Bin-Laden Top Man Detained, Al-Qaeda Reels

Ayman al-Zawahiri and Osama bin-Laden are usually quick on the heels of a high profile capture or slaying from their network in a form of masterful use of the airwaves to downplay the actual gravity of the loss, however with the loss of Mohamed Rahim, the two have remained largely silent. Until released to the Associated Press and other major news sources, there was a deafening silence about the high profile target who has been accused of aiding bin-Laden's frantic escape from Afghanistan following the invasion of the nation.

Rahim's capture is a key development in the War on Terror, taking away an irreplaceable asset to the al-Qaeda networks. In addition to his knowledge of the region, he brings with him experience that dates back to the Taliban's rise during the Soviet-Afghan War. He is considered a "high profile" target by the Coalition and CIA, and acts as one of the most important tiers of bin-Laden's terror network, due primarily to this experience. As a life time guerrilla and a devoted Islamic fanatic, there could be no better man by Zawahiri and bin-Laden's side.

Rahim's capture is just another in a long series of blows dealt against al-Qaeda and its satellite organizations of late, which have taken a number of crippling defeats across the globe, ranging from Iraq to Afghanistan. With the 2007 Baghdad Security "Surge" Plan, and the open revolt of the Iraqi insurgency against their proxy force in the country, bin-Laden and al-Zawahiri's hold there has been slowly slipping, making way for bottom up reconciliation that the Department of Defense and Multinational Force Iraq Central Command have described as crucial to a lasting peace.

In addition to al-Qaeda commanders who are being routinely captured or killed in recent days by Coalition forces, al-Qaeda's power bases are largely slipping as they're being pushed further and further into Mosul and Diyala, leaving barren what was once considered the most dangerous region of Iraq in al-Anbar. Despite attempts to bring international spotlight back onto them with what are described as high profile attacks designed to "shock and awe" (much like the original American campaign into Iraq) the West through the use of female or even mentally disabled suicide bombers.

Coalition forces have noted, however, that there has been precious little strategic gain made by al-Qaeda in most areas of Iraq - and the capture of Rahim helps to equally devastate the Afghani version of the terror base.

In addition to this, the MNFI Centcom has also reported a dramatic decrease in both IEDs and VIEDs, which has contributed to a stark decline in Coalition casualties, resulting in more and more dramatic spikes of violence against civilians in the form of car bombs.

In addition to other key figureheads of al-Qaeda, including the infamous "sniper of Baghdad" known as Juba, Rahim represents a key intelligence boon that could only act to tighten the noose around Osama bin-Laden and his associates.

Sources:

Associated Press
MNFI Central Command Press Desk