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        <title>Comments for Mumbai: The Al Qaeda Imperative</title>
        <description>We&apos;re the Military and Airpower Guys of Jonah Goldberg of National Review Online + a stray we found wandering around looking lost.  All original material JHD, BHD, JR, WT,  and KA 2003-2010</description>
        <link>http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2008/12/mumbai_the_al_q.html</link>
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            <title>Mumbai: The Al Qaeda Imperative</title>
            <description><![CDATA[This is in no way to imply that al Qaeda was behind the attacks on Mumbai.&nbsp; It is to explore more completely how al Qaeda's ideas and ideology have influenced the operations of other Islamic terrorist organizations and how their influence is seen in the Mumbai attack.

Received wisdom has already placed the blame on Lashkar-e-Taiba; a Pakistani Islamic organization that has had close ties with Al Qaeda for over two decades.&nbsp; As Bill Roggio has pointed out, a long and complicated association.&nbsp; 

Aside from the strategic impact as noted here and the general concept of &quot;vex and exhaust&quot;, the over all strategy of the attack had three main goals:

1) To stall or reverse rapprochement between India and Pakistan
2) To take pressure off of the insurgents by forcing Pakistan to redirect military assets from the tribal areas to the Paki-Indian borders
3) To stall or reverse US-Pakistan relationships by creating tension and suspicion over ISI involvement in attacks, not only on a nominal political, military and economic ally, but by attacks on US and other western citizens.&nbsp; They may hope to retard cooperation between US and Pakistani ISI and military which has been increasingly successful in targeting terrorists in Waziristan as well as improved interdiction of fighters crossing the borders.&nbsp; 

A fourth goal, which should not go unnoticed, is to inflame fault lines within the Indian populace between the Muslim population and the remaining population.&nbsp; We've seen all of these in AQ operations throughout the last seven years starting with 9/11.&nbsp; ]]></description>
            <link>http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2008/12/mumbai_the_al_q.html</link>
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            <pubDate>Mon, 01 Dec 2008 03:44:12 -0600</pubDate>
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            <title>Comment from Spanky on 2008-12-01</title>
            <description>
                <![CDATA[Mumbai 2, coming to a US city near you 2010 would be my guess. I say the operation was planned and all personal local. But watched very closely from afar.&nbsp;<br />
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&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Spanky]]>
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            <link>http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2008/12/mumbai_the_al_q.html#comment-81064</link>
            <guid>http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2008/12/mumbai_the_al_q.html#comment-81064</guid>
            <pubDate>Mon, 01 Dec 2008 23:36:46 -0600</pubDate>
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            <title>Comment from Argent on 2008-12-01</title>
            <description>
                <![CDATA[I think Kat, the distinction of such groups is more artificial than it appears. &nbsp; I see it as individuals who hold similar ideals from similar religious fundamentalism.&nbsp; So they are very fluid and are probably likely to help cousin groups promptly.&nbsp; It's highly likely they personally know many in the group and cousin groups and this is the glue of trust which holds them together.&nbsp; The 'close ties' are probably fairly universal amongst this Islamic brand of terrorists.&nbsp; Wouldn;t be surprised if they are literally related a lot of the time.&nbsp; They may have the same financier or planners.&nbsp; At the same time they probably have some degree of tension depending on their microgoals and the way they want things done.&nbsp; This near and far argument is one of them.<br />]]>
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            <link>http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2008/12/mumbai_the_al_q.html#comment-81013</link>
            <guid>http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2008/12/mumbai_the_al_q.html#comment-81013</guid>
            <pubDate>Mon, 01 Dec 2008 08:02:12 -0600</pubDate>
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