| Submit your comments on this article |
| Terror Networks |
| The Dead Guy List... |
| 2002-09-09 |
| Of the 24 members of Al Qaeda's leadership identified by the Central Intelligence Agency before Sept. 11, 10 have either been killed or captured, officials said. That leaves 14 head cheeses... Four are now in custody, including Abu Zubaydah, who was Al Qaeda's chief of operations. And Binny's designated successor, we might add... Officials identified the three others as Abu Zubair, Ibn al-Sheikh al-Libi, and a man known by his nom de guerre, Riyadh the Facilitator. They forget Salim, the money guy. That makes eleven — 13 to go... Abu Zubaydah has been extensively interrogated since his capture and has provided important information, American officials say. Interrogation of others in custody have provided new insights into Al Qaeda's structure and operations, they add. I love it when they sing. They have such pretty voices... Six other Al Qaeda leaders are presumed dead, most significantly Muhammad Atef, who was Al Qaeda's military chief last Sept. 11. He is believed to have been killed in an American bombing raid in Afghanistan in November. I'm considering him a deader... The fate of Mr. bin Laden himself remains uncertain. A debate has been raging for months inside the American government over whether he is dead or alive, but the intelligence remains so fragmentary that officials say it is difficult to reach a definitive answer. Likely he's a deader by now, but I'd sure like to see a smear or two of his DNA. Or maybe his embalmed head on a plate... The United States military has identified the three leaders it now deems to be the most important besides Osama bin Laden, designating as "Tier One" leadership figures Mr. Zawahiri, Khalid Shaikh Mohammed and Saif al-Adel. I've been considering Ayman to be alive, even though he hasn't been heard from since a day or two after his wife and kiddies were wiped out. There have been a number of sightings, but then, so have there been a number of sightings of Elvis. Saif's reported hiding in Iran, which might take him out of the picture. I'm surprised that Suleiman abu Ghaith isn't included on this "tier 1" list — guess he's chopped liver, even though he's demonstrably alive and well. And Saad, Binny's kid, is also not on the list, even though he was reputed to have taken over... Mr. Mohammed is a Kuwaiti who American officials now believe was one of the central planners of the Sept. 11 attacks. American officials said last week that they believed that he had emerged as the closest thing Al Qaeda now has to a chief of operations. We heard from Khalid today. With him was Ramzi bin al-Shibh, Mohammad Atta's former |
| Posted by:Fred Pruitt |