“We—with God’s help—call on every Muslim who believes in God and wishes to be rewarded to comply with God’s orders to kill the Americans and plunder their money…” —Osama Bin Laden
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Eventually, the US Intelligence Community began to find Al Qaeda was not a small band of terrorists operating only on the purse strings of Osama Bin Laden. A larger picture began to unfold; Al Qaeda had set up a global network of associated terrorist groups, guerilla groups, cells planted in multiple countries and Islamic organizations that, on the outside, appear to be legitimate Muslim educational organizations or charities, but are a sophisticated part of the organization. These Al Qaeda networks include associated groups that share the organization’s goals for global Jihad and function as Islamic societies located in Muslim communities in several countries around the world.
There are approximately seven million radical Muslims in the world today. Many of them are prepared for armed global Jihad, including mass murder. As noted previously, countering this type of decentralized structure is extremely difficult using the previous cold war structure of the CIA. In addition, because of years of failing to anticipate the threat, the CIA has not been able to recruit and retain officers fluent in Arabic, Farsi and other languages necessary to penetrate these organizations and analyze the huge amounts of communications intercepts that come in daily. Because of its de-centralized structure, Al Qaeda can react rapidly to attacks that dismantle one of its nodes or front organizations and “grow” new cells at an alarming rate. This is much like some species of spiders or sea cucumbers; cut off one appendage and the organism simply grows another.
Al Qaeda is the offshoot of the “Muslim Brotherhood” and converted this organization’s political agenda of global Jihad into defined operational activity. A significant reason the cells of this entity are difficult to penetrate is the fact that they operate through family relationships. These relationships are extremely close and the results of disobedience could result in death. Recruitment is usually done from within families, friends and those of the same nationality attending local mosques. Members of Al Qaeda who are not part of the immediate family are, like in the Muslim Brotherhood, referred to as “brothers.” This family/brotherhood bond extends to other organizations around the world with the same Muslim Jihadist beliefs.
CIA Statement on the Muslim Brotherhood
On February 10, 2011 during a hearing on Capitol Hill, Director of National Intelligence James Clapper testified that the Muslim Brotherhood “has pursued social ends” and “betterment of the political order.” Clapper downplayed the Brotherhoods radical religious underpinnings. He went on to say, “The term ‘Muslim Brotherhood’… is an umbrella term for a variety of movements, in the case of Egypt, a very heterogeneous group, largely secular, which has eschewed violence and has decried Al Qaeda as a perversion of Islam.”
Counter terrorism experts around the world were stunned at Clapper’s statements, which demonstrated a serious lack of intelligence and simple understanding of the Muslim Brotherhood. Apparently, Clapper and the CIA had missed the Brotherhoods’ public statements regarding its ultimate goal of overturning Western governments and the establishment of a global Islamic caliphate. Clapper’s statements forced the Obama administration to later correct his claim that the Muslim Brotherhood is “secular.”
The brotherhood connection is the bond that enables Al Qaeda to survive, reorganize, morph into a new cell after an attack and gain the necessary funding and international logistics the overall organization needs. This international network, or brotherhood, gives Al Qaeda huge resources with which to operate. Resources come from some state actors, personal donations, donations from Mosques and large donations from Islamic charities, including several in the US. Al Qaeda can function in the United States, North Africa, Russia, East Africa, Europe and Canada with the same flexibility.
Al Qaeda can even farm out its different operational needs to different geographical cells. For example, one cell in a certain country can generate false documents, such as passports and credit cards, another can handle training new members of the organization and another can supply the funds needed for operations.
Former Al Qaeda Deputy Chief, now leader of the organization, Ayman al-Zawahiri designed the current cell structure for Al Qaeda operations. Cells are designed to be small, anywhere from two to fifteen members. Cell members are given only the operational information they need to know for an attack, and nothing more. Thus, if a cell is raided and the members interrogated, they will not know the larger plans of the attack. Many times cell leaders do not even know the identity of their direct reports. Cells are typically separate from others in the organization and members of cells do not communicate with each other. In many cases they do not even know the other cell exists.
