IntelCenter - The al-Qaeda Threat

Aimee Ibrahim and I set out to review the last 10+ years of al-Qaeda statements, audio tapes, videos and training manuals and then extract all references we could find to its tactics and targeting philosophy. We then took all of the references, deconflicted translations and produced corresponding assessments on 18 classes of tactics and 22 classes of targets. All of this was done with the goal of producing a non-sensitive book that could sit on the shelf of an intelligence analyst at Langley or fit in a local SWAT operator's gear bag. The final result is "The al-Qaeda Threat: An Analytical Guide to al-Qaeda's Tactics and Targets".

I've spent more than six years working the al-Qaeda problem and the resulting book proved an eye-opener for me. It should be an invaluable aid for those who are new to the problem set or only periodically dip in and out. We frequently find ourselves grasping for the latest bit of new intel, but yet how often do we forget about what came out two years ago and is publicly available.

For example, how many remember that Osama bin Laden talked about using SAM missiles in Saudi Arabia in his 28 May 1998 interview with ABC News, four years before the apparent attempted attack in 2002 at Prince Sultan Air Base in Saudi Arabia. In 2001, Ahmed Ressam testified in open court in the US about al-Qaeda's testing of cyanide on dogs, about a year before CNN aired its al-Qaeda tape of similar tests.

Other cases are more disturbing. Eight months prior to the attack on the Limburg off the coast of Yemen, an al-Qaeda member released an article specifically addressing the importance of targeting oil tankers. The same article explores the ease with which a small nuclear device and nuclear material could be obtained in Russia due to failing security measures.

You can order "The al-Qaeda Threat: An Analytical Guide to al-Qaeda's Tactics and Targets" for $39.95 per copy by clicking here or by calling 703-370-2962.

Ben Venzke
CEO