Sunday, June 10, 2012
Al-Qaeda Chief Hit By 1,000mph Bull's-Eye
London Sunday Times June 10, 2012 Pg. 23
Contrary to reports, the US drone attack that killed the terrorists' No 2 was startlingly accurate
By Christina Lamb, Nicola Smith and Saleem Mehsud
THE US drone that killed al-Qa'ida's No 2 last week struck with such precision that only two rooms in the house where he was hiding were destroyed.
Tribesmen in Mir Ali, in Pakistan's lawless tribal areas of North Waziristan, said Abu Yahya al-Libi had been asleep in the nearby village of Hassu Khel when the strike came last Monday.
The 1.5m Hellfire missile, travelling at 1600km/h, hit its target with such accuracy that only two inner rooms within the sprawling mud-walled compound were destroyed, contrary to other reports that said the house was vapourised. A woman was injured and treated in hospital.
There had been eight drone attacks in Waziristan in the past fortnight, suggesting the US was closing in on a significant al-Qa'ida figure, and was losing patience with Pakistan, which continues to allow safe havens for militants. The house where Libi, 49, died was owned by a member of the Dawar tribe, which has provided shelter for a number of foreign militants.
When locals rushed to the scene it had been cordoned off by masked militants who allowed nobody to approach the property.
US officials later confirmed Libi had been killed but refused to give details on how they established this, given that his burial site was kept secret.
The militants refused to identify the victim, but intelligence later intercepted a walkie-talkie conversation about the attack, mentioning "sheik", a term often used for Arabs such as Libi.
A senior Pakistani official cast doubt on whether the dead man was the al-Qa'ida No 2, pointing out that the price on Libi's head was only $US1 million ($1m), putting him way down the US wanted list. "This is just an excuse to step up the drone campaign," he said.
The Libyan had been a key operational commander, recruiter and strategist for al-Qa'ida since he escaped from Bagram prison in Afghanistan in 2005 after three years in US custody.
Since the killing of Osama bin Laden in May last year, US drones have eviscerated al-Qa'ida's leadership, killing Ilyas Kashmiri last June, Atiyah Abd al-Rahman in August and Badar Mansoor in February.
The accuracy of last week's raid may have been helped by documents captured from bin Laden's house in Abbottabad as well as the detail with which cameras on drones can view terrain "down to the last goat".
CIA sources say "there is no substitute for humint (human intelligence)", adding that the agency has a growing network of informants in the region.
"The CIA has thousands of informants in northwest Pakistan," said Joshua Foust, a fellow at the US Security Project think tank. "One of them could have found him. They also collect every stray transmission from the area: internet, radio, phone."
Libi's death suggests the US may be closing in on Ayman al-Zawahiri, the Egyptian eye doctor who succeeded bin Laden as leader.
The al-Qa'ida No 2 will not be easy to replace. He was an operational commander and a renowned recruiter, a propagandist who brought together the group's Libyan and Egyptian wings. "The No 2 in al-Qa'ida is effectively its managing director, acting under the chairmanship of al-Zawahiri," said MJ Gohel, director of the Asia-Pacific Foundation, which monitors terrorism.
"He is responsible for recruiting and training individuals, in charge of planning and facilitating terrorist operations against the West and its allies, and indoctrination and propaganda."
Among those who may take over are Adnan Gulshair el-Shukrijumah, born in Saudi Arabia; Khalid al-Habib, thought to be of Egyptian or Moroccan origin; Saif al-Adel, an Egyptian; Matiur Rehman, a Pakistani; and bin Laden's son Saad. All are believed to be in Pakistan.
With few of the old guard left, the most senior American in al-Qa'ida is expected to assume a more prominent role. Known as Azzam al-Amriki (Azzam the American), Adam Gadahn is an unlikely jihadist. He grew up on a farm in California, the grandson of a Jewish doctor, and as a teenager was obsessed with heavy metal groups, reviewing bands for alternative magazines.
The 33-year-old, who has a $US1m price on his head, is thought to be on the run in North Waziristan. He converted to Islam and joined al-Qa'ida 15 years ago, making him one of its few leaders to have been in place since before the 9/11 attacks.
Gadahn was regarded as bin Laden's spin doctor, making slick propaganda videos. But letters recently released from the trove of documents taken from bin Laden's compound surprised analysts by suggesting Gadahn was more than a media adviser.
They included a letter from him on plans to mark the 10th anniversary of 9/11. It included a critique of the organisation and affiliated groups. "Bin Laden took his mail," said one US official. "That says something about Gadahn."
Additional reporting by Saleem Mehsud.
