Zawahri met Libbi in Damadola

Daily Times ^ | Sunday, January 22, 2006 | staff writer

[gandalftb]

PESHAWAR: Ayman Al-Zawahri met his deputy last year at a house hit in a recent US missile strike in Damadola village of Bajaur Agency, Pakistani intelligence officials said on Saturday.

Zawahri, the apparent target of the January 13 attack, met his deputy, Abu Farraj al-Libbi, in Damadola early last year, a security official said on condition of anonymity, adding that Libbi told Pakistani interrogators of the meeting after his capture in May 2005. US and Pakistani intelligence began monitoring Bakhtpur Khan ’s home after the Libbi confession.

[gandalftb]

This supports an unconfirmed report that the backdrop to Zawahiri's recent video message was recognized as a wall in that same house, causing surveillance that revealed a coming high-level meeting and prompted our Hellfire response. Also, Zawahiri's wife is either from Damadola or lives nearby and her brother was reputed to be at the meeting possibly with Mullah Omar, a close associate.

At least five bodies were removed by locals. Reports that seven bodies were removed may ber explained by the recent discovery of two empty graves nearby. Al Qaeda is learning about our interest in DNA recovery and the Muslim tradition of burying the dead before sunrise is giving way to organizational secrecy.

It seems odd that al Qaeda didn't go to ground more securely after al-Libbi was captured. It has been no secret that his confessions have led to a number of raids in the border areas. Clearly Zawahiri is much more mobile than Bin Laden, in operational command, and well networked. Marrying a local was a smart move but the in-laws might be his undoing.

[oolatec]

al-Libbi... didn't he get killed recently?

[oceanview]

ping

[wildcatf4f3]

Scooter? well I'll be

[neodad]

I thought it was shish-Kehbab

[the Real fifi]

Didn't they keep his capture quiet for a while? I seem to recall they did. If so, they may have been more careless until they heard of his capture. And if the Paks and we laid very low, for a while, AQ may have thought al-Libbi didn't give up much.

[Mike Darancette]

This means that Ayman Al-Zawahri may be dead after all. His recent poetry reading says nothing to his status after 1/13.

[NutCrackerBoy]

So it was Zawahri who "outed" Valerie Plame?

[penelopesire]

Does it get any better than this for word nuts?

Translation: IN DAMNATION(Damadola) al libbi(leftist anti-american) meets Zawahiri..(antichrist)....lol

[SWAMPSNIPER]

How are they doing all the traveling into that area? It doesn't look like anything but a mule or goat could get there.

[gandalftb]

No, he was captured om 5/4/2005 and has been singing like a bird ever since. He was a close associate of Zawahiri and understood the mechanics of the afghan-paki border area network.

[eleni121]

Zawahiri has had several wives...apparently running an international terror campaign leaves him time to manage them as well.

[gandalftb]

He was captured 5/4/2005 and it was reported by DAWN the next day. Most of the media didn't ballyhoo the capture as many disputed his importance as he did not have an international notoriety. The media is stupid in this way, they don't understand the decentralized nature of al Qaeda. Al Libbi was "directory assistance" in Pakistan and is turning out to be a better source than Khalid Sheik Muhammed.

It's amazing how these "leaders" rat out their pals.

[Mr Cobol]

That was my question on another thread and they supposedly travel by mule.

[gandalftb]

We have solid intercept evidence of four high level al Qaeda dead including his brother-in-law. If Zawahiri was one of them we would likely have confirmation by now from the reaction of his wife's tribe that lives nearby and whom we are watching.

I think we missed him and he is doing a serious low-crawl.

[gandalftb]

True, I believe there are four. His Moroccan wife's brother was one of the dead at Damadola. His Pakhtun wife is from a large prominent tribe in N Waziristan. Smart move marrying into the locals, problem is, the in-laws love to gossip on their sat phones.

[the Real fifi]

Since we don't have the bodies and at least 2 Pak intel officials yesterday said they know Zawahiri was there, I'm not sure he escaped. The capture by the Paks of the man thought to have hidden the bodies, means the Paks are interested in them for DNA testing. And I have a feeling we'll soon find out.

[gandalftb]

And, it's winter time and one of the coldest winters in 30 years. Recent pictures from Damadola show about 6 inches of snow on the ground. It's the mountain passes and ridge-line pathways that are the worst. Valley travel is generally on foot and usually open.

No problem for drones! Although it is often too windy to fly.

[gandalftb]

The mules and often, horses, are generally for baggage. Most travel is by foot on the paths. There are many roads and truck traffic is common, but frequently held up by rock slides and snow.

[the Real fifi]

So--If Zawahiri was coming for dinner, how far away fromDamadola can his hidey hole be?