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Al-Qaeda's deadly seeds bear
fruit
By Syed Saleem Shahzad
KARACHI - With local funds, local teams and
local agendas, a limited war on a worldwide scale is
being waged against the United States and its allies by
groups that have distanced themselves from Osama bin
Laden's International Islamic Front (IIF) so as to act
independently.
The suicide attacks in Casablanca
in Morocco on the night of May 16 that claimed 41 lives
are the latest manifestation of this, while more such
incidents can be expected.
Asia Times Online
investigations suggest that over the past year and a
half experience has taught the IIF - a coalition of
militant groups worldwide - that a central leadership
and command structure is too risky to operate -
especially as many key al-Qaeda leaders - the
traditional driving force of the IIF - have already been
arrested.
Al-Qaeda had a complex system for
conducting operations. Its military committee would plan
an operation, including the identification of targets,
financial coordination with sponsors and selection of
the team to carry out the task. The case was then
presented to al-Qaeda's religious committee, which
either approved or rejected it. If approved, it was
forwarded to central command, which gave the final nod.
This process required extensive coordination, and
exposed many leaders and channels, especially the
financial ones, which have been hard hit in the global
"war against terror".
Arabs who fought in
Afghanistan against the Soviets in the 1980s became
familiar with different jihadi movements from around the
world as Afghanistan was a common playing field. They
remained in touch with these movements once the Soviets
retreated. These Arab operatives worked on anti-US
operations in collaboration with local militant groups.
They would identify their targets in consultation with
the local command, secure finances and then contact the
local jihadis to collaborate in the attacks. But after
September 11, with law enforcement agencies stepping up
the pressure, the Arab operatives had to disappear as
they were obvious strangers in countries such as
Afghanistan and Pakistan.
The US-led invasion of
Iraq created the ideal conditions for the IIF to
flourish, and it rode the wave of anti-US sentiment in
the Muslim world to draw more members. But in the
process the organization has undergone a transformation.
Al-Qaeda is no longer a coalition of different jihadi
bodies. It is an independent organization that is
planning a major strike on targets within the US. All
the other jihadi bodies, including the Jamaat al-Jihad
and the Jama-i-Islamia (or Gama-i-Islamya) are now
autonomous and identify their own targets, raise their
own funds, recruit and select their own teams for
attacks. Even if al-Qaeda members happen to be in a
particular country where an attack is planned, they will
submit to the locals and not attempt to create a new
al-Qaeda cell.
This restructuring took final
shape as soon as the US war on Iraq was over. The first
country where this took effect was Afghanistan, where
effectively al-Qaeda no longer exists. The Taliban,
al-Qaeda, the Hezb-i-Islami led by Gulbuddin Hikmatyar
and other anti-US mujahideen commanders have now
restructured into a new outfit called Saiful Muslameen
(Sword of Muslims). The command structure is entirely
local, and all foreigners are now fighting along with
their Afghan commanders.
According to
intelligence sources, the Mujahideen Jazeratul Arab,
which recently has threatened to strike US interests in
the Middle East, comprises a few dozen Arab fighters who
fought in Afghanistan during the resistance against the
Soviets. They do not have any direct association with
bin Laden's IIF network. This group and others like it
have emerged recently as a direct result of the US
action against Iraq.
In the past week there have
been the major attacks in Morocco and Saudi Arabia, as
well as more symbolic attacks on 21 foreign-owned petrol
stations in the Pakistani port city of Karachi.
These attacks have been carried out by unknown
local groups. Now, intelligence sources have indicated
to Asia Times Online that the next targets could be in
Europe, and soon.
(Copyright 2003 Asia Times
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