THE OBSERVER: Barack Obama has been boosted by the killing of the al-Qaida leader, but his followers warn that his blood will not be 'wasted'…
EXTRACT: Then there is the question: what does the death of Bin Laden mean for al-Qaida, for the phenomenon of contemporary Sunni Islamic militancy more generally and for world security? Are we safer?
On Friday, al-Qaida issued a statement on the internet which pledged that Bin Laden's blood would not be "wasted", that his "university of Koran… and jihad" would not be closed and the organisation would continue the fight against the US and its allies. Signed by al-Qaida's "general leadership", it also predicted that Bin Laden's death would be a "curse" for the US. This weekend security services around the world are on high alert, fearing attacks aiming not so much at vengeance but simply at showing that the group still has capabilities.
The fact that a statement – apparently agreed by a number of different people – was put together and released successfully indicates that, at least for the moment, the few score militants who comprise the "al-Qaida hardcore" still have some cohesion. … Read the whole article and comment » | Jason Burke, Declan Walsh in Islamabad and Paul Harris in New York | Sunday, May 08, 2011
