This article over at The Telegraph lists 10 aspects of bin Laden and al Qaeda that were discovered in the information dump at bin Laden's hideout in Pakistan - some are pretty interesting while others seem to be a bit of a yawner. I'm guessing that the REALLY juicy top 10 list is on someone's desk at the CIA.
Osama bin Laden raid: top 10 discoveries
The raid on Osama bin Laden's complex in Abbottabad, Pakistan, has resulted in a treasure trove of information being discovered. Here is some of the best:
1) Bin Laden was concerned that al-Qaeda was losing the popularity war to the US as they were killing too many Muslims. He wanted a religious rebranding of al-Qaeda complete with name change to something along the lines of ‘Taifat al-Tawhed Wal-Jihad’ (Monotheism) or Jihad Group.
2) Bin Laden was also worried about the loss of many of his senior terrorists as he was not on personal terms with their replacements – a much younger, greener variety of terrorist.
3) A mobile phone belonging to Bin Laden’s trusted courier which was confiscated in a raid last month, revealed contacts to a militant group closely associated with the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) once again raising the question as to whether the ISI helped shield Osama all these years.
4) General David Petraeus was “the only named person” in Bin Laden’s documents, according to Republican Senator Richard Burr, while other persons including the president were mentioned by their designations.
5) Cracks in Al-Qaeda were forming long before Bin Laden’s death as he became involved in “micromanaging” how attacks should be launched and he had numerous disagreements with his senior officials.
6) Documents from the raid showed that al-Qaeda is strapped for cash and is hence focusing its activities more on kidnapping as a way to raise funds.
7) Bin Laden’s syndicate documented everything from the purchase of a floppy disk to the purchase of a car for an operation.
8) Al-Qaeda was not like a traditional local terrorist organisation. It was more like a multinational company with 60 offices worldwide. The business structure included vacation time, medical benefits and contracts for all employees.
9) The hiring process for al-Qaeda comprised of a questionnaire asking potential recruits for personal references, previous jihad experience and whether they had been exiled from their home country.
10) Documents also showed that married fighters earn six times the salary of single men and suicide bombers are required to sign a martyrdom agreement promising that they are willingly accepting the mission and will not back out.
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