Al Qaida crumbling

Langley, Va.

American officials believe they are close to dismantling the leadership of al Qaida, The Washington Post reported this week. The March 1 arrest of Khalid Shaikh Mohammed, the alleged mastermind of the Sept. 11 attacks, has yielded a “mother lode” of documents and computer files, providing hundreds of leads to the organization’s finances, membership, and future plans. Mohammed is also now talking to his interrogators, officials said, and what he’s revealed has already led to upgraded security at specific targets. “I believe the tide has turned in terms of al Qaida,” said Rep. Porter Goss (R-Fla.), chairman of the House Intelligence Committee. “For the first time, they have more to fear from us than we have to fear from them.” But many experts warned that the terrorist threat was far from over. Anger over U.S. policy in Iraq has already enabled al Qaida to recruit young Muslim men, The New York Times reported. Iraq, U.S. officials said, has become “a battle cry” for recruiters.

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