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India-Pakistan | |
Drone strikes force Al Qaeda into the cities | |
2009-08-10 | |
Al-Qaeda has been forced to regroup its core leadership with some of the key operatives moving out of the tribal regions into urban compounds in Pakistan to escape the American unmanned spy drones which have killed 20 terrorist commanders in the last 18 months. They have moved into urban areas, where aerial surveillance is far more complicated, and have been replaced by a younger generation of militants who now control operations on the ground. Although Osama bin Laden remains the figurehead leader, a 15-member "shura" or supreme council now runs the organisation's affairs, senior Pakistani intelligence sources say. The sources have disclosed that the council is headed by a Saudi national, Mustafa abul al-Yazidi. Other senior members include a Libyan, Abu Yahaya al-Libbi, along with militants from North Africa and Somalia. Al-Yazidi is in overall charge of al-Qaeda operations in the region, including Pakistan and Afghanistan, the Pakistani intelligence officials told The Times.
The new leadership comes from Somalia, Libya and other north African countries. They use the most modern means of communication for contact with their sleeper cells abroad. Over the past years there has also been a major influx of new operatives, largely from Somalia, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Bangladesh and North Africa. | |
Posted by:Frozen Al |
#1 They have moved into urban areas, where aerial surveillance is far more complicated But human surveillance is far simpler, given that cities are densely-populated agglomerations of complete strangers. |
Posted by: Zhang Fei 2009-08-10 22:35 |