http://www.salon.com/wire/ap/archive.html?wire=D8IFB64G0.htmlFrom their mountain hide-outs in Afghanistan or Pakistan's remote tribal regions, bin Laden and al-Zawahri provide raw material that become sophisticated multimedia presentations to encourage supporters, recruit fighters, raise money and threaten the West.
Their sophistication and quality contradict Bush administration claims that bin Laden presides over a debilitated organization, says Bruce Hoffman, counterterrorism expert and director of the Rand Corporation's Washington office.
"The active communications and active recruitment is proof positive of their resilience and the fact that they are not on the run," Hoffman said. "Even though we are given an image here in the United States of them on the retreat, an image of a movement that has been weakened, in fact that is not true and their ability to communicate is almost the oxygen with which they can breathe."
"The mini-cam and the editing suite have become essential weapons of terror, as the gun and bomb, and just as routinely used."
For the past five years or so, al-Qaida has used its own media production company, As-Sahab, Arabic for cloud, listed as producer on al-Qaida videos or compact discs.
Printer-friendly format
Email this thread to a friend
Bookmark this thread
(1000+ posts)
Send PM |
Profile |
Ignore
