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The Spectacle Blog

Okay, last post of the day. Maybe. I hope.

The discussion of the Ayman al-Zawahiri letter to Abu Musab al-Zarqawi -- OBL's deputy to his putative subordinate in Iraq -- is ignoring one critical aspect of it. Yes, it shows al-Qaeda is under enormous pressure. Yes, it shows how al-Q is engaged in a media war. And yes, it shows that what's left of the al-Q leadership ain't happy with the results in Iraq. All good so far.

But why is Zawahiri holding out the tin cup to Zarqawi, asking -- please, sir -- send us $100 large? Maybe because the bucks flowing from Syrian banks to Zarqawi in Iraq are more reliable -- and easier to tap -- than OBL's other funding sources? And maybe we can do a whole lot more to disrupt them. Follow the money? Sure. But not forever. At this point it's probably more important to stop it than follow it in either direction.

topics:
Iraq