World Tribune.com--Front Page
The report said Al Qaida's financial network has been hurt since October 2001. The CIA said 10 leading financiers of Al Qaida have been captured or killed over the last two years. Moreover, two-thirds of Al Qaida's leadership �composed of up to 25 people � has been killed or captured.
The result, the CIA said, is that Al Qaida has lost much of its ability to launch large-scale attacks. Two such Al Qaida financiers identified were Khalid Sheik Mohammed and Abu Zubaydah, both captured over the last 18 months.
"While the group has a large bench of middle managers and foot soldiers," the report said, "it is rapidly losing its cadre of senior planners who have access to and the trust of Bin Laden, the leadership and organizational skills needed to mount sophisticated attacks, and the savvy to operate in an increasingly hostile counterterrorism environment."
But the report warned that Al Qaida remains lethal and maintains a large core of supporters. They said this continues to present the threat of imminent attack on U.S. interests throughout the world.
"Even if the Al Qaida organization is defeated and its worldwide cells are left to fend for themselves, Bin Laden's call for attacks on the United States will continue to resonate among Muslim extremists," the report said.
The report said Al Qaida's financial network has been hurt since October 2001. The CIA said 10 leading financiers of Al Qaida have been captured or killed over the last two years. Moreover, two-thirds of Al Qaida's leadership �composed of up to 25 people � has been killed or captured.
The result, the CIA said, is that Al Qaida has lost much of its ability to launch large-scale attacks. Two such Al Qaida financiers identified were Khalid Sheik Mohammed and Abu Zubaydah, both captured over the last 18 months.
"While the group has a large bench of middle managers and foot soldiers," the report said, "it is rapidly losing its cadre of senior planners who have access to and the trust of Bin Laden, the leadership and organizational skills needed to mount sophisticated attacks, and the savvy to operate in an increasingly hostile counterterrorism environment."
But the report warned that Al Qaida remains lethal and maintains a large core of supporters. They said this continues to present the threat of imminent attack on U.S. interests throughout the world.
"Even if the Al Qaida organization is defeated and its worldwide cells are left to fend for themselves, Bin Laden's call for attacks on the United States will continue to resonate among Muslim extremists," the report said.
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