Courtesy of Muhammad ud-Deen (cc-by-sa)
Who was Anwar al-Awlaki and how will his death impact Al Qaeda or the West? Richard Stoll, the Albert Thomas Professor of Political Science at Rice University and a Rice scholar at the Baker Institute, and Joan Neuhaus Schaan, fellow in homeland security and terrorism, offer their views in the two entries below.
Richard Stoll:
The death of Anwar al-Awlaki is another serious blow to Al Qaeda. In addition to having a direct operational role in a number of terrorist plots, he was a charismatic spokesperson for that organization and a key person in the drive to inspire and recruit “lone wolf” terrorists (single individuals who commit terrorist acts by themselves). While it is true that a number of these acts create only a small level of destruction, that is not true of all of them. Furthermore, trying to detect a terrorist attack that involves only a single person can be exceedingly difficult.
Al-Awlaki will of course be replaced, but no organization has an endless supply of highly qualified leaders and candidates for leadership. Al-Qaeda will miss him.
In addition, the remaining leadership of al-Qaeda has to be concerned that once again the United States has been able to locate and successfully attack one of their leaders. It also raises the question of whether there are traitors within the organization who are working with the United States. This may not be true, but raising the level of suspicion within the organization can only serve to reduce their effectiveness.
Does this mean Al Qaeda is finished? Absolutely not. Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula is a particularly dangerous component of the organization, both because of its strength and because of the unrest in the region. But the death of al-Awlaki is a significant setback.
Joan Neuhaus Schaan:
Anwar al-Awlaki (aka Anwar al Aulaqi) has been one of the most senior, visible and active American leaders in Al Qaeda and its affiliate, Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP.) For years he has promoted violence against Americans, and he has a long history of associating with known terrorists.
Awlaki was born in New Mexico in the early 1970s, while his father was studying agricultural economics before becoming the Yemeni agricultural minister. He moved back to Yemen as a child, where his family was a member of the powerful and well-connected Awalek tribe, but returned to Colorado State University for an undergraduate degree and San Diego State for a master’s degree. By 1999, he was believed to be a procurement officer for Osama Bin Laden, and he was found to have ties to the Holy Land Foundation, once the nation’s largest Islamic charity. The Holy Land Foundation was closed and its executives prosecuted in 2007 and 2008 for funding terrorist organizations.
While in California, Awlaki associated with, and was purportedly the spiritual guide for two of the 9-11 hijackers, Khalid al Midhar and Nawaf al-Hamzi. When he moved to the Islamic Society of North America’s Dar al Hijra Mosque in Falls Church, Va., the same two 9-11 hijackers and a third hijacker followed in 2001. At the time, Maj. Nidal Hasan (charged with the Nov. 2009 shootings at Fort Hood) attended the mosque, as did former Houstonian Omar Abu Ali. Omar Abu Ali was arrested in the Middle East with other senior Al Qaeda members, and he was prosecuted in the United States for his role in a plot to assassinate President George W. Bush. Omar Abu Ali grew up in southwest Houston, moved to the Washington, D.C. area, during his high school years, and attended the Saudi Islamic Academy. By 2003, Awlaki had fled the United States.
Awlaki’s influence cannot be underestimated. His lectures have been found in the possession of many terrorist cells with whom he has had direct communication, and he has caused others to go abroad for training. Between 2009 and early 2011, approximately 20 persons of 100 in the United States or Americans arrested abroad are known to have followed his teachings. Of these, nine were born in the United States, five were naturalized or dual citizens, and one was a U.S. permanent resident. Plots tied to Awlaki include the Times Square bomber Faisal Shahzad; Nidal Hasan; Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, accused of concealing explosives in his underwear and of trying to detonate them with a syringe of chemicals on Northwest flight 253 on Christmas Day; and Michael Finton, who attempted to attack the office of Rep. Aaron Shock. Those from earlier years include the Toronto 17, the UK July 7 bombers, the Fort Dix Six, and the Viriginia Paintball Cell (followers of Ali al-Tamimi) to name a few.
The loss of Awlaki will be a significant symbolic blow to the organization and a strategic blow to the status of AQAP in Yemen. Certainly others will continue with his message, but, as with Osama Bin Laden, Awlaki’s family ties to the Yemeni government, his background, experience and persona will be difficult to replace.