Al Qaeda command center in Pakistan

Bill Roggio:

As we noted earlier this week, the release of nine al-Qaeda suspects in Bajaur is just the precursor to Pakistan surrending the tribal agency to the Taliban and al-Qaeda. According to an American intelligence source, the released al-Qaeda weren't just 'family members of Maulana Faqir Mohamed, they are actually staff members and functionaries of the Tehrik-e-Nifaz-e-Shariat-e-Mohammed (Movement for the Enforcement of Islamic Sharia), a radical Islamist group with close ties to the Taliban and al-Qaeda that sent Pakistanis to fight the Americans during Operation Enduring Freedom.

Bajaur has long been believed to be a command and control hub for al-Qaeda and the Taliban entering Afghanistan in the north east into Kunar province.

Alexis Debat reports that Bajaur hosted al-Qaeda's "headquarters" during the winter of 2005-06. The headquartes was located in the town of Shin Kot, which just south of Damadola, where a U.S.predator strike targeted, and missed Ayman al-Zawahiri but killed five senior al-Qaeda commanders, including Abu Khabab, al-Qaeda's chief of WMD program.

...

Mr. Debat notes one other important piece of intelligence that calls into question the motivations of the Pakistani government in considering a surrender in Bajaur. Mr. Debat states that "Pakistani intelligence officials believe Zawahiri is hiding somewhere in a 40-square-kilometer area of Bajaur, near the Afghan border."...

...

We need to find a way to wipe out this command and control center and Pakistan is going to have to deal with it or let NATO deal with it. The enemy cannot be permitted to have a sanctuary where it can operate and plan attacks on our forces.

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