Saturday, March 10, 2007
Pakistan is now "Terrorism Central"
According to the Hong Kong "Standard", bin Laden has restructured al-Qaeda despite its losses, creating new base areas in Africa and Iraq, expanding into Europe, drawing in thousands of new recruits around the world, reviving the Taleban movement in Afghanistan and turning Pakistan into "Terrorism Central."
Although bin Laden takes part in strategic decision making, day-to-day running of the movement is in the hands of Zawahiri, the Egyptian doctor who has placed fellow countrymen in many of the key leadership positions. Before the September 11, 2001, attacks on the United States, senior posts in al-Qaeda were largely held by Saudis and Yemenis. There have been rumors of tensions among the Arabs, but bin Laden has always been weak on organization and is reported to have accepted Zawahiri's major contribution to al-Qaeda's revival.
While bin Laden remains the spiritual and military inspiration, Zawahiri has fashioned a core group of around 100 Arab trainers - experts in explosives, finances, communications, military training, urban warfare and propagand.
Zawahiri - a believer in suicide bombings and attacks on soft targets - has used these tactics in Afghanistan, Pakistan and Iraq. Afghanistan saw 139 suicide bombings in 2006 compared with 27 in 2005.
IMO: The CIA presence in Waziristan hasn't helped, then ?
Although bin Laden takes part in strategic decision making, day-to-day running of the movement is in the hands of Zawahiri, the Egyptian doctor who has placed fellow countrymen in many of the key leadership positions. Before the September 11, 2001, attacks on the United States, senior posts in al-Qaeda were largely held by Saudis and Yemenis. There have been rumors of tensions among the Arabs, but bin Laden has always been weak on organization and is reported to have accepted Zawahiri's major contribution to al-Qaeda's revival.
While bin Laden remains the spiritual and military inspiration, Zawahiri has fashioned a core group of around 100 Arab trainers - experts in explosives, finances, communications, military training, urban warfare and propagand.
Zawahiri - a believer in suicide bombings and attacks on soft targets - has used these tactics in Afghanistan, Pakistan and Iraq. Afghanistan saw 139 suicide bombings in 2006 compared with 27 in 2005.
IMO: The CIA presence in Waziristan hasn't helped, then ?
# posted by uv : 11:09 PM
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