Al-Qaeda commander Abu Yahya al-Libi killed - US officials

Al-Qaeda commander Abu Yahya al-Libi killed - US officials

www.bbc.co.uk

Senior al-Qaeda leader Abu Yahya al-Libi was killed in a drone strike in Pakistan on Monday...

...US officials said Libi was the target of a drone strike which hit a volatile tribal area of Pakistan's north-west, killing 15 suspected militants.

..."There is no-one who even comes close in terms of replacing the expertise al-Qaeda has just lost," the US official told the BBC.

...al-Qaeda's leadership "will be hard-pressed to find any one person who can readily step into [Libi's] shoes".

(visit the link for the full news article)



Related AboveTopSecret.com Discussion Threads:
Another US drone strike in Pakistan kills 15

These drone strikes seem to be coming thick and fast. US policy seems to be based on the ends justifying the means at present, with less regard for diplomatic considerations than might be expected. You have to wonder where all this will leave relations with the government of Pakistan.

Doubtless few tears will be shed other than in Pakistan and among Islamicist sympathizers. But others will be concerned by the clear escalation of the use of drones — not least due to the issue of so-called 'collateral damage'.


www.bbc.co.uk
(visit the link for the full news article)

never heard of this person, is he supposed to be important or something?

i can't tell that this defunct organization has ever done anything of consequence as long as they've been talking about them on the news.

i've read more meaningful Tweets than anything their 'media' arm has produced.

reply to post by pause4thought


His the commander? i thought it was Ayman al-Zawahiri?
I am sorry but i dont believe the US officials,unless we have a real confirmation from Pakistan.

He is suppose to be second in command and a big propaganda guy in videos and whatever else. What scares me is that first off. Is this election year propaganda and maybe we have know where this guy was a while? And second the liberal use of these drones. Obama's new Assassination Tzar has control of the drone program now. That in and of itself should scare everyone.

reply to post by michaelbrux


According to the article:

According to officials, he played a critical role in the group's planning against the West...

...Washington believes that following Osama Bin Laden's death last year, Libi, an Islamic scholar from Libya, became al-Qaeda's second-in-command after Egyptian-born Ayman al-Zawahiri.

Point taken that he was not a household name. Clearly such news has to be taken on trust at this point. Presumably the US wouldn't be harming relations with Pakistan, a key ally, to such an extent without good reason, though. I guess this character may have had more to do with opposition to western forces in Afghanistan than terrorist atrocities further afield.

reply to post by pause4thought


sounds major.

i guess their 'new guy' has big shoes to fill.

i wonder if filling newly available positions in al qaeda is difficult...considering the drone strikes and all.

do you think al qaeda operations are anything like a standard corporation here in the States?

some new college grad hotshot walks into the room and starts changing everything and all the rank and file staffers are sitting around all pissed off and abrasive...doesn't seem to be a good time for that type of behavior if al qaeda wants to survive past next month.

the media arm is the most important.

reply to post by michaelbrux

never heard of this person, is he supposed to be important or something?

He might not be a house hold name but if you ever read a history book about Al-Qa’ida his name pops up quite a bit and it should. He was one of, if not the most prominent theologian for Al-Qa’ida. He was a Al-Zawahiri’s top aid which is probably why is was named as number two. I have noticed however that whenever I have read about him his name is spelt with a “U” rather than a “Y” however am pretty sure it’s the same guy. He is often referred to as “the Libyan” and has appeared in a number of Al-Qa’ida propaganda videos discussing theology and justifying the actions of the network therefore he will be a blow to the group.

Its unclear who will replace him, core Al-Qa’ida has lost at least 12 senior members in the last year. I suspect it will not belong until Al-Qa’ida is dissolved and a group such as “Al-Qa’ida in the Arabian Peninsula” takes over as the figure head of the network.

As we continue to spend billions to kill 2-3,000 antagonists spread across the globe; picking them off a few at a time with state of the art firepower remotely controlled by people taking orders from political appointees, I have to wonder....

Who exactly is accounting for the carnage? Who is responsible for addressing the collateral damage? Will american citizens ever be told the way "certainty" was reached when deciding to launch these weapon systems... and most importantly... who exactly is profiting from the exercise?

