AL-Qaeda funding 'dropping since 9/11'

[charrison]

linkage

Financial support for Al-Qaeda and the size of its operating budget have plummeted in the three years since the Sept 11 attacks, but the network 'continues to fund terrorist operations with relative ease', according to new findings released last Saturday by the commission that investigated the strikes.


$684,000 - $855,000: An elaborate plot that was years in the making, the Sept 11 attacks in 2001 in the United States killed nearly 3,000 people.
The 155-page document on financing, called a Monograph On Terrorist Financing, examines Al-Qaeda's methods of raising and distributing money, the specific financing of the Sept 11 plot and the US government's often frustrated efforts to track terrorist financing in the years before and after the attacks.

Al-Qaeda's annual budget appears to have shrunk from about US$30 million (S$51.5 million) a year before the Sept 11 attacks to as little as a few million dollars per year now, the commission reported

 

[Todd33]

All the Saudi Royals are trying to stay out of the spot light.

 

[rextilleon]

How would anyone know what Al Queda's budget is let alone if its funding has plummeted--Sounds like the same crew who told us there were WMD's in IRaq.

 

[jjzelinski]

That's outstanding! Now this shadow war can only commit 3-4 9-11's/year!

All kidding aside, glad to hear we're making strides.

 

[DanJ]

Originally posted by: jjzelinski
All kidding aside, glad to hear we're making strides.

Imagine what we could have done if we actually focused on them...instead of policing Iraq and securing Fallujah..

 

[Shame]

Originally posted by: Todd33
All the Saudi Royals are trying to stay out of the spot light.

I'm kinda new to P&N, but I think I have figured you out Todd...

1. You purchased all the seasons of the X-Files on DVD.
2. You watch them in marathons daily. Hence the "Big meanie evil Bush/alien conspiracy".
3. Then post in P&N.
4. Then repeat the process.

Enough is enough! Talk to your physican, get some Risperdal.

Did it ever occur to you that Al-Qaeda is simply getting the sh7t bombed out them?

 

[jjzelinski]

Originally posted by: Shame

Originally posted by: Todd33
All the Saudi Royals are trying to stay out of the spot light.

I'm kinda new to P&N, but I think I have figured you out Todd...

1. You purchased all the seasons of the X-Files on DVD.
2. You watch them in marathons daily. Hence the "Big meanie evil Bush/alien conspiracy".
3. Then post in P&N.
4. Then repeat the process.

Enough is enough! Talk to your physican, get some Risperdal.

Did it ever occur to you that Al-Qaeda is simply getting the sh7t bombed out them?

Yes Shame, that's very astute. Our bombs have become so accurate that they're now hitting individual bank accounts!

 

[Shame]

TY. You apparently don't get it either, jjzelinski...

I'll explain it for you in a little more detail (and yes, I like lists)

If you do the following to some half-assed organization:

1. Bomb the hell out of them...
2. Then go after their cash... (That CIA/banking system so hated around here isn't totally useless!)
3. Invade a county or two that is supporting them...
3. And repeat the process...

...Generally causes financial problems... Weird, eh?

 

[Todd33]

Did it ever occur to you that Al-Qaeda is simply getting the sh7t bombed out them?

Did it ever occur to you we were talking about the financing and not the people in the caves? Do you know how many millions a year were coming from inside SA? There are millions of people all over the planet who think Osama is a hero and support him with money. I suggest you do some reading and not just watch reports on Fox news.

 

[Shame]

Originally posted by: Todd33

Did it ever occur to you that Al-Qaeda is simply getting the sh7t bombed out them?

Did it ever occur to you we were talking about the financing and not the people in the caves? Do you know how many millions a year were coming from inside SA? There are millions of people all over the planet who think Osama is a hero and support him with money. I suggest you do some reading and not just watch reports on Fox news.

We actually agree on a point or two there... SA is not a ally of the United States. And probably never will be.

"There are millions of people all over the planet who think Osama is a hero and support him with money."

That is sad, because that makes them enemies...

 

[Todd33]

Over a billion Muslims and most are sympathetic to OSL either in private or public. Hell, even Pakistan was a Talaban supporter, now they are playing us like a fiddle.

 

[jjzelinski]

Originally posted by: Shame
TY. You apparently don't get it either, jjzelinski...

I'll explain it for you in a little more detail (and yes, I like lists)

If you do the following to some half-assed organization:

1. Bomb the hell out of them...
2. Then go after their cash... (That CIA/banking system so hated around here isn't totally useless!)
3. Invade a county or two that is supporting them...
3. And repeat the process...

...Generally causes financial problems... Weird, eh?

2 is the only option I see as effective, and I would suspect much of the damage occured shortly after 9/11 when they went after AQ's bank accounts.

