The London Times has written an over-the-top story on the recent airstrike this weekend that is reported to have killed Rashid Rauf, the al Qaeda operative behind the foiled London airlines strike. The headline alone says it all: Top al-Qaeda terrorist Abu Zubair al-Masri ‘was missile target in Bush campaign for favourable legacy. The problem is the Times gets a few basic facts wrong in this story. First and foremost, the Times identifies the target of the raid as “Abu Zubair al-Masri, an Egyptian described as being ‘high up in the al-Qaeda pecking order.'” While the target of the raid is debatable, Zubair’s status in al Qaeda isn’t. He’s a mid-level operative at best. So bagging Zubair would do little to enhance Bush’s “favourable legacy.” Second, there is a photo of Zubair accompanying the article. The problem is the photo is of Abu Ayyub al Masri, the current leader of al Qaeda in Iraq, and not Zubair. Third, there is very little to the claim that these strikes are designed to enhance Bush’s “legacy.” In early September I recognized that the United States had dramatically ramped up its strikes in Pakistan’s tribal areas. I asked around and to a man, the people I spoke to said U.S. intelligence is fearful the next strike will emanate from al Qaeda’s safe havens within Pakistan’s tribal agencies. Not a single person mentioned legacy. While I am sure it is true President Bush would love to kill bin Laden before he leaves office, there is no evidence he’s launched a campaign in an allied country strictly to enhance his legacy. This type of war reporting is all too common these days. Any editor that had half a clue about al Qaeda and the war in general should have at least caught the photo mismatch. Abu Ayyub al Masri’s photo is often splashed on the pages of newspapers and on the television. This should have immediately set off alarm bells. We deserve far better reporting on the war than this.
