Zarqawi Built Global Jihadist Network on Internet

Since April 2004, when Abu Musab al-Zarqawi posted his first communiqué on a jihadist website, the militant leader has used the Internet as a successful and deadly tool. Creating a worldwide network, Zarqawi’s volunteers post messages from their leader and videos of militant acts, like beheading, on multiple servers to avoid delays in downloading, also making it difficult for the material to be removed from the Worldwide Web. The Taliban-controlled Afghanistan once served as a terrorist training center – a role that now appears to have been taken over by terrorist websites. The effectiveness of the Internet-based recruiting and instruction has inspired others to utilize the tool, and jihadist websites and their audiences have been proliferating at a rapid rate. How has Zarqawi’s network reacted to his death? Supporters have posted eulogies, “praising … his martyrdom and vowing to continue the fight.” It is apparent that the system expanded by Zarqawi will continue on without him. – YaleGlobal