In an article titled “Al Qaeda Recruits Foreign Jihadi Fighters for Afghan War,” the Associated Press cites the CTC’s Erich Marquardt. As stated in the article, “While Al Qaeda may be sending most of its trainees to Afghanistan and Pakistan, it is probably also creating cells with the mission of attacking Western countries, including the United States, warned Erich Marquardt, senior editor with the Combating Terrorism Center. ‘I think we have to accept the fact that Al Qaeda has not taken its sights off the far enemy,” he said. “Al Qaeda recognizes that it is fighting in multiple theaters and is therefore likely training fighters for different areas of operation.'”
