Counterterrorism strategies and policy frameworks

¶ … Al Qaeda training manual and any similar documents are of great value to counterterrorism specialists. The manuals include the ways terrorists commit acts of violence, establish cells, communicate with one another, commit espionage, and arrange logistics and transportation. Moreover, the Al Qaeda manual addresses ways "brothers" can evade interrogation, maintain cover, and deal with arrest, torture, and imprisonment. The manual does include much common sense information, but counterterror specialists should review sections on the culture of the Al Qaeda organization. The group's vision of Islam, its vision of the enemies of Islam, and its vision of its own role in Muslim society are of the utmost importance in crafting an ideal counterterror strategy. It is worth noting, for example, that the training manual lists Muslim nations as being state enemies of Al Qaeda.

Several sections of the Al Qaeda training manual are of particular interest to the counterterrorism specialist. For example, the manual details false identity document creation. A counterterrorism specialist would need to use computer imaging to detect the appearance of a suspect with and without beards, as the manual expressly instructs "brothers" to never take an official photograph for an identity document with a beard. The "brothers" are instructed to hide their Muslim identity via clothes that blend in seamlessly with the host country in which they live. Performing surveillance on a terrorist cell would mean using creativity and computer imaging to correctly identify a suspect. Similarly, the use of forged documents is alluded to in the a Qauda manual. The manual instructs "brothers" to avoid using a host country's passport because it would be easier to detect a forgery. Thus, the United States must develop a strong and intelligent database of foreign passports to detect forgeries.

One of the most useful sections of the Al Qaeda document is how the terrorist organization inconspicuously communicates and establishes cells. If counterterrorism specialists decide to use surveillance on a suspected cell, they should keep in mind the ways suspects cloak their conversations using code, secret signals, and other communication cloaks. The section on invisible inks should remind counterterrorism specialists to carefully examine each and every piece of correspondence issued by a potential suspect for hidden messages. Messages delivered verbally are similarly cloaked. The counterterrorism department must hire specialists in analyzing communications, because patterns of speech may reveal messages hidden beneath the superficial content of a phone call or taped conversation.