ABC sheds some light:

Midhat Mursi, 52, also known as Abu Khabab al-Masri, was identified by Pakistani authorities as one of four known major al Qaeda leaders present at an apparent terror summit in the village of Damadola early last Friday morning.

The United States had posted a $5 million reward for Mursi’s capture. He is described by authorities as the man who ran al Qaeda’s infamous Derunta training camp in Afghanistan, where he used dogs and other animals as subjects for experiments with poison and chemicals. His explosives training manual is still regarded as the bible for al Qaeda terrorists around the world. […]

“Pakistani intelligence says this was a very important planning session involving the very top levels of al Qaeda as they get ready for a new spring offensive,” explained Alexis Debat, a former official in the French Defense Ministry and now an ABC News consultant […]

“Zawahiri, if he slept three hours on a normal night, he’s sleeping an hour and a half right now with his eyes wide open,” Cloonan said. “He’s looking around right now and wondering who handed him up. Not a nice feeling.”

Don’t let the bed bugs bite . . .

The death of innocents (assuming there were some on-site) is always regrettable, but while some would have you believe that missing al-Qaida’s #2 makes this strike a failure, that the site was littered with known bad guys is something that gets lost in the wailing and gnashing of teeth. Intelligence may not be perfect, but like any government enterprise, sometimes a 70% solution is good enough.

About the Author

Michael Tanji

Michael Tanji spent nearly 20 years in the US intelligence community. Trained in both SIGINT and HUMINT disciplines he has worked at the Defense Intelligence Agency, the National Security Agency, and the National Reconnaissance Office. At various points in his career he served as an expert in information warfare, computer network operations, computer forensics, and indications and warning. A veteran of the US Army, Michael has served in both strategic and tactical assignments in the Pacific Theater, the Balkans, and the Middle East.