Terror strikes in Pak, Kenya suggest new al Qaeda strategy: Expert

An American expert on South Asian affairs has suggested that the timing of the weekend terror strikes in Pakistan and Kenya represent a new phase of al-Qaeda strategy.

According to Lisa Curtis, Senior Research Fellow for South Asia in the Asian Studies Center at The Heritage Foundation, the aim is to inspire and direct attacks in different parts of the world as part of a global Islamist insurgency.

In an article, Curtis claims that in both cases, the attacks appear aimed at showing the weakness of the state by provoking a sense of chaos as well as indirectly influencing U.S. policy.

In the terror strike in Kenyan capital Nairobi, the Al-Shabaab-an al-Qaeda-linked group based in Somalia has claimed responsibility.

In Pakistan, a faction of the al-Qaeda backed Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan claimed responsibility for the suicide bombings at the All Saints Church in Peshawar.

It also vowed to continue attacking against non-Muslims in Pakistan until the U.S. ends its drone campaign in the tribal areas bordering Afghanistan.

To substantiate her view of a new al Qaeda strategy in the works, Curtis, in her article, recalls an audio message issued by al-Qaeda leader Ayamn al-Zawahiri on the occasion of the 12th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks,in which he calls for more small-scale terrorist attacks from "safe bases," where Islamist terrorist groups have a foothold, as part of the organization's global strategy.

According to her, Zawahiri is keen on draining military and security expenditures to keep America in a state of tension and anticipation.