Picking Al Qaeda Apart

Intelligence: Picking Al Qaeda Apart: "But first, al Qaeda has to try and 'go dark' and disappear from data stream that American intelligence monitors. This is difficult to do since the U.S. has such an extensive database of people who are, or have, worked for al Qaeda. Getting new recruits is very difficult, and getting foreigners into the country is more difficult now that Syria and Iran are really doing something to seal their border.
If al Qaeda cannot go dark and rebuild, they will have to abandon Iraq. That is almost unthinkable, because al Qaeda has, since 2003, declared Iraq to be 'the graveyard of the Crusaders.' To admit defeat in Iraq would be a tremendous blow to al Qaeda operations elsewhere. The organization is already weakened by the failure to carry out any more operations in the United States since September 11, 2001. Al Qaeda has been shut down in so many other areas as well. But it looks like Iraq may be the last stand, and the last straw."