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Al-Qaeda Vows 'Death By 1,000 Cuts'

Smaller, cheaper attacks are the new norm, group writes

By Polly Davis Doig,  Newser Staff

Posted Nov 21, 2010 10:28 AM CST

(Newser) – The cost of building and transporting the Yemen mail bombs? A mere $4,200, a figure that points to the start of a new era of small-scale, cheap attacks—a sort of death by a thousand cuts—according to al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula. Writing in its English online magazine, Inspire, the group says it's forsaking attacks on the level of 9/11 in favor of smaller-scale attacks like the mail bombs, which it dubbed Operation Hemorrhage.

"To bring down America we do not need to strike big," the editors write. With the "security phobia that is sweeping America, it is more feasible to stage smaller attacks that involve less players and less time to launch." Of the cargo attacks, the AP reports that the target was economic: "We knew that cargo planes are staffed by only a pilot and a co-pilot, so our objective was not to cause maximum casualties but to cause maximum losses to the American economy."

This undated file photo released on Oct. 30, 2010 claims to show a computer printer and other contents of a package found on a cargo plane coming from Yemen, in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
This undated file photo released on Oct. 30, 2010 claims to show a computer printer and other contents of a package found on a cargo plane coming from Yemen, in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.   (HO)
The FEDEX Express package seized at Fedex Cargo Handling Centre, Dubai Airport , which was shipped via commercial cargo aircraft from Yemen with final destination the USA.
The FEDEX Express package seized at Fedex Cargo Handling Centre, Dubai Airport , which was shipped via commercial cargo aircraft from Yemen with final destination the USA.   (AP Photo / HO)
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COMMENTS
Showing 3 of 47 comments
Laughing__Man
Nov 22, 2010 9:31 AM CST
They think they can cripple us with small bombs? We could erase their entire country from the map at the push of a button. Piss off Al Queda, keep messing with the bull and you'll get the horns
edct
Nov 21, 2010 9:38 PM CST
Yea, yea and mohamad lusted after pigs, so what we hate you too
Disillusioned
Nov 21, 2010 7:56 PM CST
Here is a novel thought, any country allowing this trash to hide and operate is immediately isolated from the world, no food shipments in no medical supplies we do not purchase anything from them and we let them rot


The first country that rounds up and publicly executes theses a-holes gets preferential treatment and we are back to business as usual without the idiots
World • US

 
Yemen • al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula • Inspire magazine • Yemen terror plot • Yemen mail bombs

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