Near end of a bizarre drama: Is Ayman Al-Zawahiri dead?
CBS News chief foreign affairs correspondent Lara Logan is reporting that the “Pakistani authorities” have intercepted a letter carrying verified seal and signatures of Baitullah Mehsud stating that Al-Qaeda number 2 Dr Zawahiri is critically injured. This letter has already reached the hand of Ms Logan and she reports that it refers to Sheikh Dr. Ayman al-Zawahiri by name - and says that he is in “severe pain” and his “injuries are infected.” Ironically the Pakistani authorities have only sign of confusion on the bit of news and the Taliban have rebutted the report. If the report, however, is correct it essentially implies that Zawahiri must have been hit on 28th July when alleged Al Qaeda weapons expert Abu Khabab al-Masri, and five other Arabs were killed in South Waziristan.
The shocking thing about the report is not the news itself but the surprise of the ISPR and the Pakistani authorities. These raids cannot have been conducted with Pakistan being in an intelligence vacuum. If the letter is genuine and there are reasons to believe its veracity, it must have passed through the hands of at least some Pakistani officials. Could it be the classic case of a barium meal? If it was it has most certainly identified a leak to the media. Yet this time the report was not carried in the New York Times but CBS news which is quite well known for its credibility (with the exception of the Dan Rather law suit). However if the Pakistani authorities are indeed in the dark this confirms my point on the lack of counter intellignce and something should be done about it.
As for the Taliban reaction it is quite natural for them to deny the reports. A militant group fighting a battle of survival seldom confirms easily the fall of its mighty. If you remember the case of Ahmad Shah Masud despite his demise it took the Northern Alliance two days to confirm just that. Yet if the reports of Zawahiri’s injuries or death are it is a huge success in the war on terror.
Long ago the dictation that East cannot meet West was applied .I told you that coup d etats are but a USSR,s dictation. There is no US Invasion that has not been discussed in public and moreover amongst the votes of Euro States and the brikering batting Moscow votes in too.
Egypt has had a negative policy all the way until Chairman Yasser postponed his diplomatic concession of gesticultation towards Hasni Miubarak.
The popularity of Islamists in public was better seen in the 60s and 70s when Pakistanis ousted regime dictators and the world divided but again socialists and western states were two. when you read my blog on the pakistani judiciary’s 2003 white paper http://shahzadasher5.blogspot.com ,i have mentioned that changing the heads did not end regime rule.
Zawari or Laden joined in the attempt of USA to research Afgan orthodox might but the real issues of Talibans fight are installed inside outside Muslim and Latin American economies and the socio pokitical issue let in Karachi killings and Bombay killings which is not Talibanisation that MQM wants to claim and nobody in Karachi thinks that MQM just wanted a bite at trade lines .They are poorer masses that are indignified by constant usury practice that Islamabad has applied on the good people of Pakistan. After Moscow walked out The US walked in and they are battling but they know the moment Pakistani economy frees itself they have to declare themselves defeated by Afgan enlistments they stirred up themselves.
Washington iyself believed that they dont care for the human factor but the CIA wars were established by Pahalvi Bhutto and Sadaat but sorry there was no Roman Holiday this time in America for the lost and dazed princess…..
So there comes september……………………..