Al-Qaeda Chief Hit By 1,000mph Bull's-Eye
London Sunday Times June 10, 2012 Pg. 23
Contrary to reports, the US drone attack that killed the terrorists' No 2 was startlingly accurate
By Christina Lamb, Nicola Smith and Saleem Mehsud
THE US drone that killed al-Qa'ida's No 2 last week struck with such precision that only two rooms in the house where he was hiding were destroyed.
Tribesmen in Mir Ali, in Pakistan's lawless tribal areas of North Waziristan, said Abu Yahya al-Libi had been asleep in the nearby village of Hassu Khel when the strike came last Monday.
The 1.5m Hellfire missile, travelling at 1600km/h, hit its target with such accuracy that only two inner rooms within the sprawling mud-walled compound were destroyed, contrary to other reports that said the house was vapourised. A woman was injured and treated in hospital.
There had been eight drone attacks in Waziristan in the past fortnight, suggesting the US was closing in on a significant al-Qa'ida figure, and was losing patience with Pakistan, which continues to allow safe havens for militants. The house where Libi, 49, died was owned by a member of the Dawar tribe, which has provided shelter for a number of foreign militants.
When locals rushed to the scene it had been cordoned off by masked militants who allowed nobody to approach the property.
US officials later confirmed Libi had been killed but refused to give details on how they established this, given that his burial site was kept secret.
The militants refused to identify the victim, but intelligence later intercepted a walkie-talkie conversation about the attack, mentioning "sheik", a term often used for Arabs such as Libi.
A senior Pakistani official cast doubt on whether the dead man was the al-Qa'ida No 2, pointing out that the price on Libi's head was only $US1 million ($1m), putting him way down the US wanted list. "This is just an excuse to step up the drone campaign," he said.
The Libyan had been a key operational commander, recruiter and strategist for al-Qa'ida since he escaped from Bagram prison in Afghanistan in 2005 after three years in US custody.
Since the killing of Osama bin Laden in May last year, US drones have eviscerated al-Qa'ida's leadership, killing Ilyas Kashmiri last June, Atiyah Abd al-Rahman in August and Badar Mansoor in February.
The accuracy of last week's raid may have been helped by documents captured from bin Laden's house in Abbottabad as well as the detail with which cameras on drones can view terrain "down to the last goat".
CIA sources say "there is no substitute for humint (human intelligence)", adding that the agency has a growing network of informants in the region.
"The CIA has thousands of informants in northwest Pakistan," said Joshua Foust, a fellow at the US Security Project think tank. "One of them could have found him. They also collect every stray transmission from the area: internet, radio, phone."
Libi's death suggests the US may be closing in on Ayman al-Zawahiri, the Egyptian eye doctor who succeeded bin Laden as leader.
The al-Qa'ida No 2 will not be easy to replace. He was an operational commander and a renowned recruiter, a propagandist who brought together the group's Libyan and Egyptian wings. "The No 2 in al-Qa'ida is effectively its managing director, acting under the chairmanship of al-Zawahiri," said MJ Gohel, director of the Asia-Pacific Foundation, which monitors terrorism.
"He is responsible for recruiting and training individuals, in charge of planning and facilitating terrorist operations against the West and its allies, and indoctrination and propaganda."
Among those who may take over are Adnan Gulshair el-Shukrijumah, born in Saudi Arabia; Khalid al-Habib, thought to be of Egyptian or Moroccan origin; Saif al-Adel, an Egyptian; Matiur Rehman, a Pakistani; and bin Laden's son Saad. All are believed to be in Pakistan.
With few of the old guard left, the most senior American in al-Qa'ida is expected to assume a more prominent role. Known as Azzam al-Amriki (Azzam the American), Adam Gadahn is an unlikely jihadist. He grew up on a farm in California, the grandson of a Jewish doctor, and as a teenager was obsessed with heavy metal groups, reviewing bands for alternative magazines.
The 33-year-old, who has a $US1m price on his head, is thought to be on the run in North Waziristan. He converted to Islam and joined al-Qa'ida 15 years ago, making him one of its few leaders to have been in place since before the 9/11 attacks.
Gadahn was regarded as bin Laden's spin doctor, making slick propaganda videos. But letters recently released from the trove of documents taken from bin Laden's compound surprised analysts by suggesting Gadahn was more than a media adviser.
They included a letter from him on plans to mark the 10th anniversary of 9/11. It included a critique of the organisation and affiliated groups. "Bin Laden took his mail," said one US official. "That says something about Gadahn."
Additional reporting by Saleem Mehsud.
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