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| Current Topic: War on Terrorism |
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You Cut the Head, but the Body Still Moves |
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| Topic: War on Terrorism |
11:29 am EST, Mar 21, 2004 |
What impact would the capture of Ayman al-Zawahiri have on America's campaign against Al Qaeda? At this late date, the loss of Zawahiri and bin Laden will, in real terms, mean little to the network of Al Qaeda. Perhaps some in Washington are already speculating whether it will be better to try to capture Mr. bin Laden, knowing that his death will guarantee his immortality. It may be that in death both can achieve more real power than they ever wielded while alive. Invoking Che, old Milt explains it all. You Cut the Head, but the Body Still Moves |
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Counterattack | Stratfor Weekly |
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| Topic: War on Terrorism |
4:47 pm EST, Mar 20, 2004 |
The political success of the Spanish bombings will encourage al Qaeda and could lead to further militant attempts to work the fault line ... in an effort to disturb the US alliance. ... Al Qaeda would love to see Bush defeated, particularly if his defeat could be perceived -- particularly in the Islamic world -- as a consequence of the network's actions. Tom wrote: I think that a Democratic president in the US would close the gap with Europe, and thereby eliminate the weakness Al Qaeda is presently exploiting. (Possibly at the expense of creating other weaknesses, but that's an unknown.) Saudi Arabia is never far from the mind of Al Qaeda. A Kerry win in November could pose great dangers for the House of Saud and present new opportunities for Al Qaeda to achieve its original, primary goal. It occurred to me the other day that we never learned the identities of those who attacked Musharraf at the end of 2003. As time goes on, I am increasingly disinclined to believe they were the work of al Qaeda. That attacks took place is undisputed. But were those "near misses" really failures to succeed? Perhaps they were successful failures. Counterattack | Stratfor Weekly |
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Pakistani Troops May Be Closing On Qaeda's No. 2 |
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| Topic: War on Terrorism |
9:33 am EST, Mar 19, 2004 |
Pakistani military and intelligence officials said Thursday night that they believed they had surrounded Al Qaeda's No. 2 leader, Ayman al-Zawahiri, in a small cluster of villages near the border with Afghanistan. A senior American military official said the idea of having a high-level Qaeda figure "surrounded" should be understood to mean that the target was inside a several-square-mile area. Pakistani Troops May Be Closing On Qaeda's No. 2 |
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UPI Commentary: Al-Qaida in Africa |
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| Topic: War on Terrorism |
6:54 pm EST, Mar 14, 2004 |
The UN and Doctors Without Borders said they were now faced with "the worst humanitarian crisis in the world." No TV footage, no story. South Africa keeps 75,000 under arms. Forty percent of the force is HIV positive. And only 3,000 men are deployable. West Africa is a graveyard of failed nation-states. The DRC, formerly Zaire, is the size of the United States east of the Mississippi. DRC is only a country on a map. Nineteenth-century tribalism has displaced the Western notion of a nation state. Al-Qaida cells operate autonomously with sleeper agents among Muslim communities in most western, eastern and African countries. Bin Laden's capture -- dead or alive -- won't change the correlation of forces between terrorists and counter-terrorists. The toughest among them survive the desert trek to Morocco and Algeria and from there take small craft to Spain. Their bodies wash up on Spanish beaches every day. UPI Commentary: Al-Qaida in Africa |
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Video Claims Al Qaeda Set Blasts in Spain |
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| Topic: War on Terrorism |
10:42 am EST, Mar 14, 2004 |
Spain's interior minister said early Sunday that a videotape has been discovered claiming that Al Qaeda carried out train terrorist attacks on Thursday ... "We claim responsibility for what happened in Madrid just two and a half years after the attacks in New York and Washington. This is an answer to your cooperation with the Bush criminals and their allies. ... If you don't stop your injustices, more and more blood will flow and these attacks will seem very small compared to what can occur in what you call terrorism." Video Claims Al Qaeda Set Blasts in Spain |
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The War in Iraq: Redefining and Refocusing | Stratfor Weekly |
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| Topic: War on Terrorism |
11:35 pm EST, Mar 6, 2004 |
The war that began Sept. 11, 2001, has entered a new phase. The war in Iraq is reshaping itself, and that is redefining the entire conflict -- and returning attention to Saudi Arabia. This stuff is amazing. As Barron's says, "heady forecasts", indeed. The War in Iraq: Redefining and Refocusing | Stratfor Weekly |
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US denies Iranian report of Bin Laden capture |
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| Topic: War on Terrorism |
2:06 pm EST, Feb 28, 2004 |
The US Department of Defense denied reports by Iran's official IRNA news agency on Saturday that al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden has been captured. IRNA quoted a story on Iran's state radio Pashtun service which reported "a very reliable source" as saying bin Laden had been captured in a tribal area of Pakistan. A senior US defense official denied the report, telling Reuters it was "another piece of stray voltage that's passing around out there." Can you say 'traceroute'? US denies Iranian report of Bin Laden capture |
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The Worldwide Threat 2004 |
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| Topic: War on Terrorism |
8:49 am EST, Feb 25, 2004 |
Here is the testimony (as prepared for delivery) of DCI George Tenet before the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence. I'll begin today on terrorism, with a stark bottom-line: * The al-Qa`ida leadership structure we charted after September 11 is seriously damagedbut the group remains as committed as ever to attacking the US homeland. * But as we continue the battle against al-QA`ida, we must overcome a movementa global movement infected by al-QA`ida's radical agenda. * In this battle we are moving forward in our knowledge of the enemyhis plans, capabilities, and intentions. * And what we've learned continues to validate my deepest concern: that this enemy remains intent on obtaining, and using, catastrophic weapons. The Worldwide Threat 2004 |
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Flawed Ally Was Hunt's Best Hope |
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| Topic: War on Terrorism |
11:36 pm EST, Feb 23, 2004 |
A team of CIA operators went to a secluded airfield, boarded an old Soviet-made Mi-17 transport helicopter, and swooped toward the jagged, snow-draped peaks of northern Afghanistan. Their aim was to revive secret intelligence and combat operations against bin Laden in partnership with guerrilla commander Ahmed Shah Massoud, leader of the Northern Alliance, a ragged coalition of Afghan fighters, many of them veterans of the war against the Soviets. Massoud's hardened militiamen clung to their positions in the stark Panjshir Valley. "We have a common enemy," the CIA team leader told Massoud. "Let's work together." This is the second of two investigative articles in a Washington Post series about previous attempts to capture or kill Osama bin Laden. Flawed Ally Was Hunt's Best Hope |
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A Secret Hunt Unravels in Afghanistan |
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| Topic: War on Terrorism |
8:50 pm EST, Feb 21, 2004 |
In the years before the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, the CIA carried out a secret but ultimately unsuccessful manhunt for bin Laden. ... An ambitious plan to kidnap bin Laden from his bed and hold him in an Afghan cave ... If at first you don't succeed, at least learn from your mistakes. A Secret Hunt Unravels in Afghanistan |
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