This is in fact extremely interesting as it clearly indicates the lessons learned from past failures and is a true example of adaptation.

If one looks at the 10 standing orders of an insurgency published by John Robb in 2007 in Global Guerrilla's I would place this into the area of open source warfare---meaning the AQ leadership is now following the Robb standing orders.

Which is not a good thing for the future as it allows the individual groups to morph the way they want to in order to match their specific ecosystem.

As Robb mentions in one of the standing orders--- innovate, innovate, innovate.

For those that do not believe AQ drives off of a strategy---this should end that discussion---they do.

Iraq and AFG has shown us that the US Army seems to have never "seen/understood" that strategy.