Al Qaeda operations are much like those of an intelligence organization. It uses an agent recruiting, handling and deployment mechanism much like other state intelligence services. It is possible they have, indeed, been trained by formal intelligence organizations from countries such as Iran. In these Al Qaeda operations, an agent handler is at the top of the chain of command. The cell leader reports to this handler, who is residing in the local area. The handler reports to a senior member of the organization, usually not living near the attack site. Upon receipt of orders from the organization, the handler activates the cell leader who proceeds to deploy members of the cell for surveillance, target identification, or the actual attack itself.
As noted, Al Qaeda has developed a system of agent recruitment, handling and deployment similar to, and as efficient as, modern intelligence organizations. This includes intelligence sections within the overall organization. Agents have been tasked with penetrating local government establishments, security forces, police departments and military organizations. Al Qaeda relies heavily on gaining the support of the local Muslim communities to provide assistance for their operations; including within the United States.
Overall, Al Qaeda’s operational network of cells and affiliates carry out sophisticated surveillance and reconnaissance operations, as well as information collection using the internet. The organization uses this intelligence to conduct assassinations, large-scale bombings, suicide bombings, ambushes and counter surveillance operations.
It is in the surveillance and reconnaissance phase the cell must come out of the shadows in one way or another. The CIA, using good surveillance detection and counter surveillance operations, has disrupted several attacks before they have occurred. This is true success. Catching the terrorist after the attacks is important but, at that point, intelligence operations have failed.
I developed and taught surveillance detection and counter surveillance programs for the Agency, US embassies and personnel from several private security organizations. Strategic and innovative surveillance and counter surveillance techniques are of critical importance, because they are a preventative action. In addition, there are some exceptionally effective counter surveillance techniques that bring the cell out into the light of day, where the members can be intercepted.
Al Qaeda has developed a communications operation fire-walled from technical security penetrations. The organization uses the oldest form of communication that has existed, the human courier. In addition, Al Qaeda has learned to use encrypted software for using e-mail when necessary. These two aspects have made it more difficult for the NSA to intercept Al Qaeda’s communications.
The majority of Al Qaeda attacks involve three significant phases. First, operatives conduct surveillance and target identification. Next the attack is rehearsed, usually several times. These are two weak points in their operations and are the phases that can be exploited by counter surveillance teams. Finally, the organization transports cell members with the responsibility to provide support to the attack team. This includes careful selection of the safe house, procuring weapons and explosive material, disguises, maps and local vehicles that blend in with traffic.
In older attack plans, Al Qaeda and other terrorist organizations would employ an attack team that would rehearse an escape route for use after the attack. This tactic is now diminishing in favor of a more efficient modus operandi, the suicide attack (discussed more in the next chapter). Suicide attacks need no escape plan.
The Killing of Osama Bin Laden
In the dark early morning hours of May 1, 2011, two stealth US Special Forces helicopters descended on a three story, fortress-like compound in the city of Abbottabad, Pakistan, north of the capitol city of Islamabad. The helicopters flew in low, undetected from Afghanistan. Twenty to twenty-five members of the elite US Navy Seal Team xxx were on board the aircraft. Under orders from the Joint Special Operations Command in cooperation with the CIA, members of Seal Team xxx were dropped by one of the helicopters, then stormed the compound. A firefight ensued and two of Bin Laden’s couriers, one of his sons and a woman, reportedly used by Bin Laden as a human shield, were killed. Other women and children were present in the house, but were not harmed. The Seals proceeded to the third floor, where they found Bin Laden in hiding. Once the Seals identified Bin Laden, he was immediately shot in the head and killed. One of the helicopters, a CH47 Chinook equipped with classified stealth technology, was lost in the operation due to “mechanical failure” and was destroyed by the crew, leaving behind the tail section of the aircraft. In all, the operation took only forty minutes.
The operation marked the end of the hunt for the world’s most notorious terrorist and mass murderer. Overall, the operation was a resounding success. It was the final result of billions of dollars and years of investigation, research and cooperation with other foreign countries. The killing of Bin Laden was also a symbolic gesture to the world that the US will not stop countering terrorist attacks against US citizens, no matter what the cost.
