[Aquinasfan]

"We have managed to infiltrate this organization," said Mowaffak al-Rubaie, Iraq's national security adviser.

Wouldn't "no comment" be a better answer?

[StJacques]

"Wouldn't "no comment" be a better answer?"

That was exactly my first thought Aquinasfan. Why open our mouths and tell them to start looking?

But what if what we really have is some expanded technological surveillance capabilities, like listening devices, phone taps, satellite phone intercept capability, etc., rather than a human source? Wouldn't it be best in that event to tell the world that we DO have a source so that Al-Qaeda in Iraq will begin turning on itself?

You never know in the intelligence game.

[elhombrelibre]

Maybe, but it may be just as well to sow mistrust and discontent among the wicked. The more time they have to spend figuring out who the rat is the less time they can plot. And they're bound to accuse the wrong person more than a few times.

[Incorrigible]

Actually this is good psych-op procedure. Now that the Jihadists think there are Iraqi born moles among them, there will be a lot more distrust between all of them.

[coldoc]

I can imagine a meeting of the next "top 10" in the network. They are all sitting around a table looking at each other and trying to figure out which one will take over leadership of the group. Knowing that someone ratted the Zarkman out, probably is weighing heavily on their minds! Just exactly who was it?? "Hey, did anyone notice Abdul is never around when the infidels are attacking the Z-Man??" "Have you noticed how Abu seems to be quite a bit richer lately?"" etc...

Psyops!!

[Defiant]

Unless you are trying to sow fear within the terrorists. Now they don't know who to trust. Maybe we don't have any inside sources, and just have good sigint.

[ccmay]

Wouldn't "no comment" be a better answer?

Maybe, maybe not. I think it's at least as likely that we don't have any inside dope at all, and that by "leaking" this information we are attempting to spark a self-destructive mole hunt in what's left of Z-man's organization.

-ccm

[arthurus]

Wouldn't "no comment" be a better answer?

Not for sowing a little mistrust. "Was it you Moe?" BANG!

[sionnsar]

>"We have managed to infiltrate this organization," said Mowaffak al-Rubaie, Iraq's national security adviser.
Wouldn't "no comment" be a better answer?

True or false, it shakes up and weakens the organization. They will never quite fully trust each other again -- one of them might be a mole.