CIA disbands bin Laden hunt unitThu Jul 6, 2006 17:50
IA disbands bin Laden hunt unit
www.chinaview.cn 2006-07-05 08:44:39
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BEIJING, July 5 (Xinhuanet) -- The CIA has disbanded a unit set up to hunt for Osama bin Laden and reassigned its agents in what intelligence officials described as a recognition of the changing nature of al-Qaida, a U.S. intelligence official said on Tuesday.
The bin Laden unit, codenamed Alec Station, became less valuable as the movement's focus shifted more to regional networks of militants, said the official who spoke on condition of anonymity.
Alec Station was established in 1996 after bin Laden's initial calls for global jihad, and employed about two dozen people. Its members have been transferred to broader operations that track Islamist militant groups.
"Al Qaeda is no longer the hierarchical organization that it was before 9-11. Three-quarters of its senior leaders have been killed or captured," said the official.
CIA officials said that tracking bin Laden and his deputies remained a high priority and that the decision to disband the unit was not a sign that efforts to do so were being reduced.
Instead, the officials said, it reflected a belief that the agency could better deal with high-level threats by focusing on regions rather than specific organisations or individuals.
The New York Times reported on Tuesday that the bin Laden unit was disbanded late last year and quoted its first director, Michael Scheuer, as predicting the move would harm the CIA's efforts to find bin Laden.
Bin Laden and his second-in-command, Ayman al-Zawahri, are believed hiding in the mountains along the Afghanistan-Pakistan border. Enditem
(Agencies) Editor: Lu Hui
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CIA disbands bin Laden hunt unit
Xinhua, China - 21 hours ago
BEIJING, July 5 (Xinhuanet) -- The CIA has disbanded a unit set up to hunt for Osama bin Laden and reassigned its agents in what intelligence officials ...
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