Al Qaeda tries to rebuild
AP/NY Times:
What should also be noted is that the current al Qaeda team does not have the leadership of the pre 9-11 team and has been unable to launch any attack bigger than a car bomb since that time. Its recent failure in the UK and the one it also had in the 7-21 plot of 2005 demonstrate how the loss of its sanctuaries in Afghanistan have effected its ability to plan and execute attacks. Normally such attacks would be practiced using live ordinance to make sure it works. that is kind of hard to do for human bombs since you only get to kill yourself once. But, Iran has demonstrated the value of having a training area where operations can be practiced such as their attack on the US troops in Karbala.
If we were not fighting al Qaeda in Iraq and Afghanistan, those countries could be used as bases where al Qaeda could better practice and prepare its attacks.
U.S. intelligence analysts have concluded al-Qaida has rebuilt its operating capability to a level not seen since just before the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, The Associated Press has learned.The conclusion suggests that the network that launched the most devastating terror attack on the United States has been able to regroup along the Afghan-Pakistani border despite nearly six years of bombings, war and other tactics aimed at crippling it.
Still, numerous government officials say they know of no specific, credible threat of a new attack on U.S. soil.
A counterterrorism official familiar with a five-page summary of the new government threat assessment called it a stark appraisal to be discussed at the White House on Thursday as part of a broader meeting on an upcoming National Intelligence Estimate.
...
What should also be noted is that the current al Qaeda team does not have the leadership of the pre 9-11 team and has been unable to launch any attack bigger than a car bomb since that time. Its recent failure in the UK and the one it also had in the 7-21 plot of 2005 demonstrate how the loss of its sanctuaries in Afghanistan have effected its ability to plan and execute attacks. Normally such attacks would be practiced using live ordinance to make sure it works. that is kind of hard to do for human bombs since you only get to kill yourself once. But, Iran has demonstrated the value of having a training area where operations can be practiced such as their attack on the US troops in Karbala.
If we were not fighting al Qaeda in Iraq and Afghanistan, those countries could be used as bases where al Qaeda could better practice and prepare its attacks.
Comments
Post a Comment