A senior US security official told Reuter's news agency, under conditions of anonymity, the Seals were under orders not to capture Bin Laden and the mission was “a kill operation.” President Obama’s top terrorism advisor, John Brennan, stated capturing Bin Laden alive was considered remote before the assault. Brennan stated Bin Laden and his associates in the building resisted the assault by the Seal team, implying that because of this Bin Laden was not taken alive.
Abbottabad, a city of ninety thousand is located in the Orash valley, north of Islamabad, the Pakistani capitol. It is home to the Pakistani military academy, three Pakistan army regiments, thousands of military personnel and is the location of multiple military occupied buildings. The military academy, located just blocks from Bin Laden’s hide out, was the equivalent of Pakistan’s West Point.
The building Bin Laden had been living in was valued at approximately one million dollars. It had no telephone or Internet service. The compound was “extraordinarily unique,” eight times larger than other homes in the area. Few windows faced outside. Security measures included twelve to eighteen foot outer walls topped with barbed wire. Internal walls sectioned off different parts of the compound. Residents of the structure burned their trash rather than placing it out for collection.
US forces took Bin Laden’s body into custody after the firefight and flew it to Afghanistan by helicopter. His identity was confirmed there. DNA testing and photographic analysis confirmed the body was that of Osama Bin Laden. Since Bin Laden was a Saudi citizen, the Obama administration offered to turn the body over to Saudi Arabia, but the government refused. The Obama administration had to seek another option.
Burial at Sea
According to Obama’s top terrorism advisor, John Brennan, “It was determined it was in the best interest of all involved in accordance with Islamic law,” to have Bin Laden’s body buried at sea.
Osama Bin Laden’s body was transported to the US aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson which was operating in the north Arabian Sea.
Islamic law strictly dictates the body must be bathed three times in a very specific, ritualistic procedure, while covered with a cloth. When possible, the bathers should be same-gender family members of the deceased. After bathing, the body must be wrapped in a kafan, a white cotton cloth, to protect the deceased’s modesty. Prayers of forgiveness are then said for the deceased. Although burial customs vary by region, Islamic tradition also stipulates the body must be buried the same day as death, in other words within twenty-four hours. The deceased body must be buried in the ground with no casket. The grave is given a marker that does not rise more than twelve inches above the ground.
US officials stated burying Bin Laden’s body at sea would prevent his gravesite from becoming a shrine and discourage vandalism and desecration of the grave.
There is a mandate in Islamic law that if it is likely an enemy of the deceased may try to dig up the body or destroy the grave site, burial at sea is allowed.
On the USS Carl Vinson, Bin Laden’s body was washed, placed in a weighted bag and a military officer read prepared religious remarks. The remarks were translated by an unidentified native Arabic speaker. The body was then placed on a prepared flat board, tipped up and Bin Laden’s body eased into the sea.
A Sunni Muslim official of the most prestigious Sunni educational institute described burial at sea as a “sin” and contrary to Islamic custom. A representative of the Al Azhar Academy of Islamic research in Cairo stated when someone drowns the body must be recovered and buried in the ground.
Information Leading to Bin Laden’s Hide Out
The controversy continues regarding how US officials obtained the information that led to the site where Bin Laden was hiding. Up until the summer of 2011, US officials believed Bin Laden was hiding in the mountains along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border. In August 2011, US intelligence officials received a tip providing information on Bin Laden’s whereabouts in Abbottabad. The CIA began monitoring the compound and surveilled it for months.
Analysis by the CIA of the compound revealed there was a “high level of confidence” the compound housed a high level terrorist target with a “strong possibility” it was Bin Laden. This led to the planning of the operation.
Accounts by the Obama administration produced conflicting information. One account claimed Bin Laden was armed and fired at the Seal team. Another account claimed Bin Laden was unarmed, but shoved his wife at the assault team to defend himself. Pictures disseminated to members of the Congress and Senate by administration officials turned out to be false. Because so much inaccurate information was being disseminated, president Obama eventually ordered that no information would be disseminated to the public.
