IS AL QAEDA IN A CANNIBALIZATION PHASE? Dave Roberts emails:

I’ve seen a few reports, still unconfirmed, that one of the suicide bombers in Kenya was Abdullah Ahmed Abdullah. If it’s true it indicates that Al Qaeda isn’t just burning up recruits but is actually consuming the seed corn, the leadership team. Here’s a blurb on Abdullah from CNN: link

The name Abdullah Ahmed Abdullah is well-known to authorities and terrorism

experts.

Abdullah, also known as “Saleh,” is the al Qaeda leader of East African cells and a member of al Qaeda’s leadership group, the shura council, according to federal prosecutors. The name Abdullah Ahmed Abdullah is well-known to authorities and terrorism experts.

More recent reports link make it clear the identification isn’t firm yet, but the implications are interesting.

Maybe the supply of African suicide bomber recruits is zero, so the Arab leaders had to do it themselves. Maybe Al Qaeda is so shattered and hunted that the leaders are willing to suicide rather than be captured and miss out on all those virgins. In any case, if the identification turns out to be true, it’s a good sign for the anti-terror campaign.

Stay tuned.