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Al Qaeda Still a Threat, but Hurt in Many Ways
Tuesday, February 19, 2002
By SFC Kathleen T. Rhem
USA
American Forces Press Service

U.S. officials believe Al Qaeda won't go quietly, but will try to "reconstitute" in a form different from before. In whatever form they end up, Al Qaeda will be a threat to Americans for some time.

WASHINGTON -- AFIS
Coalition actions in Afghanistan and around the world have hurt the Al Qaeda terrorist network in many ways, but the organization remains a threat to America and its allies.

Al Qaeda was most severely hurt when the coalition forced them from Afghanistan, its safe haven. "That was the one place it could do basically all of the business it wanted to do in one safe, controlled spot," a defense official explained. "(Al Qaeda) had freedom of action, freedom of training, freedom of movement, freedom to meet (in Afghanistan)."

The official spoke to Pentagon reporters on the condition of anonymity. He said it would be next to impossible for Al Qaeda members to set up a new centralized command and control element such as they had in Afghanistan. "They have not found a spot that would give them the same support as Afghanistan," he said.

Osama bin Laden set up his terrorist organization in Afghanistan in 1996 and basically had free rein to run terrorist training camps and to direct global terrorist operations. Bin Laden hasn't been caught, but he and his key deputies have a harder job of directing Al Qaeda operations while they're on the run, the official said.

This will force Al Qaeda to spread out many of its key operations. "We believe the leadership is going to be more decentralized, ... more of a franchise-type thing," the official said.

But bin Laden's propensity to plan ahead makes it harder for law enforcement and intelligence officials to get a handle on how dangerous Al Qaeda still is to the United States.
(More: DoD News Source)
2002 © The United States Department of Defense.

Dan