Summary
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-Qaida's operations chiefs. But it was a crucial blow to the core group that once surrounded Osama bin Laden.
Atiyah, as he was known to analysts, 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-Qaida together passed from bin Laden through to Atiyah.See the full content of this document
Extract
Another Al-Qaida Leader Falls
The Libyan-born Atiyah's death blunts al-Qaida's ability to stage a new mega-attack against America; it brings the top leadership of the group close...
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