performed hajj and I personally walked up a flight of stairs and saw blood stains on the marble steps. I asked my father what it was and he told me it must've been some of the blood from the previous year's takeover of the Masjid. It's something that left an impression on me, as a ten year old, and now I find myself writing something on that very issue. FRENCH PARATROOPERS [i]inside[/i] The Grand Masjid.... CAn anyone help me with research, links, citations, personal stories on this? Thanx a bunch, Your bro in T..O. (toronto ontario) ~ HiMY! ~ |
| Re: Need Info re:French Paratroopers in Makkah in |
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| Banu |
| 05/16/03 at 18:26:13 |
| [wlm] There are different version on which forces flush out the hostage takers. Some saying it was the French while other said it was the Pakistani forces. And another fact said it was directed under the command or advice of Pakistani General while the infantory consist mainly of the Saudi armed forces. If one were to read the newspaper of those days it was mentioned that a special fund was created to support the family of the Saudi personnels who died during the fighting. That sounds more probable. No there are no bullet holes now adays while it was there in 1980 as I witnessed it myself. |
| Re: Need Info re:French Paratroopers in Makkah in |
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| superFOB |
| 05/21/03 at 06:21:07 |
| [slm] You ask tough questions. My father once told me, in passing, about the french troops in makkah, the fatwa, and how they flooded the basement and electrocuted the rebels. I was not exactly sharp in those days and didn't pay much attention. But thoughts lingered in the subconcious. Not long ago, I tried to find more info (on the web, of course) on the incident and found enough info to have a clear picture. No photos though. You have to be a student of history to make sense of the events. This is a summary from PBS: [i]November 1979: Militant Islamic extremists seize the Holy Mosque of Mecca to protest increasing Western influence, but are defeated by Saudi forces. A group of Sunni Muslim fundamentalists calling for the overthrow of the pro-Western Saudi government barricades themselves inside the Holy Mosque of Mecca. After two weeks of fighting, the siege ends, leaving 27 Saudi soldiers and more than 100 rebels dead. Sixty-three more rebels are later publicly beheaded. [/i] Hope the following links also help. Caution is advised. http://www.ssrc.org/sept11/essays/okruhlik.htm http://www.rosbaltnews.com/2002/12/28/60143.html http://www.csmonitor.com/2001/1029/p9s1-coop.html http://www.washington-report.org/backissues/0100/0002080.html Google search terms: kaaba, makkah, mecca, 1979, hostage, haram, juhaim, utaibi PS: Very popular among pakistanis is the version involving pakistani special forces. I am sorry, but that is just a figment of nawai waqt's imagination. I am not ruling out their presence in the peninsula at that time, though. |
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