Al Qaeda doin' pretty well

Better organization, more extensive network, decentralized leadership, cool hideouts, electronic gadgetry and a larger arsenal of diverse weaponry, and the support of local populations. Yep, doing pretty well in the GWOT.

Saying that Osama bin Laden's al Qaeda network "remains our top concern," Negroponte said that despite successes in targeting its leadership, "the organization's core elements still plot and make preparations for terrorist strikes against the homeland and other targets from bases in the Pakistan-Afghanistan border area." In addition, al Qaeda has "gained added reach" through its merger with the Iraq-based group of Jordanian terrorist Abu Musab Zarqawi, "which has broadened al Qaeda's appeal within the jihadist community and potentially put new resources at its disposal," he said.

Al Qaeda remains interested in launching attacks within the United States, as its leaders have stated, and "the most probable scenario" is an attack using "conventional explosives," Negroponte said. However, the network "remains interested in acquiring chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear materials or weapons to attack the United States, U.S. troops, and U.S. interests worldwide," he said.

Negroponte said U.S. intelligence reporting "indicates that nearly 40 terrorist organizations, insurgencies, or cults have used, possessed, or expressed an interest in chemical, biological, radiological, or nuclear agents or weapons." He said many of those groups "are capable of conducting simple, small-scale attacks, such as poisonings, or using improvised chemical devices."