Targeting A Cleric: How Dangerous Is Anwar al-Awlaki?

Anwar al-Awlaki

Deadly Connections -- Time Magazine

Pity poor Yemen. Three armed conflicts are being fought in the nation that hugs the southwestern corner of the Arabian Peninsula: there is a separatist insurgency in the south and a fight between the mostly Sunni government forces and Shi'ite rebels in the north, while in the east, home of Osama bin Laden's ancestors, the local affiliate of his network is plotting to undermine the government of President Ali Abdullah Saleh.

So the average resident of Sana'a, Yemen's ancient capital, can be forgiven for regarding Anwar al-Awlaki as just another warmongering imam with a grudge against the West and a deep hatred for the U.S. In fact, until last fall, most Yemenis had never heard of the American-born cleric living in their midst. Those most familiar with him were a small group of Western counterterrorism officials and experts — and even they thought al-Awlaki was of relatively little consequence.

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My Comment: What concerns me is that Anwar al-Awlaki is a minor person .... a cleric with a radical set of beliefs and a few contacts with dissatisfied Muslims. But this "minor" self proclaimed cleric was able to establish some contact with Major Hasan .... who then went on to commit the Fort Hood massacre .... and Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, the failed Christmas Day bomber, who reportedly told the FBI he had met with al-Awlaki in Yemen.

For a minor cleric .... he certainly has the ear of some radical Muslims who are intent on killing a lot of Americans.