In my opinion, based on conflicting statements made by administration spokesmen, Bin Laden was unarmed at the time of the shooting. That being said, I understand why the Seal team assaulted the compound with such speed and firepower, immediately terminating Bin Laden. Bin Laden’s previous statements, the modus operandi of Al Qaeda, and the majority of Al Qaeda’s attacks involved terrorists wearing suicide vests, to be detonated in an instant. Based on this information, the Seal team did not know if the compound was rigged with explosives. In addition, it was possible Bin Laden’s security guards, and even Bin Laden himself, were wearing suicide equipment that could have been detonated, killing the team members. I am sure the operational goal was to take out security and Bin Laden before they had the chance to push the button.
Defenders of the Bush administration’s practice of rendition, secret foreign prisons and, specifically, the procedure of water boarding were quick to flood the media with statements that water boarding directly led to the location and killing of Osama Bin Laden. News reports of the success of water boarding touted the CIA logo in the background and connected Bin Laden’s capture directly to the procedure. It was an attempt by the CIA to rebuild its reputation after serious constitutional issues had arisen regarding the Agency’s operations.
Some politicians claimed the information leading to Bin Laden’s location came from self-proclaimed 9/11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed - during water boarding; which led to the identification of a Bin Laden courier. Representative Steven King (R-Iowa) issued a tweet stating “Wonder what the Obama administration thinks of water boarding now.” Attorney General Eric Holder and the Obama administration previously ruled water boarding was torture and was illegal. Upon taking office, President Obama issued an Executive Order barring the use of interrogation techniques not already legally authorized by the US Army Field Manual.
In an interview with Newsmax Former Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld stated the information that led to the killing of Bin Laden was obtained through “normal interrogation approaches.” When asked if harsh interrogations at Guantanamo bay played a part in locating Bin Laden’s whereabouts Rumsfeld responded, “First of all, no one was water boarded at Guantanamo Bay. That’s a myth that’s been perpetrated around the country by critics.” Rumsfeld went on to say, “The United States Department of Defense did not do water boarding for interrogation purposes to anyone. It is true some information that came from normal interrogation approaches at Guantanamo did lead to information that was beneficial in this instance. But it was not harsh treatment and it was not water boarding.” Rumsfeld, who was there during the use of “enhanced interrogation” methods, directly contradicted statements made by former members of the Bush administration. The Obama administration provided no information on who conducted the enhanced interrogation interviews and where they took place.
During a Judiciary Committee hearing on the killing of Bin Laden, Attorney General Eric Holder stated, “Well, I think that, as has been indicated by other administration spokesmen, there was a mosaic of sources that led to the identification of the people that led to Bin Laden.” Representative Dan Lungren (R-California) asked Holder, “I understand that, but were any pieces of that mosaic the result of enhanced interrogation techniques?” Holder responded, “I do not know.” Keep in mind this is the Attorney General of the United States who is (or should be) fully briefed in exactly what methods were used to locate Bin Laden.
Intelligence Committee Chairwoman Senator Diane Feinstein (D-California) stated, “To the best of our knowledge, based on a look, none of it came as a result of harsh interrogation practices.” At a news briefing, Obama spokesperson Jay Carney stated, “The fact is that no single piece of information led to the successful mission that occurred on Sunday and multiple detainees provided insights into the networks of people that might have been close to Bin Laden.”
During an NBC interview CIA Director Leon Panetta stated “Enhanced interrogation techniques” were used to extract information that led to the mission’s success. Panetta stated those techniques included water boarding. Panetta’s statements were in stark contrast to the official comments of other White House officials who possessed no incentive to bolster the reputation of their committee or organization.
The CIA water boarded Khalid Sheikh Mohammed one hundred and eighty three times during the 2002 to 2003 timeframe. The administration finally admitted the CIA did not obtain information that led to Bin Laden until 2005 or 2006. The information attributed to the identification of the courier came years later, after “enhanced interrogation” had been stopped.
