Posted on 01/10/2012 1:01:39 PM PST by canuck_conservative
PARIS — The death of Osama bin Laden last year severely damaged Al-Qaeda’s finances and left the shadowy network struggling to survive in the mountains of Pakistan and Afghanistan, analysts say.
Deprived of its historic leader, whose legendary name drew in generous contributions from rich families in the Gulf, Al-Qaeda’s money troubles have forced it to scale down its activities, they said.
“When Osama was alive, Al-Qaeda had more money,” said a senior security official in in the northwestern Pakistan city of Peshawar....
Zawahiri has neither the stature, the influence nor the networks to collect funds from Gulf donors and the organisation’s finances quickly began to dwindle after the death, analysts said.
“He is an Egyptian, and that plays a major part,” said Riad Kahwaji of the Institute for Near East and Gulf military analysis (INEGMA)....
“In the Gulf, family connections, tribal connections do matter a lot… The death of bin Laden had a major impact on the finances of Al-Qaeda,” said Kahwaji....
Volunteer fighters returning from Pakistan’s northwestern tribal belt have told of under-manned Al-Qaeda cells that are lacking in focus, short of cash and terrified of attacks by US drones....
(Excerpt) Read more at news.nationalpost.com ...
Loved the part about "terrified of drone attacks"!
Enjoy!!
Now, I’m no geopolitical strategist, but I think a smart response to this bit of news would be to double-down in Afghanistan.
“Al-Qaeda has been so discredited by its irrelevance to all the changes in the Arab world that it’s no longer attractive as a recipient of funds for donors,” said Barrett, a former head of counter-terrorism at Britain’s MI6 intelligence agency.
Kahwaji added: “People who used to support it now see that you can have an Islamic movement able to send elected members into parliament or government.
“They don’t need any more to support a rogue group living thousands of miles away from them to help them change things in their respective countries.”
This is a very happy story. I read it this way, "America has so demoralized and humiliated Alceada, no one is sending them money, they don't have any leaders and they are scared to death of predator drones. The donors have discovered politics over violence thanks to Americans. Americans might end up being the reason the Middle East eventually has some representative governments and embarks on real peace. Thanks, America."
Did I read that right? :o)
Al-Qaeda will probably be seeking or getting US financial aid someway or another. . .
Those who gave the bastards money should be sought and impoverished at the very least.
“Those who gave the bastards money should be sought and ...”
...Brutally killed, wiped out, Murder/death/killed, along with their immediate families. Make an example out of the mother f**kers. Better THEIR children than OURS.
Screw with Uncle Sam? Die, along with your bastard, goat/camel humping children.
hell, their coffers are so low they've been reduced to running drugs for some time now...
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