March 01, 2003

The "Mukhtar" Apprehended Al-Qaeda's #3

The "Mukhtar" Apprehended

Al-Qaeda's #3 caught in Pakistan. Another reminder of the paucity of arguments like that of former U.S. Secretary of State Warren Christopher's that Iraq should be put on the proverbial "backburner" partly because official Washington can't handle more than one crisis at the same time (assuming you view Iraq and the war on terror as separate crises, which they aren't).

"We have finally apprehended Khalid Shaikh Mohammed," a presidential spokesman, Rashid Qureshi, said late tonight, praising the work of Pakistani intelligence agencies. "He is the kingpin of Al Qaeda."

Mr. Mohammed, 37, was one of three suspected Qaeda operatives picked up this morning in Rawalpindi, the old city adjacent to the modern capital of Islamabad.

Well, he's not quite the kingpin. But he's damn close.