“There is a very real danger in the near term for retaliatory-style attacks from al-Qaida,” said Don Rassler, an associate at West Point’s Combating Terrorism Center. “Al-Qaida is resilient and we’d be fooling ourselves to think bin Laden’s death is a lot more than it is.” Al-Qaida’s activity has slowed in recent years. It hasn’t attacked the United States at home since Sept. 11 and more recently, it’s struggled to release video messages to the media. Rassler thinks the group could strike to prove it is not a historical footnote. “I think, if there were attacks, they’d be driven by broader worries about their relevancy,” he said. Rassler also noted that bin Laden’s killing could help prevent retaliation. The key lies in computers and documents hidden in the compound where the bin Laden was killed. Experts believe they could be a heap of intelligence information. “Al-Qaida will continue, but the million-dollar question is, under what form and what strength?” Rassler said. “But for now, maybe the more important question is: What’s in these computers and documents?” To read this article, click here.
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