Al Qaeda Training Manual

An effective counter terrorism strategy against the Al Qaeda should adequately address that organization 's own strategy . The captured Training Manual includes a clearly defined strategy ' as among the three principles of a military organization . It does not state what that strategy is , but it would appear the Al Qaeda operates as a military organization using unconventional tactics . It draws on the basic principles of intelligence and guerrilla warfare . The success of its operations depends largely on secrecy , as well as the support of sympathetic governments , groups or individuals . Its cells can

operate independent of other cells . It chooses its own targets and the manner date and time of striking . Its operatives are highly trained , intensely fanatical , ruthlessly efficient

The foremost advantage of any terror organization over the target population is its invisibility or secrecy . Based on the examples given in the Manual on the matter of espionage , it is apparent that the Manual has been written by a person or group schooled in the art of intelligence . To neutralize this advantage , a counter terrorist agency to be referred hereinafter as CTA , must field its own ghost troops to ferret out cells of the enemy , identify their operatives and supporters , monitor their activities , and wreak havoc on their plans Such ghost troops ' shall not be limited to the operatives of the CIA or the FBI but shall include a vast network of assets or informers spread throughout the nation and the globe . Infiltration of the Al Qaeda , although extremely dangerous , should be of highest priority . At the same time , measures against the infiltration of sensitive military and industrial complexes and other vital installations by terror spies should also be of maximum priority . In citing the ruse employed by the Romans to gather information about the strength of the Tomedians , the Manual encourages terror operatives to be imaginative , using deception and subtlety to obtain information . Personnel of military bases and vital complexes that are likely to be the target of sabotage must be carefully screened and monitored

The Manual commands operatives to use forged documents and counterfeit currency as among its military organization requirements . Using this knowledge as a starting point , the CTA shall adopt measures to track down terrorists more efficiently . Forgers may be quietly told to cooperate on pain of prosecution to secretly notify the authorities (through an operative ) about all persons who come in to fake documents . The CTA should always consider the possibility that where there 's a forgery , there may be a terrorist involved . One significant observation is that operatives are advised not to use photographs showing them with a beard , and to replace those photos with a beard accordingly . This is to remove suspicion which is instantly aroused when people looking like Arabs are spotted . Thus , the CTA should not limit itself but consider the possibility that terrorists may be posing as harmless ' tourists , students , immigrants , and the like . On the war against terror , everybody can be a suspect . The Manual instructs married members...