The Death Of Al Qaeda's Operations Chief Still Being Assessed

A Body Blow Against al-Qaeda -- David Ignatius, Washington Post

The death of Atiyah Abd al-Rahman in an Aug. 22 drone attack in Pakistan may appear to be just another in the revolving-door fatalities among al-Qaeda’s operations chiefs. But it was a crucial blow to the core group that once surrounded Osama bin Laden.

Rahman was bin Laden’s channel to the world. Their correspondence was the most important prize taken from bin Laden’s compound when he was killed May 2. They talked about everything: strategy, personnel, operations, political setbacks. Whatever thread still held al-Qaeda together passed from bin Laden through to Rahman.

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My Comment: This assessment and this one is probably a bit optimistic .... but there is no question that the deaths of Bin laden and Atiyah Abd al-Rahman are significant, and the Al Qaeda that we knew after 9/11 is now a shadow of it's former self.