While the number one and two spots within the terrorist al Qaeda network were safely occupied by Osama bin Laden and Ayman al Zawahry over the years, the number three spot has always been a precarious posting. The top two men were content to hide themselves away and issue orders through couriers, but someone has to leave the house, and thus a bewildering number of short-term incumbents routinely found themselves the recipient of either a Hellfire missile or 5.56 mm justice.
Atiya Abd al-Rahman was the solitary soldier to survive long enough to gain promotion to the number two spot, and that was only after a vacancy at the top.
His elevation was short-lived:
A drone operated by the Central Intelligence Agency killed Al Qaeda’s second-ranking figure in the mountains of Pakistan on Monday, American and Pakistani officials said Saturday, further damaging a terrorism network that appears significantly weakened since the death of Osama bin Laden in May.
An American official said that the drone strike killed Atiyah Abd al-Rahman, a Libyan who in the last year had taken over as Al Qaeda’s top operational planner. Mr. Rahman was in frequent contact with Bin Laden in the months before the terrorist leader was killed on May 2 by a Navy Seals team, intelligence officials have said.
American officials described Mr. Rahman’s death as particularly significant as compared with other high-ranking Qaeda operatives who have been killed, because he was one of a new generation of leaders that the network hoped would assume greater control after Bin Laden’s death.
Thousands of electronic files recovered at Bin Laden’s compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan, revealed that Bin Laden communicated frequently with Mr. Rahman. They also showed that Bin Laden relied on Mr. Rahman to get messages to other Qaeda leaders and to ensure that Bin Laden’s recorded communications were broadcast widely.
Another hole for Zawahry to fill, if he lives that long.
Another bug to stomp.
“Mr. Rahman”
HAHAHA … Sorry, for some reason, that just struck me as funny.
Good riddance and we certainly won’t miss your sorry a**.
“Thousands of electronic files recovered at Bin Laden’s compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan, revealed that Bin Laden communicated frequently with Mr. Rahman.”
Mr. Rahman had been awaiting proof his frequent communiques had been recovered.
Surprisingly crafty bunch, these al Qaeda. Their apparatus also confirmed Allah’s will in the bargain!
Just another bug hunt.
Getting to the point of the whole Rubicon statute from Rome. For the first time ever the US military is going after and successfully killing targeted leader scumbags. Now if one was a progressive and hated the military that might be a signal to instantly start to disarm the military and not let it anywhere near the throne.
I’m gonna rake leaves now. An effort I haven’t exerted in almost 30 years.
You know, this is just the sort of thing unmanned aviation excels at. Patient, persistent surveillance. With a quick strike at the end.
Watched ” The Peacemaker” on AMC today…one of my favorite George Clooney movies (Nicole Kidman too)
He’s talking to one of the bad guys and explains what has become common place now, but was new then – This is what the idjits like our temporary #3 needs to know -
[Devoe phones Kodoroff, who is driving a truck loaded with stolen nuclear warheads]
Devoe: You watched CNN during Desert Storm. You remember all those television shots from the nose cone of the GBU missiles slammin’ into those trucks? Remember that picture? How it kept gettin’ closer and bigger on the screen… You’d just about see the faces of those drivers and then… Zap! The picture went dead, we didn’t get to see what happened next. Well guess what, Alek? You will.
Greetings:
It’s getting like the Mafia; an interesting and profitable career but the retirement plan really sucks.
Like being an Imperial Admiral, in Lucas’ world.
But with a larger spread pattern at the end.
If al Qaeda had a HQ, where the flag would be at half-mast, it would be like the USPS in the eighties: it would really mean they’re hiring.