The one fact that was clear was the identity of the courier and the location of Bin Laden came to light years later, after the enhanced interrogation was ceased. Administration officials conceded it was multiple sources of intelligence and years of work that led to the location of Osama Bin Laden.
What concerns me, once again, is the CIA’s willingness to conceal, alter or falsify information to protect its own interests and justify some of its potentially unconstitutional actions.
The New Leader of Al Qaeda
On June 16, 2011 an announcement posted on several jihadist websites declared Bin Laden’s successor and the new senior leader of Al Qaeda had been chosen. Ayman al-Zawahri, an Egyptian surgeon, had been selected to lead the organization. Al-Zawahri had been Bin Laden’s top deputy for several years. He met Bin Laden in the mid-1980s while supporting the Mujahedeen guerillas fighting the Soviets in the northwestern Pakistani city of Peshawar. In June 2001, Zawahri coordinated the merger of Al Qaeda and the Egyptian Islamic Jihad, Zawahri’s own terrorist organization responsible for the 1981 assassination of Egyptian President Anwar Sadat. He is described as having a contentious personality and lacking the charismatic qualities of Bin Laden. Documents retrieved from Bin Laden’s hideout revealed incidents of infighting and back-stabbing by senior Al Qaeda members as they vied for leadership of the organization.
Zawahri is suspected of planning the 1997 attack that killed sixty-seven foreign tourists in Luxor, Egypt. He was instrumental in the operational planning of the 9/11 attacks on the World Trade Center. Zawahri approved the July 7, 2005 suicide bombings in the London transport system which killed fifty-two innocent civilians. He has been indicted in connection with the 1998 bombings of US embassies in Kenya and Tanzania.
Zawahri is expected to attempt to orchestrate a significant attack in the West to demonstrate Al Qaeda is a legitimate force in the radical Islamic war against the United States, its allies and Israel. A website connected to Al Qaeda is now calling on “lone wolf” terrorists to target and kill Americans at their homes in the US. The website contains a list of the names of forty prominent Americans, with photos attached to twenty-six of them. The list is made up of US officials, business and political leaders, executives of think tanks and defense contractors.
In Figures 1 and 2, I have depicted in graphic form the Al Qaeda organization. Of note in the Al Qaeda organizational structure is the formation of the Worldwide Islamic Front of Jihad against the Jews and the Crusaders. This organization, for the first time, brought together both Sunni and Shi’a Muslims, formerly philosophical and political enemies, under the same cause of global Jihad.
Figure 2: Breakdown of the global Al Qaeda organization
Al Qaeda’s Second in Command
Al Qaeda then appointed its second in command, Atiyah Abd al-Rahman. Rahman was the network’s former operational leader. On August 22, 2011 Rahman was killed in the Pakistani tribal region of Waziristan. US officials declined to comment on how he was killed. A CIA drone strike was reported in Waziristan. At the time of this writing, Rahman’s replacement is unknown.
Al Qaeda’s New Amorphous Strategy -Death by a Thousand Cuts
With the damage done to the organization’s structure by the US and allied war on terror, Al Qaeda has been forced to alter its operational modus operandi. In a special addition of the propaganda magazine Inspire, an English publication produced by al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, or AQAP, the organization described its new strategy in conducting terror attacks on the US and its allies. The publication states this is a strategy of "attacking the enemy with smaller, but more frequent operations is what some may refer to as the strategy of a thousand cuts. The aim is to bleed the enemy to death."
Using this terror philosophy Al Qaeda has developed a more decentralized amorphous structure. This structure is aimed at using the internet, propaganda, front organizations and front charities to inspire spontaneous terrorist cells and lone wolf terrorists to carry out their own attacks, not directly affiliated with the Al Qaeda organization, around the world.
Figure 3: The new amorphous, digitally operated Al Qaeda structure.
Osama bin laden (Now deceased).
Ayman al-Zawahiri (New leader of Al Qaeda).
Ramzi Yousef, one of the planners of the 1993 World Trade Center Bombing and the Bojinka plot, a plan to blow up 11 Airliners with 4,000 passengers on board on flights from Asia to the US.