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Source: SecurityDegreeHub.com

Al Qaeda Today: Who’s Who and Trends

Changing Faces:

Bin Laden, a household name since 2001, was killed on May 2, 2011.

In 2012:

%16 drop in successful attacks

%65 drop in successful attacks outside of Africa

%35 less casualties caused by the Al Qaeda network

0 successful attacks on U.S. soil

22 high ranking Al Qaeda leaders captured or killed

Coupled with the U.S. presence in Iraq and Afghanistan—

Al Qaeda has had to change its tactics.

Self-radicalization

Under Bin Laden = a centralized hierarchy to fight non-believers and the west.

Now, Social media and publications (like the English magazine Inspire )

) teach readers how to make bombs in their kitchen

and inculcate hate

which leads to decentralized, but informed small cells.

The U.S. occupation of Iraq and Afghanistan has given rise to the myth that the US wants to conquer the Arab world.

Loosely connected affiliate groups acting on behalf of al Qaeda

And their locale

Training bases

Afghanistan

Algeria

Bosnia

Chechnya

Eritrea

Kosovo

the Phillipines

Somalia

Tajikistan

Yemen

Kosovo

New branches

Al Qaeda of the Arabian Peninsula

Saudi Arabia

and Yemen

and Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb

Northern Africa

And Cells have been broken up in

United Kingdom

United States

Italy

France

Spain

Germany

Albania

Uganda

and elsewhere

But even on the run, Al Qaeda has an estimated operating budget of $30 million a year.

Used for recruiting, training, and executing attacks.

Just last year:

Philippines—22—15

India—1—15

Pakistan—81—470

Afghanistan—2—61

Iraq—66—463

Syria—1—54

Yemen—27—50

Somalia—341—600

Kenya—28—28

Nigeria—1—0

Algeria—1—2

Mali—3—4

Mauritania—1—0

[country, number of attacks, number of killed]

The Faces of Leadership

Osama bin Laden

Inherited $10’s millions of dollars from the Bin Laden Construction empire

Joined the mujahideen fighters against the Soviets in Pakistan and Afghanistan after college

Formed Al Qaeda in 1968, was forced from Egypt, then Sudan where he held bases.

Established base of operations in Afghanistan in 1996, declared war on the U.S.

Gained popularity with Arabs by funneling money into Arab causes

Barely survived a US attack in 1998 in which 66 cruise missiles were launched at his training camp from US ships in the Arabian Sea.

Coordinated many attacks

Killed in a private residential compound in Northern Pakistan in May, 2011

Ayman Al-Zawahiri

New leader of Al Qaeda after Bin Laden’s death

A former eye surgeon

Second most wanted terrorist in the world in 2001 with a $25 million bounty on his head

Wife and children killed in US airstrike

Fights against the “crusader America and its servant Israel, and whoever supports them.”

Abu Yahya al-Libi

Al Qaeda’s leading theologian

Field Commander of Afghanistan

Speaks on a variety of topics of global importance, perhaps the most visible face of Al Qaeda

Captured by Pakistani forces in 2002, shipped to a US Airbase from which he escaped 3 years later.

Khalid al-Habib

Chief Military Commander according to a 2008 interview

Only identified once back in 2005

Operates under many false identities

said by US intelligence to handle “internal” operations in Afghanistan and Pakistan

Adnan el Shukrijumah

Chief of the “external operations council.”

Lived in Florida and Brooklyn

One of the first Al Qaeda leaders to have an intimate knowledge of American culture

Indicted in the U.S. for the planned subway bombing of 2009

Also suspected of playing roles in attacks in Panama, Norway, and the UK

Regular contact with Al Qaeda leadership and field commanders makes him likelier to get captured.

Saif al-Adel

Once an Egyptian Military Colonel known as Muhamad Ibrahim Makkawi

Suspected involvement in the 1998 US Embassy Bombings in East Africa

Training Somali fighters that killed 18 US Servicemen in Somalia in 1993

And instructing 9/11 bombers

Arrested in March 2013 and extradited to the US

Some reports believe he was released and has made his way back to Northern Pakistan

Adam Gadanh, or “Azzam the American”

High profile propagandist appearing in many videos

Born in California, converted to Islam as a teenager

Moved to Pakistan in 1998 to join the cause

First American to be charged with Treason since WWII

Translates for Al Qaeda, operates propaganda

$1 million bounty on his head

Not a senior leader

Midhat Mursi

An Egyptian Chemist

Part of Al Qaeda’s initiative to develop chemical and biological weapons

Trains recruits in bomb making techniques.

Last believed to be in Pakistan or escaped to the Caucasus region

Nasser Abdul Karim al-Wuhayshi

Leader of Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP), a merger between the Saudi Arabian and Yemeni branches of Al Qaeda.

Worked in religious institutions before joining the cause in the late 90’s

Arrested in 2001 in Iran, extradited to Yemen

Escaped from Yemani prison with 22 other Al Qaeda members in 2006

Responsible for:

USS Cole bombing

Bombing that killed 10 Yemeni guards and 6 western tourists in 2008

Attempted bombing of US passenger jet entering Detroit in 2009

Failed attack of Saudi Arabian security chief in 2009

Abou Mossab Abdelwadoud

Leader of Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb

Leader of the Salafist Group for Preaching and Combat

Aiming to turn Algeria into an Islamic state.

Killed 33 and 37 in Algiers with car bombs in 2007

Newly broadened activity throughout North Africa

Aims to:

Attack western targets

Send Jihadis to Iraq

Kidnap, ransom, and kill westerners in North Africa

After the death of bin Laden, and the U.S. occupation of Afghanistan and Iraq, Al Qaeda entered a transitional phase in which new leaders emerged, presence in new locales was established, and decentralized, but well informed fighters continue their war against the west.

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