"1. Bomb the hell out of them..." It's like swinging a bat at a swarm of bees. In fact, to carry the analogy further, it's like Bush Inc. decided that since we got stung they were gonna take the fight to the hive. It's a clandestine war, one that has to be fought primarily with intelligence using military engagment as sparingly and only where effective. Bush Inc. has completely flipped that logic around, primarily using military engagment with only sparring intelligence, innefectively.

"3. Invade a county or two that is supporting them..." Hmm... well, you might've had me convinced if we didn't hit the wrong damned country! How can such an intelligent group of people be so THICK?! Hell, that's thinking in terms of the best case scenerio.

We're facing the prospect that our Executive Branch instigating war for reasons other than national defense! Our best and our brightest sat in front of the American people and the rest of the world and spewed out "intelligence" as grounds for war that was known to be weak and was later proven to be utterly false! And you're surprised that some actually distrusts their government?! Ten's of thousands of people ARE DEAD because we we're blinded by our own bloodlust. This is not fiction, this is actually happening.

Still we blindly follow because Toby Keith said to, or because someone didn't like the fact that the presidential contender actually held a dissenting opinion on the Vietnam war. Turned out he was right, and yet still we drag him over the coals. Or maybe it's because we like the way Bush talks, or that he seems like a "tough guy."

Try to compare the resume's between Kerry and GW sometime, it's rediculous. Drag out a couple of old movies showing how Bush reacted to 9/11. Don't stop after the first 7 minutes. You might have trouble finding him for an entire three days following the attacks, though. Way to bring the nation together in its hour of need! I remember his face whenever he popped out of his arial hole in the ground once in a while, he was scarred as hell. It was not the face of a man who's seen combat. GW was simply unprepared for the demands of his position. Perhaps the six or seven months he spent in Crawford before 9/11 made it difficult for him to shift gears.

We're experiencing the most pivitol election in well over a century, I hope no one bases a decision as important as this one on the benality and distracting vitriol we're witnessing in the media. I hope that when the cards are down we are all focusing on actual issues.

 

[Shame]

Originally posted by: Todd33
Over a billion Muslims and most are sympathetic to OSL either in private or public. Hell, even Pakistan was a Talaban supporter, now they are playing us like a fiddle.

OSL? Oh, UBL! A billion sounds like overkill, but WTH, let's go with your number for arguments sake...

Aren't you actually making an argument for for additional military action if your figure is correct? Or would you simply abandon allies? Or put head in sand and hope problem goes away?

Seriously, what's your solution?

 

[Todd33]

The real solution is to get our military off the Arabian penn. and stop the one sided support of Israel. That is why they wage Jihad. Since this won't happen, we are locked in an endless war with a people who think killing us will get them into heaven. They beat the Soviet Union, they think they can beat us. I sense the Neocons welcome this war, it gives them a mandate to take the fight to the middle east, building bases, etc. Of course this is why they hate us so much, so it will be an endless cycle. It's a no win situation for both sides, with no short term solution.

 

[Don Vito Corleone]

Originally posted by: Shame

OSL? Oh, UBL! A billion sounds like overkill, but WTH, let's go with your number for arguments sake...

The actual number is somewhat higher, closer to 1.2 billion.

 

[Crimson]

Actually, the reason financial support has moved away from Al-Qaeda is because the money has been redirected to MoveOn.org.

 

[digitalsm]

Originally posted by: DonVito

Originally posted by: Shame

OSL? Oh, UBL! A billion sounds like overkill, but WTH, let's go with your number for arguments sake...

The actual number is somewhat higher, closer to 1.2 billion.

So you are saying all muslims are evil people who support UBL? I thought you were on of those who said it was wrong to lump all muslims into one category.

There are plenty of muslims who do NOT support UBL.

 

[Todd33]

Originally posted by: digitalsm

Originally posted by: DonVito

Originally posted by: Shame

OSL? Oh, UBL! A billion sounds like overkill, but WTH, let's go with your number for arguments sake...

The actual number is somewhat higher, closer to 1.2 billion.

So you are saying all muslims are evil people who support UBL? I thought you were on of those who said it was wrong to lump all muslims into one category.

There are plenty of muslims who do NOT support UBL.

Your problem is you think the Muslims think like you. They don't think he is evil. He is an Islamic hero to hundreds of millions. Do all Muslims support him? Probably not, but I bet the majority does. There is a reason Muslim countries don't send troops into Iraq and Pakistan won't flush out the tribal areas. Islam is more important than pleasing the infidels (US) to them. We need to move away from the Rambo "killem all" attitude, if we understand our enemy we may have a chance at beating them.

 

[conjur]

Originally posted by: Shame
TY. You apparently don't get it either, jjzelinski...

