It was widely reported some time ago that Hizballah and Hamas had joined the Majlis Shura (council) of Al Qaeda. However, now that Hamas is in power in Palestine, there has been no mention of the Majlis Shura. 

Allegedly the Majlis Shura signs off on all projected major worldwide terror attacks before money, logistics, and/or expertise is provided. The meetings aren't necessarily a “get-together.” Technology permits all the “Bosses” to communicate without being co-located. The Internet permits major networking

Osama bin Laden, if still alive, is now probably no more than the Chief Finance Officer for Al Qaeda. While he is in hiding he probably has little if any executive authority.

Basically, the Majlis Shura is the Board of Directors for Al Qaeda. It has been reported to range from 12 to 20 members. All the leaders of the worldwide Islamic jihad are permitted to sit on this council, which illustrates the scope and breadth of the movement. One thing that is unique and has opened the doors of Iran for Al Qaeda is that Hizballah was asked to join when Iran embraced Osama bin Laden. As a result bin Laden may have been provided a safe haven for the entire Al Qaeda organization, plus funding, weapons and explosives in Iran.

The Shura also must surely include the bosses of all the Arabs, Chechens, Paki, Bangladeshi, Filipino, Indonesian, Central Asian and Europeans -- sort of like the Mafia's "Cupola," lots of disparate entities with the same goals brought together to focus efforts without stepping on each others toes. This group may also conduct oversight of over 60 "independent contractors" scattered across 100 nations. Additionally, in Iraq the insurgents have formed the “Mujahidin Shura,” another sign of the once-diffuse insurgency's consolidation around the leadership of a few large, well-organized and powerful groups.

Johathan Finer, of The Washington Post, recently reported that the Mujahidin Shura brought together the foreign-backed network of Al Qaeda in Iraq, led by Jordanian Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, and several smaller, Iraqi-led groups.

According to Finer: “The council's head was said to be an Iraqi, a move made to counter the image of Al Qaeda as dominated by Arabs from elsewhere in the region.” This appointment may be little more than a public relations move. The group's tactics include attacks carried out with bombs, small arms and mortar against Iraqi and American soldiers, as well as, increasingly, Iraqi civilians, most of them Shiites. Two of its "brigades," or affiliates, (the bin Malik and the Al-Ansar) are devoted solely to suicide attacks. Another, the Omar Brigade, is said to target only members of the Badr organization, a feared Shiite militia.

According to Finer the vast majority of Shura reported leaders and insurgents are Iraqi Sunnis who adhere to a strict, fundamentalist form of Islam, which calls for a return to the practices of early Muslims and has gained radical expression throughout the Arab world.

U.S. authorities have long considered the Iraqi resistance movement a fragmentary and disorganized collection of groups with varying tactics and aims. Now that Iraq's insurgency is showing signs of increasing coordination, consolidation and confidence, there have been many U.S. official public statements to belittling the insurgency.

There has never been a consensus on the number of insurgents, but estimates now range from a 10,000 to more than 50,000. However, U.S. military commanders continue to say that most of the attacks are committed by foreigners from neighboring countries, including Jordan, Syrian, Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Sudan.

It is irrelevant to continue the debate and finger pointing on the mistakes that led us to the current problems in Iraq. We are there, and we need to support our troops and find a realistic and achievable goal for withdrawal.