I find this extremely interesting, since back when I was in DC everybody had told me that the head of the military committee had been split into separate tactical (Zarqawi) and strategic (al-Adel) positions. I suppose that there could be some distinction between the head of the military committee and the operations chief, though if there is I'm not sure what it would be.
Abu Faraj Farj, a Libyan al Qaeda leader now being sought in Pakistan, is the new operational chief of al Qaeda and is in close contact with Osama bin Laden, intelligence analysts told ABC News. Recently captured al Qaeda suspects have identified Farj, a former personal assistant to bin Laden, as the person who gave orders for terror attacks, including two assassination attempts against Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf in December. Intelligence analysts believe he controls al Qaeda sleeper cells in several countries. Federal law enforcement sources told ABC News that Farj has moved up the chain of command as others in the terror network have been captured or killed. He is believed to be in direct contact with the "tier one" leaders — bin Laden and his deputy, Ayman Zawahiri. "He appears to be the director of operations, which was the role that was performed by Khalid Shaikh Mohammed, the man who planned the 9/11 attacks," said Richard Clarke, an ABC News consultant and former national counterterrorism chief.
| Not that I would particularly trust Clarke's judgment... |
Farj's position indicates al Qaeda continues to be centrally controlled, challenging the notion that its leadership has been scattered.
| But not tightly controlled from the center. Communications disruption counts... |
"The president and the administration have been saying that two-thirds of the al Qaeda managers have been caught or killed," Clarke said, "and what is now apparent is that while they were caught or killed, they were replaced."
We knew that ... |