Qaeda plans small strikes,big damage

Says fear over parcel bombs made Op Hemorrhage successful,boasts of low planning costs

In a detailed account of its failed parcel bomb plot last month,al-Qaedas branch in Yemen said late Saturday that the operation which cost only 4,200 to mount,was intended to disrupt global air cargo systems and reflected a new strategy of low-cost attacks designed to inflict broad economic damage.

The group,al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula,released to militant Websites a new edition of its English-language magazine,called Inspire,devoted entirely to explaining the technology and tactics in the attack,in which toner cartridges packed with explosives were intercepted in Dubai and Britain. The printers containing the cartridges had been sent from Yemens capital,Sana,to out-of-date addresses for two Chicago synagogues.

The attack failed as a result of a Saudi tip. But the Qaeda magazine said the fear,disruption and added security costs caused by the packages made what it called Operation Hemorrhage a success. Two Nokia mobiles,150 each,two HP printers,300 each,plus shipping,transportation and other miscellaneous expenses add up to a total bill of 4,200. That is all what Operation Hemorrhage cost us, the magazine said.

We are laying out for our enemies our plan in advance because our objective is not maximum kill but to cause damage in aviation industry. It said the plot was the work of less than six brothers over three months. The plot,the group wrote,will without a doubt cost the US and other Western countries billions of dollars in new security measures.

The magazine included photographs of the printers and bombs that the group said were taken before they were shipped,as well as a copy of the novel Great Expectations by Charles Dickens that it said it had placed in one package because the group was very optimistic about the operations success.

Three private organisations that track militants communications said they had no doubt the account was authentic. Ben Venzke,who runs IntelCenter,a Virginia company that discovered the 23-page special issue of Inspire on Saturday,said the magazine showed the growing savvy of the Qaeda affiliate in Yemen. In the last year,weve seen a much greater sophistication from AQAP,and Inspire is sort of the tip of the spear, Venzke said. Venzke said that IntelCenter had never seen such a detailed accounting of the philosophy,operational details,intent and next steps following a major attack.

The magazine said that it had adopted a strategy of a thousand cuts. To bring down the US we do not need to strike big, it said. In such an environment of security phobia that is sweeping the US,it is more feasible to stage smaller attacks that involve less players and less time to launch and thus we may circumvent the security barriers America worked so hard to erect.

Story continues below this ad

Intelligence officials have said they believe the magazine is largely the work of Samir Khan,a US citizen who moved to Yemen from North Carolina last year.