I only wonder because in some vague way... I feel no safer than I did yesterday.

reply to post by michaelbrux

i wonder if filling newly available positions in al qaeda is difficult...considering the drone strikes and all.

Almost certainly not. They have a completely different mindset. They'd see such an end as martyrdom. They're queueing up for it.

do you think al qaeda operations are anything like a standard corporation here in the States?

I see where you're coming from. But I dare say it's more comparable with a quasi-political movement which has both a 'civilianl' arm, in the form of Islamic fundamentalist schools (particularly in Waziristan), and a military arm, in the form of bands of militia (loosely referred to as al-Qaeda).

...some new college grad hotshot walks into the room and starts changing everything and all the rank and file staffers are sitting around all pissed off and abrasive...doesn't seem to be a good time for that type of behavior if al qaeda wants to survive past next month.

I hear those who have to deal with these types in Afghanistan have learned not to underestimate them, in term of tenaciousness, resourcefulness and, yes, skill. They may not have the modern professional structure of a western organization, but they're not exactly amateurs either. Bear in mind they have money, and a lot of experience.

the media arm is the most important.

I agree, this could potentially be a significant blow to them. For a few months...

IMHO it is going to take more than just military resources to eradicate the world of this cancer. And sometimes military strikes are actually the catalyst they need for their recruitment campaigns. The military is very good at what it does. But sometimes, despite its efficiency, it has the effect of a bull in a China shop.

Anyone know of any burgeoning world leaders who are capable of creative thinking, of throwing more than bullets at intractable problems?

Originally posted by pause4thought
reply to post by michaelbrux

 

i wonder if filling newly available positions in al qaeda is difficult...considering the drone strikes and all.

Almost certainly not. They have a completely different mindset. They'd see such an end as martyrdom. They're queueing up for it.

do you think al qaeda operations are anything like a standard corporation here in the States?

I see where you're coming from. But I dare say it's more comparable with a quasi-political movement which has both a 'civilianl' arm, in the form of Islamic fundamentalist schools (particularly in Waziristan), and a military arm, in the form of bands of militia (loosely referred to as al-Qaeda).

...some new college grad hotshot walks into the room and starts changing everything and all the rank and file staffers are sitting around all pissed off and abrasive...doesn't seem to be a good time for that type of behavior if al qaeda wants to survive past next month.

I hear those who have to deal with these types in Afghanistan have learned not to underestimate them, in term of tenaciousness, resourcefulness and, yes, skill. They may not have the modern professional structure of a western organization, but they're not exactly amateurs either. Bear in mind they have money, and a lot of experience.

the media arm is the most important.

I agree, this could potentially be a significant blow to them. For a few months...

IMHO it is going to take more than just military resources to eradicate the world of this cancer. And sometimes military strikes are actually the catalyst they need for their recruitment campaigns. The military is very good at what it does. But sometimes, despite its efficiency, it has the effect of a bull in a China shop.

Anyone know of any burgeoning world leaders who are capable of creative thinking, of throwing more than bullets at intractable problems?

i believe you are correct about the different mindset. most people and groups when getting their asses handed to them so efficiently and methodically would just walk away....not these guys.

even though the door is closing and will be completely shut upon their movement this very day...they will still find support.

even though their groups will be completely demolished in 33 days...people will be willing to die along with them.

even though they lost this war over six years ago, they fought on and gained nothing at all.

it doesn't matter what they believed in...it was incorrect.

reply to post by michaelbrux

i wonder if filling newly available positions in al qaeda is difficult...considering the drone strikes and all.

You are right, it will be difficult as I mentioned before, core Al-Qa’ida has lost at least 12 senior members since the death of Bin Laden. This does actually show that the drone attacks are being successful and brining good results regardless of what one thinks about the unfortunate collateral damage they are getting the job done. Just now it is unclear who will take over as number two and it’s difficult to speculate as most of the usual suspects are now dead or rotting in a 6 by 6 cell.

