Regards, Ivan
Posted on 05/03/2003 4:10:54 PM PDT by MadIvan
After a recent series of crushing blows there are indications that Al-Qaeda may now find it difficult to continue operating as an effective terrorist organisation. Despite the failure to capture Osama Bin Laden, right, or his deputy, Dr Ayman al-Zawahiri, more than 3,000 members or associates of the organisation have been captured during the past 18 months, writes Nick Fielding.
According to the annual Patterns of Global Terrorism report, published by the US State Department last week, international terrorist attacks declined sharply in 2002, to the lowest level since 1969. Attacks on the United States, or on American property abroad, fell from 219 to 77.
“Al-Qaeda terrorists are on the run and thousands of them have been detained,” says the report. “More than a third of Al-Qaeda’s leadership has been killed or captured, including some who conspired in the September 11 attacks, the 2000 attacks on the USS Cole and the 1998 bombings of two US embassies in East Africa.”
By far the most important arrest was the capture in Pakistan on March 1 of Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, who was in overall charge of the planning of the attacks on America and liaised with sympathisers across the world. He has revealed the identity of a woman who helped smuggle large amounts of money between Al-Qaeda units.
Other notable arrests include Khalid’s co-conspirator Ramzi Binalshibh, captured in a gun battle in Karachi on the first anniversary of the 9/11 attacks; Abu Zubaydah, the former chief of external operations; Abd al-Rashim al-Nashiri, the head of Gulf operations who was captured last November; and Tawfiq Bin Attash, arrested last week in Pakistan. Attash is believed to have organised the attack in Aden on the USS Cole in which 17 sailors died.
Captured with Attash was Ali Abd al-Aziz, a nephew of Khalid’s who was responsible for providing the 9/11 hijackers with about a third of their financing.
Although the FBI director Robert Mueller warned last week that Al-Qaeda was not finished and was still capable of organising attacks on America, its power and scope have been substantially diminished. Colonel Roger King, spokesman for the US army in Afghanistan, said last week that Al-Qaeda can no longer hide or operate there.
“They would still like to portray themselves as carrying on the fight in Afghanistan, but if you look at the reality they can’t even live here,” said King. “They have to come across the border, conduct an attack and leave immediately because this is no longer a place where they can hide.”
Recent attacks have been carried out by former Taliban or by supporters of Gulbuddin Hekmatyar, the former Afghani prime minister and an experienced guerrilla leader.
The remnants of Al-Qaeda are now mostly hidden away in the remote tribal areas of Pakistan or in Kashmir. Last week General Pervez Musharraf, the Pakistani president, admitted that Bin Laden was probably hiding somewhere along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border.
Regards, Ivan
This has been the most useful partnership your fine country and mine have undertaken in 60 years, and it has revealed how hollow organized terrorism really is.
Tony Blair has revealed to the world that he is a principled, truly heroic human being.
We're coming to London in September (with the money from a cancelled trip to Vancouver) and will thank every Brit we meet for their help, whether they want to hear it or not.
Good Point, Jewels!! I'll try to email this article to TONY SNOW on Fox News Channel! He's supposed to have Bob Grayed Ham on Fox News Sunday tomorrow...maybe he'll blindside the crazy old weasel with this information!
RD
The really funny thing is that these twits actually believed their own propaganda about us.
I thought that overgrown bugger had kidney problems and needed dialysis. Oh well, he'll be found eventually, dead or alive.
And dittos to Sinkspurs' comments about our greatest and finest ally, Great Britain.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.