Taliban and Al-Qaeda money men have deep connection
By Victor Camras
Could it be that while the Taliban is awash with cash, Al Qaeda is struggling for every dime? This is the supposition that emerges from recent assessments by different sets of experts. But can such a thesis stand in the face of the continuing close cooperation between the Taliban and Al Qaeda, and with what is now occurring in Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Yemen, and elsewhere in the Middle East and North Africa? International terrorism alerts are now at their highest levels since just after 9/11. And senior US officials are warning that a major terrorist attack against the United States should be considered imminent.
The thesis that Al Qaeda may be running out of cash has been given increased credence recently at the Council of Foreign Relations and several other think tanks. The fall-off in donations to al Qaeda, they maintain, stems largely from the increased pressure being placed on potential terrorist financiers by national and inteernational regulators, and may also reflect the general international economic downturn.
After all, money is now tight all over. According to Treasury Assistant Secretary David Cohen “al-Qaeda is in its weakest financial condition in several years (and)…as a result, its influence is waning.” Similar claims have been made by Richard Barrett who leads the group of experts supporting the work of the UN’s Al Qaeda and Taliban Sanctions Committee.
For the rest of this story, click here…
http://counterterrorismblog.org/
Comments
Our Sponsors