One thing Al-Qa’ida does do is announce who is their leader and its possible that within a few weeks there may be some kind of announcement on one of their websites. Its unlikely however the MSN will report on that.

do you think al qaeda operations are anything like a standard corporation here in the States?

No by its very nature it will not however there are some similarities prior to 2001 for example members received an annual salary, flights for a vacation home and even health care. However it does not have the same constructs such as a career ladder that is so well defined nor is it intending to produce a profit.

the media arm is the most important.

As-Sahab
For a organisation such as Al-Qa’ida again I would agree with you, the name of the media arm is As-Sahab. The problem is that Al-Qa’ida is losing most of its charismatic members and because of this their propaganda machine is losing its effectiveness

reply to post by OtherSideOfTheCoin


Good to have your knowledgeable responses. Though you are more optimistic than some.

I respect your position on the matter, but still question whether removing key figures will ever lead to the eradication of the problem. To me it is akin to doing everything you can to cut the weeds, but never pulling out the roots. It is just a matter of time before the weeds come back. (And given the right stimulus, such as extensive 'collateral damage', they grow back bigger and thicker.)

reply to post by OtherSideOfTheCoin


you'd think that finding a replacement for this person that has a college degree in broadcasting or communications and possesses advanced abilities in internet and video, while at the same time has a long beard and deep affection for Jihad would be difficult to locate.

apparently however, groups looking for such a candidate are optimistic.

reply to post by pause4thought


You will never get rid of terrorism, all these drone attacks really represent are damage control of sorts. I suspect that soon Al-Zawahiri will be killed and with that Core Al-Qa’ida will disintegrate and then Al-Qa’ida in the Arabian Peninsula will be the new enemy or one of the other franchise groups.

What you are saying about them coming back bigger I also agree with. One of the big motivations for 9/11 was American support for Israel and American presence in Islamic states. Now that America is almost carpet bombing any Islamic state it can find It only makes this problem worse not better in the mind of many Muslims. But the alternative is to let the terrorists regroup and attempt to get their revenge.

talking about the accountability and collateral damage. And I know this is a broad statement and does not apply to all over there. But when countries knowingly harbor terrorists and allow them to thrive on their lands they are only harming their own citizens. And I know not all of these countries have the means to remove them without help. But there are a large portion of these countries who knowingly harbor them and supply them. So does it suck that there is collateral damages? Yes, it does. Would it be easier if all these countries told the Al Qaeda idiots to pack up and move along? Yep.. Would save us all a lot of time and energy. But unfortunately that is not the world we live in and once the can of worms was opened it isnt so easy to close. These people are like an infection. You cant just take the first half of your pills till you feel better. Because if you do, the infection isnt gone, it will only mutate and come back worse than before. You have to take the whole bottle of pills and see it till the end.

reply to post by OtherSideOfTheCoin


Our perspectives are in many ways closer than I thought.

But the alternative is to let the terrorists regroup and attempt to get their revenge.

That is a logical position. But it isn't, I believe, the only approach that is needed.

For a start not all Muslims — not even all Muslim scholars — give ascent to Islamicist fundamentalism, especially when it involves the use of violence aimed at civilians (i.e. espoused by 'al-Qaeda' and the like). There are millions of Muslim believers around the world who are disgusted by these evil people and the way they portray their religion. It is high time they were given whatever means they require to oppose extremist teaching such as is exemplified by some of the madrassas in Pakistan. (To give just one example of a broader approach.)

reply to post by pause4thought


I do not assume that all Muslims are violent Islamic fundamentalists, far from it, these people are very much the minority. There are however particular schools of thoughts within Islam that justifies the killing of innocents such as the teaching of Sayyid Qutb or the theological perspective of Takfir held by Al-Zawahiri which are taught in some Pakistani Madrasas. There is however also a problem with radicalisation through the internet and it is a unfortunate truth for the west that our actions have radicalised a vast number of youths in the Middle East who now see us as the cause of their problems and seek to fight back.

Its all very interesting and very complicated.

I'm sure there are plenty inline to replace him, sadly this will go on for many many years.

reply to post by lee63


you've got that right, friend.

Americans will continue reading stories about al qaeda leadership being hit by hell fire missiles for years to come.