... who used to be but now ain't...
deputy Ayman al
Zawahiri... Second in command of al-Qaeda, occasionally described as
the real brainsof the outfit. Formerly the Mister Big of Egyptian Islamic Jihad. Bumped off Abdullah Azzam with a car boom in the course of one of their little disputes. Is thought to have composed bin Laden's
fatwaentitled
World Islamic Front Against Jews and Crusaders.Currently residing in the North Wazoo area. That is not a horn growing from the middle of his forehead, but a prayer bump, attesting to how devout he is...
and Taliban capo Mullah Omar, according to a US official and a Pak official.
The list also includes Siraj Haqqani, the operational commander of the Haqqani network, the most violent group in the Afghan Taliban and believed to be run out of the Pak tribal areas; Ilyas Kashmirei, a senior member of al Qaeda once dubbed "the next Osama bin Laden"; and Atiya Abdel Rahman, the Libyan operations chief of al Qaeda who had emerged as a key intermediary between bin Laden and al Qaeda's affiliate networks across the world.
The list was discussed during three separate meetings between senior Pak and US officials in the past two weeks, including today in Islamabad with Secretary of State
Hillary Clinton... sometimes described as the Smartest Woman in the World and at other times as Mrs. Bill, never as
Another Jeremiah S. Black...
, according to a US official, a Pak government official and a Pak intelligence official.
The United States views the list as a test of whether Pakistain is serious about fighting cut-throats who have long enjoyed safe havens within its borders.
But the list does not only include gunnies the United States wants Pakistain to target. In the case of Omar, the United States is interested in determining whether he can be part of political reconciliation in Afghanistan, and is pushing the Paks to facilitate such an outcome, according to two US officials. The United States has already opened a dialogue with a man believed to be an emissary of Omar, according to two senior Afghan officials, but is proceeding cautiously.
Clinton and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs Adm. Mike Mullen, who flew into Islamabad ahead of Clinton, today urged Pakistain to support that process and do nothing to scuttle it, according to senior administration officials. Pak intelligence officials have in the past admitted they jugged Afghan Taliban leaders who expressed a willingness to reconcile.
Speaking to the media in Islamabad, Clinton declined to address specific names but said the United States expects Pakistain to authorize "joint action against al Qaeda and its affiliates," adding, "there is still much more work required, and it is urgent."