Another al-Qaida Terrorist Caught

President Bush is hailing the capture of Abu Faraj al-Libbi as a "critical victory in the war on terror." Libbi, who is suspected of orchestrating two failed attempts on the life of Pakistani leader Pervez Musharraf, is described as al-Qaida's number three figure and the leader of the terror network's operations in Pakistan. However, unlike Osama bin Laden and Ayman al-Zawahiri, numbers one and two in al-Qaida, Libbi is probably not an irreplaceable fixture in the terrorist hierarchy; indeed, he apparently seems to have taken over for the old number three, Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, who was previously captured in Pakistan. And since Libbi is largely unknown, the symbolic importance of his capture seems minimal outside of Pakistan, where Musharraf will surely be strengthened after catching his would-be killer. Let's hope Mr. Libbi has lots of interesting information to share about his bosses and their plans.