The captures of Khalid Sheikh Mohamed and his nephew Ammar al-Baluchi thoroughly disrupted the current and potential mechanics of al-Qaida external operations. Now the two represented an abundant wealth of … Continue reading SERIES: Dark Years Of Al-Qaida – Parrying The Pakistanis
The Karachi raids deprived Khalid Sheikh Mohamed of an adequate cell of men, facilitators, two of his best lieutenants, an enormity of supplies, and of course a series of viable … Continue reading SERIES: Dark Years Of Al-Qaida – Collapse Of The External Structure
After the debacle of Damadola, it seemed unlikely that the US would engage in another unilateral airstrike operation in the populated regions of the FATA in sovereign Pakistan. Thus far … Continue reading SERIES: Predators Of The Khorasan – Muhsin Musa Matwalli Atwah
Khalid Sheikh Mohamed struggled to maintain an al-Qaida momentum in 2002, yet still had well placed assets both local and beyond. His subordinates, the Rabbani brothers, continued to manage safehouses … Continue reading SERIES: Dark Years Of Al-Qaida – The Perfume Letter Plot and Failaka Island
In order to chronicle the initial CIA drone strikes in Pakistan during the early aughts in a separate series, Predators of the Khorasan, it is imperative that we examine and … Continue reading SERIES: Dark Years Of Al-Qaida – Internal Structure Post-2001
After the strike that killed Hamza Rabia proved that the drone campaign could actually track and assassinate major al-Qaida figures successfully, the efforts were focused to remove larger numbers of … Continue reading SERIES: Predators Of The Khorasan – The Damadola Incident; A Portent of the Future Drone Campaign
As 2005 faded, the CIA drone campaign had yet to eliminate a senior al-Qaida commander, but patience and perseverance paid dividends. American authorities understood that al-Qaida infrastructure was compartmented into … Continue reading SERIES: Predators Of The Khorasan – Hamza Rabia; External Operations
Having discussed the history and circumstances of America’s first drone strike within Pakistani territory, we move to the next phase, in which the CIA began actively hunting major al-Qaida figures … Continue reading SERIES: Predators Of The Khorasan – Abu Haitham Al-Yemeni; First Al-Qaida Militant Eliminated Via Drone Strike In Pakistan
Amid the story of the internal and external exploits of al-Qaida in the early 2000s, we must detour to discuss their rugged tribal haven and their Pashtun hosts. We must … Continue reading SERIES: Predators Of The Khorasan – Nek Mohamed Wazir and The Battle of Wana