(AP Photo)
It was considered a triumph when a US missile strike in South Waziristan killed Abu Khabab al-Masri. Of Egyptian origin, al-Masri was considered somewhat of an expert in the development of chemical weapons. He was killed in 2008, but left behind his explosives training manual, considered by many the be the 'bible'. CIA officers and other secuirty officials believed that his death would cause a serious setback to the group's weapons of mass destruction capability.
However, it appears that it does not take very long for al-Qaeda to regroup, and replace lost leaders or key figures in their 'program'.
Malik Naveed, police inspector general in Pakistan's North West Frontier Province, told the London Telegraph today that Pakistani authorities had received information that al-Qaeda/Taliban were in possession of a formula which would enable them to develop deadly chemical agents. Apparently this information was not supposed to have reached the press.
You will recall that in an earlier attempt, we reported on al-Qaeda's failed and deadly experiment with bubonic plague bacteria. It would be naive to think that they will not give this another stab.
On March 24, 2009, the London Telegraph reported a UK government warning that British citizens were increasingly vulnerable to threat of 'of attack by terrorists with chemical, biological and nuclear weapons', a problem exacerbated by the fact that its own citizens were traveling to the Pakistan/Afghanistan region to receive training in the methods of terror attacks. The severity of this problem is reported here.
For more information:
It's getting more complicated in Afghanistan for British forces
Who's watching Al Qaeda in the Maghreb?
Strange bedfellows: Iran and the UK
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