| Submit your comments on this article |
| Terror Networks |
| Bin Laden no longer in control of al-Qaeda |
| 2004-04-05 |
| Osama bin Laden is so hounded by U.S. forces that he no longer controls al-Qaida, a top American counterterrorism official said Thursday. "The sense is no, he's not [in charge] in the way that we think of it," said Ambassador Cofer Black, the State Department's counterterror coordinator. Bin Laden -- who the CIA believes is hiding in the mountainous border area between Pakistan and Afghanistan -- is unable to meet with his lieutenants to plot new attacks and relies instead on other terror groups to strike, Black told the House International Relations Committee. "This guy spends most of his time trying to figure out how they're going to come for [him] and is this going to be the day?" said Black, former chief of the CIA's counterterrorism center. Black said al-Qaida remains a "potent force" that has been put under "catastrophic stress" by the U.S. global war on terror, forcing bin Laden's henchmen to "evolve in ways not entirely by its own choosing. They're reaching out, trying to co-opt the missions of other terrorist groups -- particularly local ones and others -- and try and cement their determination . . . to destroy the United States." Black said there are "scores" of such groups, and al-Qaida's reliance on less-disciplined groups not under its control could blow up on the radical movement. "They have made fundamental operational mistakes. They're likely to continue to do that." |
| Posted by:Dan Darling |
| #10 Frank G - LOL! Hey it's easy to be against terrorism - and I don't doubt he is cuz one would have to be utterly devoid of humanity to countenance it, right? But his idiotarian core is even more dangerous: he'd drop Bush in the grease to salve his twisted LLL POV - and leave the entire Free World in shit with a paper-tiger / moral turd like Skeery or Gore. Four years of that would set us back 10 - and probably eventually force the genocide response in self defense. Sorry for the bandwidth! I'll hit the tip jar today Fred, in recompense! Anyway, Thanx, Frank! I needed a laugh! ;-> |
| Posted by: .com (Abu PeeDee) 2004-04-05 9:12:28 PM |
| #9 PD - my man! |
| Posted by: Frank G 2004-04-05 9:06:27 PM |
| #8 "Their growing schism must be addressed quickly to avoid overarching legal solutions being implemented without any prior consultation." Geez, DUmpster, can you inflate your backassward idea a little more? It's pretty yeasty, but just not quite puffy enough, yet. Another few BS injections of pointless prose ought to do it, though. It'll explode into a fucking shit storm. This is not new or surprising. They have, since their inception, intimidated those who weren't card-carrying Caliphate Izzoids. You seem to think the "moderate" Muslim Clerics will fight back in some way. Wrong. They will do one of 2 things: 1) they will kow-tow and do what they're told 2) they will STFU and try to stay below the radar of their Izzoid Muslim brothers You spend several sentences saying nothing. Do you think they'll fight back in some way? Do you think they'll become more moderate and speak out? Do you think they'll get more virulent? You don't actually say... you seldom do. The reason: you're just smacking your poor keyboard around and don't really know fuck-all about Islam. You're a troll. This post of yours is MUCH more interesting: "Jen, only when and if he is ever properly elected will I then be grudgingly obliged to address him as you wish I would. His intentional blurring of the separation between church and state while simultaneously attempting to constitutionalize discrimination gets nothing but scorn from me. Thank goodness we live in a country where we can disagree on this matter. Please know that you indeed have the privilege to dislike me for what I say, that is entirely your right. Understand one thing though, I don't do this to intentionally anger or offend you or anybody else. As a proud American I cannot abide the White House's ham-fisted tampering with both the duties of executive office or our beloved constitution. Whatever proper intransigence might be shown for terrorism (as is demanded of all worthy commander in chiefs) still in no way confers any right to enshrine religious commandment as constitutional law, especially not in a nation wholly founded upon secular ideals. This is what he's attempting and my own ethicality demands that I consider it to be nothing less than malfeasance of office. Hence my scorn." Oh, Dumpster, you're a treasure. What a load of juicy bullshit. He IS the duly elected President of the United States, fucktard. Proof that all else you may say is at the very least suspect, if not outright total fucking bullshit. You're full of shit. Your notion that he is "constitutionalizing discrimination" is truly insane. Proof? You're full of shit. You provide no proof of any "ham-fisted" actions - or anything even remotely associated. You're full of shit. As an atheist, I know he has not done anything that hasn't been done before for the last 30 years to "enshrine religious commandment as constitutional law". I most certainly would've noticed. You're full of shit. The phrase "my own ethicality demands that I consider it to be nothing less than malfeasance of office" is so utterly asinine and disingenuous as to be breathtaking. You couldn't prove any aspect of that charge if your worthless life depended upon it. You're full of shit. It is clear that you're one thoroughly conflicted and fucked up induhvidual - and given your comments, so anti-Bush that you'd remove him from office if you could. You obviously think President Gore is being denied his constitutional rights. You're fucking insane. It is not unreasonable to presume you will vote against Bush, therefore, so you are in league with the enemy - there is no sane RBer who could possibly believe Skeery would be worth warm spit in the Wot - your pathetic little aside about Commanders in Chief notwithstanding. You are unbelievably amazingly self-defeatingly massively full of shit. You're a troll. |
| Posted by: .com 2004-04-05 8:50:12 PM |
| #7 As can be seen from the new death threats against moderate Muslim clerics, al Qaeda has splintered very badly. The beast is beginning to devour its own young in ways very different from the usual suicide attacks. It's hard to imagine a better message being sent to the global Islamic community. They must now face being herded into the corner of Islamist violence or come to grips with turning in members of their own faith. It is especially important that this coercion originates within their own ranks. If such pressure were applied externally, it could serve to stampede Muslims into a highly polarized configuration that would be more prone to violence. Instead, this threat comes from their own extremists and the blade has been bared for all to see. Muslims everywhere are now at a critical decision gate as their religion's basic survival is being thrown into doubt by virulent internal factions. This is a predictable and logical extension of having embraced violence to begin with. Their growing schism must be addressed quickly to avoid overarching legal solutions being implemented without any prior consultation. |
| Posted by: Zenster 2004-04-05 8:37:54 PM |
| #6 Frankly, 9/11 was a mistake. They could have been on the move incrementally for years and bolstered their position in Europe as Islamic states gradually increased their nuclear capability. They also don't understand Cowboys. |
| Posted by: Sgt.DT 2004-04-05 6:44:17 PM |
| #5 Seeing as he died in Tora Bora this isn't much of a surprise. |
| Posted by: ruprecht 2004-04-05 5:58:02 PM |
| #4 And wearing out their welcome in Saudi and Indonesia and Morrocco and... by bombings in those places. As long as infidels were the only ones dying, and the action was elsewhere, they were tolerated in many places where they are no longer welcome today. They pooped on the living room rug -- all over the place. Truly stupid. And fortuitous. |
| Posted by: .com 2004-04-05 4:03:11 PM |
| #3 I would also add the Istanbul attacks, that killed mostly Muslims |
| Posted by: Sharon in NYC 2004-04-05 9:51:55 AM |
| #2 I suppose he means that AlQ members have been discovered and captured because of their own actions -- leaving paper records, leaving information on computers, communicating over the telephone, using bad false identification, and so forth. |
| Posted by: Mike Sylwester 2004-04-05 8:40:45 AM |
| #1 Does anyone know what Cofer Black means when he says that AlQ has "made fundamental operational mistakes"? Examples would be greatly appreciated. Thank you. |
| Posted by: Mark 2004-04-05 7:58:32 AM |