Penalty for crossing an Al Qaeda boss? A nasty memo

[120mm]

LONDON - Mohammed Atef was furious.

The Al Qaeda leader had learned that a subordinate had broken the rules repeatedly. So he did his duty as the feared military chief of a global terror network: He fired off a nasty memo.

In two pages mixing flowery religious terms with itemized complaints, the Egyptian boss accused the militant of misappropriating cash, a car, sick leave, research papers and an air conditioner during "an austerity situation" for the network. He demanded a detailed letter of explanation.

"I was very upset by what you did," Atef wrote. "I obtained 75,000 rupees for you and your family's trip to Egypt. I learned that you did not submit the voucher to the accountant, and that you made reservations for 40,000 rupees and kept the remainder claiming you have a right to do so. . . . Also with respect to the air-conditioning unit, . . . furniture used by brothers in Al Qaeda is not considered private property. . . . I would like to remind you and myself of the punishment for any violation."

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/n...,5988255.story

A very interesting read that gives a bit of insight to Al Queda's day-to-day ops and admin. I am not a middle east scholar, but this all sounds very ancient Arab to me, with the meticulous record-keeping and squabbling.

[Stan]

with tennis shoes on, and a smile as you submit your TDY voucher

In a brief letter from the late 1990s, a militant wished Atef "Peace and God's mercy and blessings" and "praise to the Lord and salvation to his prophet." Then he got down to business: "I have not received my salary in three months and I am six months behind in paying my rent. . . . You also told me to remind you, and this is a reminder."

A stern Egyptian bean-counter set the austere policies. Mustafa Ahmed Al Yahzid, a 52-year-old trained as an accountant, ran the network's finance committee between 1995 and 2007, said Rohan Gunaratna, author of "Inside Al Qaeda."

In all this chaos, the bean counter, APO clerk and mess sergeant still rule

[AdamG]

At least they have some of the same self-inflicted burdens that we do...

[Norfolk]

At least they have some of the same self-inflicted burdens that we do...

I would call that progress in the war on terror. Before this thing's over, AQ may find itself so paralyzed by an overweening bureaucracy that it finds itself much like us - lethargic, slow, and ponderous to respond.

Now if we could only encourage the development of such entropy within AQ's C2 apparatus...wait a minute! Now if a Personnel System were to be established, complete with Personnel Evaluation Records - to improve efficiency and to promote the best people of course...

And what's this? Someone with a cave address somewhere in the Hindu Kush has just won a lifetime's supply of office supplies courtesy of Staples? A pack-mule train loaded for bear with said supplies arriving on a weekly basis at said address...(ooooh, spin in your graves XX-Committee members).

If only we had people clever enough, and they people dim enough, to make such a plan work (sigh).