Terror Finances, Foreign Fighters and Claims of Victory

By Douglas Farah

Senior counter-terrorism officials seem to be falling into the unhealthy habit of badly underestimating the new shapes al Qaeda is taking, and the resources it has access to to continue to grow. The Treasury Department's Stuart Levey recently said al Qaeda was hurting for money, something European and other U.S. officials dispute. His comments can be found here. There are also public statements about the waning influence of foreign fighters in Iraq and containing al Qaeda and weakening it.

Al Qaeda and the Salafist Islamic structure intent on establishing a radical Muslim world order by force, political infiltration, revolution, indoctrination, theological reasonings have spread in ways we do not understand yet. There are divisions, personality clashes and tactical and strategic disagreements petty and profound. All of that does not mean the overall goals are changed or that there is not a high degree of unity against the Great Satan.

Like the fighting the drug cartels in Colombia, the successes against a highly adaptable enemy lead to unexpected consequences, some of them not helpful. The Salafist structures are more difuse, more independent, more financially compartmentalized and much less leader-centric. While that may mean the specific influence of Osama bin Laden, Zawahiri and others is less, it does not mean the overall effort is weakened. In fact, in may mean the opposite.

There are also shifts that are hard to quantify in terms of importance. In his letter to Zarqawi, Zarwahiri said: "We need a payment while new (financial supply) lines are being opened. So, if you are capable of sending a payment of approximately one hundred thousand (dollars), we'll be very grateful to you." Sounds like a temporary cash flow problem, rather than a finanancial crisis.

The newly armed and engaged Taliban and al Qaeda fighers in Afghanistan an Pakistan show the problem was overcome in fairly short order. It also shows that Zarqawi may have enough surplus cash to help out other people. Not unlike bin Laden in his hey day, able to send money to Abu Sayyaf, JI and others.

In fact, as I and other have written about, the financial chain of charities, offshore companies and private donations from the leaders of the international Muslim Brotherhood, active across Europe and elswhere, continues to operate unabated. The money that the Brotherhood, operating through a series of shell structures across Europe, is almost unlimited. Any claim of financial success that does not entail the demise of at least part of that structure is, I think, wishful thinking. To read my complete blog, go here.

TrackBack