I'll explain it for you in a little more detail (and yes, I like lists)

If you do the following to some half-assed organization:

1. Bomb the hell out of them...

Only lasted a couple of months in one area where Al Qaeda exists. Al Qaeda has cells on every continent (well, except Antartica.)

2. Then go after their cash... (That CIA/banking system so hated around here isn't totally useless!)

Only took the Saudis about 3 years to finally start to do something about Al Qaeda and terrorists within their own borders

3. Invade a county or two that is supporting them...

What's the other country? We invaded Afghanistan and left it a mess when we diverted into Iraq. What's the other country that supported Al Qaeda? I'm apparently behind on news as I'm not aware of any other invasions.

3. And repeat the process...

Uh...wouldn't that be 4.? And, btw, it helps to finish the first round before repeating. Otherwise, we'd be just repeating mistakes.

 

[umbrella39]

Originally posted by: rextilleon
How would anyone know what Al Queda's budget is let alone if its funding has plummeted--Sounds like the same crew who told us there were WMD's in IRaq.

Ditto. That has got to be the lamest thing I have seen in a while. Like we have any fvcking clue how much money they have. Not dissing you for posting it Char., just pointing out the obvious.

 

[yankeesfan]

Originally posted by: Todd33

Originally posted by: digitalsm

Originally posted by: DonVito

Originally posted by: Shame

OSL? Oh, UBL! A billion sounds like overkill, but WTH, let's go with your number for arguments sake...

The actual number is somewhat higher, closer to 1.2 billion.

So you are saying all muslims are evil people who support UBL? I thought you were on of those who said it was wrong to lump all muslims into one category.

There are plenty of muslims who do NOT support UBL.

Your problem is you think the Muslims think like you. They don't think he is evil. He is an Islamic hero to hundreds of millions. Do all Muslims support him? Probably not, but I bet the majority does. There is a reason Muslim countries don't send troops into Iraq and Pakistan won't flush out the tribal areas. Islam is more important than pleasing the infidels (US) to them. We need to move away from the Rambo "killem all" attitude, if we understand our enemy we may have a chance at beating them.

Every single muslim I know (myself included), does not support Osama bin Laden. It is hardly the majority. Just because you see people celebrating 9/11 and supporting the insurgency in Iraq does not mean most people support those things.

 

[umbrella39]

Originally posted by: Shame
TY. You apparently don't get it either, jjzelinski...

I'll explain it for you in a little more detail (and yes, I like lists)

If you do the following to some half-assed organization:

1. Bomb the hell out of them...
2. Then go after their cash... (That CIA/banking system so hated around here isn't totally useless!)
3. Invade a county or two that is supporting them...
3. And repeat the process...

...Generally causes financial problems... Weird, eh?

Let us know when the Bush administration starts to execute any of your 4 points.

1. Bomb Al-Quida? OK. They have a country and a fortress they are holding up in that we can bomb.
2. Can't go after ALL their cash, there will always be rich American hating Arabs that will support them.
3. Iraq certainly does not qualify here.
4. w/e

 

[Todd33]

Let us not forget we gave them a two-month head start. Most of al Qaeda scattered to the wind expecting a slow American military action (which they got). Now there is a steady flow of Muslims back to Afghanistan to attack our guys, they did this for 13 years in the 80s, they are pretty good at it. We also chose a western educated non-Muslim to lead, never mind the fact a minority-group has never held power for more than a few years in hundreds of years of recent Afghan history. It's a house of cards waiting to fall apart as soon as we pull our troops out.

 

[Train]

Originally posted by: Todd33
The real solution is to get our military off the Arabian penn. and stop the one sided support of Israel. That is why they wage Jihad. Since this won't happen, we are locked in an endless war with a people who think killing us will get them into heaven. They beat the Soviet Union, they think they can beat us. I sense the Neocons welcome this war, it gives them a mandate to take the fight to the middle east, building bases, etc. Of course this is why they hate us so much, so it will be an endless cycle. It's a no win situation for both sides, with no short term solution.

wrong.

Wasnt is like 85% of Muslims said that the US pulling completely out of the Middle East wouldt change thier opinions of us one bit? Many fighters have stated they would just follow us to wherever else we went, even if it was back here in the US.

I say keep the fight there. Running from the problem never solves anything.

 

[Todd33]

They are not waging an arbitrary 'get America' war. They are waging a defensive Jihad, in response to putting troops in Saudi Arabia, and now Afghanistan and Iraq. I don't expect the militaristic folks to understand or care about the cause of wars, they just like fighting them. While the Middle East experts share my views, the idiots in Washington share yours - so you will get your way. Welcome to an endless war you cannot win with tanks, jets and money.