Gone : So this is Al Qaeda's new refuge?

touareg in the wind..., originally uploaded by ¡anna].

Well, at least they can hide behind the traditional male veil here.

Still, I can't imagine this will be the friendliest place, even assuming the locals are completely hospitable.

About me

In fall 2007, I started working for the Kabul Center for Strategic Studies, a think tank founded by Afghans based in Kabul, Afghanistan, to build Afghan policy research expertise.

In 2006 Palgrave published a book I cowrote, "Jihad and International Security," with Jalil Roshandel.

Now I'm watching what I see to be the last gasp of a nonviable movement: militant, insurgent jihadism. This movement has killed many more Muslims than polytheists, infidels, or non-Muslims. It has also done more to damage the image of Islam than any other force in 1400 years of Islamic history.

Bruce Lawrence, Professor of Islamic Studies, Director, Duke Islamic Studies Center, Duke University