Wednesday, September 22, 2010

Meet Mohammad Ilyas Kashmiri, al Qaeda's New Chief Of Operations

Photo: Mohammad Ilyas Kashmiri

Pakistani Identified As al Qaeda Top Brass -- Washington Times

Deadly commander a CIA target.


A former Pakistani special forces officer has emerged as al Qaeda's most dangerous field commander in charge of a network of deep-cover agents in Europe who has had contact with an American terror suspect, Western intelligence officials say.

Meet Mohammad Ilyas Kashmiri, the jihadist network's new chief of operations who is thought to have masterminded the 2008 paramilitary raid on Mumbai.

Last month, the U.S. government added him to its list of designated terrorists that includes top al Qaeda leaders including Osama bin Laden and Ayman al-Zawahri, still thought to be the No. 1 and No. 2 al Qaeda leaders. Kashmiri is a top target for the U.S. military and CIA field operatives around the world.

Read more ....

My Comment: Being a former Pakistani special forces officer makes one wonder if he still has contacts in Pakistan's military/intelligence network. But even if he did .... if past incidents are any indication .... his position will probably be opened (and probably opened soon) once a hellfire missile fired from a US drone finds him.

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