Bin Laden confirms "split" strategy is working

Back on 9/28, I posted links to Ray Robison's "A Quiet Triumph May Be Brewing" - an analysis of the overall strategy to weaken the global Islamic Jihad movement at it's base.

From that article:

There are signs that the global Islamic jihad movement is splitting apart, in what would be a tremendous achievement for American strategy. The center of the action is in Pakistan and Afghanistan, the very territory which is thought to harbor Usama, and from which Al Qaeda was able to launch 9/11. Capitalizing on existing splits, a trap was set and closed, and the benefits have only begun to be evident.

There were already signs of a split, but recent events strengthen that trend. In March and again in May of this year I reviewed relevant South Asian media reporting to predict that the global Islamic jihad movement was cracking up. That theory focused on a split between the leadership of al Qaeda and the jihad groups that secure them in Pakistan such as the Taliban.

Today, the bearded one speaks again. And unlike his previous videos, filled with threats, gloats and lofty Caliphate goals, he's reduced to pleading with his jihadist buds to get their act together...

This from, believe it or not, the ABC News blogs by Brian Ross. That ought to nullify any general news slant from the content.

Showing apparent signs of concern over events in Iraq, al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden urged insurgents to "unite your lines into one" in an audiotape played on al Jazeera Monday.

"Don't be arrogant," bin Laden warned. "Your enemies are trying to break up the jihadi groups. I urge you all to work in one united group."

snip

Saying he was speaking to "everyone in the Muslim community," bin Laden urged "scholars and leaders of the jihad" to take on the role of uniting the groups "right now."

Right on Mr. Robison... you called it right almost a month ago.

Reluctant mea culpa included with the ABC story? Wesley Clarke, the former "Supreme Commander" who takes his past title to heart...

"It's always good news when they are divided," said Richard Clarke, the former White House counterterrorism adviser, now an ABC News consultant. "It's reflective that U.S. tactics are having some success."

Bet that hurt, eh Wes?