8/9/2005

“The original al Qaeda always aspired to use technology in its war on the West. But bin Laden’s had been the moment of fax machines and satellite television. ‘[Al Qaeda in Iraq leader Abu Musab al-] Zarqawi is a new generation,’ said Evan F. Kohlmann, a consultant who closely monitors the [terrorist Web] sites. ‘The people around him are in their twenties. They view the media differently. The original al Qaeda are hiding in the mountains, not a technologically very well-equipped place. Iraq is an urban combat zone. Technology is a big part of that. I don’t know how to distinguish the Internet now from the military campaign in general in Iraq.’ ”

 – Susan B. Glasser and Steve Coll, “The Web as Weapon,” The Washington Post, Aug. 9, 2005