Predator Strike Kills Somali Jihadist Leader--in Pakistan
A U.S. counterterrorism official described al-Somali as an important cog in what is left of Al Qaeda's central leadership. According to the official, the dead man "was responsible for Al Qaeda's operations outside the Afghan-Pakistan region. He was engaged in plotting throughout the world. Given his central role, this probably included plotting attacks against the United States and Europe. He took strategic guidance from Al Qaeda top leadership and translated it into operational blueprints for prospective terrorist attacks."
A U.S. counter-terrorism official acknowledged that Saleh al-Somali is a nom de guerre, and said that the dead man’s real name is believed to be Abdirizaq Abdi Saleh.
The official added that al-Somali was part of Al Qaeda's "core leadership cadre, and he maintained connections to other Pakistan-based extremists. He had been very involved in Al Qaeda's propaganda operations and worked with Western Al Qaeda recruits upon their arrival in the tribal areas of Pakistan." The U.S. official also said that al-Somali maintained relationships between the remnants of Al Qaeda's central leadership and Al Qaeda's affiliates in east Africa, including the Somali-based group Al Shabaab. As NEWSWEEK and other media have reported earlier this year, U.S. authorities are conducting an investigation into as many as 20 young Somali-Americans from the Minneapolis area who reportedly have traveled to Somalia to train for jihad with Al-Shabab.
This is one of the first examples of a Somali-born militant rising to a high enough position in the Al Qaeda hierarchy to become prominent enough to be targeted by the CIA-operated Predator program. The CIA and other U.S. government agencies routinely decline comment on any aspect of that program, whose operations are highly classified.
There are signs that Miran Shah has become a magnet for jihadis around the world. A recent FBI affidavit quotes an e-mail by David Coleman Headley—the Chicago man charged with plotting a terror attack in Denmark as well as conducting surveillance for last year’s Mumbai attack—as describing the town’s bazaar as teeming with jihadi fighters. "This bazaar is bustling with Chechens, Uzbeks, Tajiks, Russians, Bosnians, some from EU countries and of course our Arab brothers."
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Mark Hosenball joined Newsweek as an investigative correspondent in November 1993, covering a range of issues for the National Affairs department. Most recently, he has written and reported numerous stories on terrorism and the Sept. 11 attacks on America. He has also covered campaign finance, the Monica Lewinsky controversy, the death of Princess Diana, Whitewater, the crashes of EgyptAir flight 990 and TWA flight 800, as well as related air safety issues.
Hosenball came to Newsweek from "Dateline NBC," where he worked as an investigative producer. He also worked extensively as a print journalist, writing for a number of British and American publications, including the London Sunday Times, the London Evening Standard, Time Out, The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, and The New Republic. In addition, he has done commentaries for American Public Radio.
Hosenball has been honored with a number of prestigious awards. Most recently, along with a team of Newsweek correspondents, he was awarded the Overseas Press Club's most prestigious honor, the 2002 Ed Cunningham Memorial Award for best magazine reporting from abroad for Newsweek's coverage of the war on terror. His reporting and that of his colleagues earned Newsweek the prestigious National Magazine Award for General Excellence in 2002 for its coverage of September 11 and its aftermath. And a story he co-authored was highlighted in a citation Newsweek received by the White House Correspondents' Association when it awarded the magazine the 2002 Edgar A. Poe Award for "excellence on a story of national or regional importance. "Newsweek's September 11 coverage started long before the attacks. An article in the magazine's February 19, 2001 issue warned with chilling accuracy: 'The threat posed by (Osama) bin Laden is growing -- and coming ever closer to home."
Hosenball was a contributor to the CANAL + TV documentary, "L'Argent de la Drogue" (Drug Money), which was awarded the "Sept D'Or," the French equivalent of an Emmy. He also contributed to NBC News' coverage of the BCCI scandal, which earned a 1991 Peabody Award.
He attended the University of Pennsylvania and Trinity College in Dublin. He lives in the Washington, D.C. area with his wife and son.
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