We are continuing to see the benefits from the arrest of Abu Farraj al-Libbi, al Qaeda’s commander of operations. Austin Bay states his capture has created a “cascading effect” – a landslide of information created by exploiting the intelligence obtained from al-Libbi. His personal notebook has been obtained and is being torn apart by US intelligence:
U.S. officials are working feverishly to decipher numbers and apparent codes in a notebook retrieved from suspected al Qaeda leader Abu Farraj al-Libbi, ABC News has learned… Sources said officials believe al-Libbi’s seized notebook contains “hot” contact information. They said officials are hopeful the notebook contains useful information because al-Libbi was stunned when he was captured… Al-Libbi was trying to destroy the notebook when he was apprehended, multiple sources said.
Britain’s MI6 intelligence service will be participating in the interrogation of al-Libbi. His arrest may be having cascading effects in some unsuspecting areas. al-Libbi was behind the failed assassinations of Pakistani President Musharraf, with some help from inside the military. Mushtaq Ahmad, a Pakistani Air Force officer who was involved in the assassination attempts with al-Libbi, has been recaptured (after escaping from jail last year). The Pakistani military is reported to be conducting further purges to rid itself of al Qaeda and Taliban supporters.
With the capture in Pakistan of Libyan Abu Farraj al-Libbi of al Qaeda, wanted in connection with two assassination attempts against President General Pervez Musharraf in 2003, Pakistani authorities are stepping up investigations into al Qaeda’s investment in the Pakistan army.
Information gleaned from well-connected military analysts suggests that army officials connected with the Afghan cell during the Taliban period in Afghanistan (1996-2001) are likely to be in the firing line. Action is expected soon against several serving and retired army personnel.
This is but a small start to resolve the myriad of problems in Pakistan. Like Saudi Arabia, Pakistan is an ally with we must exercise constant vigilance. Islamists, Taliban and Al Qaeda sympathizers have penetrated its military and security services. The sponsorship of the Kashmiri terrorist groups morphed into these groups partnerships with al Qaeda. The western frontier regions of Waziristan, the North West Province and Balochistan are lawless areas that are exploited by Islamists and use these regions to arm, train and infiltrate fighters into Afghanistan.
Pakistan and Saudi Arabia are being given the opportunity to clean up the messes they have created in their own country. These governments have chosen the option of rounding up or killing al Qaeda members. This is a necessary short-term solution to the problem, but the war will not be won until the inherent problems of Islamist extremism, education, the madrassa and open and accountable forms of government are addressed.
Also Read:
Dan Darling has more information on al-Libbi. He also contends al-Libbi is not al Qaeda’s #3 in command. The CIA claims otherwise, according to the AFP. I suspect there may be some splitting of duties between Saif al-Adel and al-Libbi after the death of Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, hence the confusion.
10 Comments
I sure hope you wrote this on the plane, or before you left for Nashville — after all, it is Mother’s Day!!!
Cheers,
Cheryl
Last night. Mom is at her girlfriends for Mothers day, so its just me and the 3 kids till she gets home. I will do an post on BlogNashville when I get some time later tonight.
You realize, of course, that the AQ guy was lying about his position and it appears to be a case of mistaken identity?
This smacks of the winnebagos of mass destruction episode where those hydrogen generators were claimed by the triumphalist right to be evidence of Iraqi Chem/bio capacity (but weren’t). Too bad.
Maybe Bushies will get serious about fighting terrorism. It might also come to pass that pigs fly.
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You realize the Times Online is wrong, JRI. We know who al-Libbi is. Read Dan Darling’s post. He is al Qaeda’s commander in Pakistan, in charge of directing aid to the Taliban in Afghanistan, support for Kashmiri terrorists and AQ operations in Pakistan. He is as big if not bigger than Zarqawi, and he has additional responsibilities that make him equivalent to KSM.
But don’t let the facts stand in the way of your fantasies.
Bill,
He is not Bin Laden. I think you fail to realize that the only person in Al Qaeda that matters is Bin Laden and if we hadn’t “outsourced” the fighting in Afghanistan, Bin Laden would have turned himself in and pleaded for mercy. Clearly, no Al Qaeda capture has any significance to the left except that of OBL. That is why they suggest we open the gates at Gitmo and let all the other guys go. Bin Laden is the only one that matters.
JRI thinks capturing hundreds of Al Qaeda based on intel gathered from Al Libby is nothing. Meaningless. It does not show any progress since ONE MAN–OBL–is still on the run in a country the size of California with over 100M people. It took years to catch Eric Rudolph who carried out the Atlanta Olympic bombings and that was in the US where we have an FBI, there are not tribal loyalties, and the opium trade does not create vast areas that the government cannot go due to local militias.
Notice that OBL is on the run. There is no doubt about that. Also notice that Al Qaeda is divided into several fronts ranging from Iraq to Afghanistan to Pakistan to Saudi Arabia to Somalia to Chechnya. They are on the run in almost all of these places and do not have a safe haven. US operations show up unexpectedly as do the operatives of our allies. And as long as they are on the run, it makes it more difficult to carry out attacks. Clearly they are on the defensive and running for their lives.
But we are losing the WOT and Bush is not serious about preventing terror. The funny thing is ask JRI how MUCH MORE SERIOUS A GUY LIKE JOHN KERRY OR HILLARY would be in the WOT. Boy, I would rather get rid of those worthless neo-cons and put Hillary or John boy in charge. They will have OBL ready to surrender in days.
JRI,
Don’t pretend that you actually want to stop Al-Qaeda. If Osama were captured, you would be protesting his mistreatment just like you protested Saddam’s dental examination and the Guantanamo detainees.
The jig is up. The American people have seen your true colors, and it was apparent in November last year.
Monday Winds of War: May 9/05
Welcome! Our goal at Winds of Change.NET is to give you one power-packed briefing of insights, news and trends from the global War on Terror that leaves you stimulated, informed, and occasionally amused every Monday…
Apparently, some people have yet to hear the news that Al-Libbi was more likely Al Quaida’s #300 than its #3…
Another example of “hey, look who we caught!” when the President’s ratings fall lower than Jeff Gannon’s drawers.
“What’s that?”
“Up in the sky…it’s a bird, it’s a plane…no, it’s Incurious George pretending to be a fighter pilot!”
And what a nice mission he accomplished with only 150 dead…to bad he’s lost another 1,450 somewhere along the way…
I heard it, the story came out on Sunday…
What is the Bush gov’t up to?
Apparently, some people have yet to hear the news that the Times Online story is wrong.