Foreword
The
Combating
Terrorism
Center
at
West
Point
(CTC)
launched
the
Harmony
Project
in
order
to
release
and
analyze
documents
from
the
Department
of
Defense’s
classified
Harmony
Database.
The
Harmony
Project
unearths
and
releases
documents
that
reveal
the
inner
‐
functioning
of
al
‐
Qa`ida,
its
associated
movements,
and
other
security
threats.
Harmony
documents
released
by
the
CTC
are
always
accompanied
by
an
analytical
report,
but
the
primary
purpose
of
this
process
is
to
make
these
primary
sources
available
to
other
scholars.
Rather
than
the
final
word,
CTC
Harmony
reports
should
be
considered
an
invitation
to
further
scholarship.
This
is
the
CTC’s
fifth
major
Harmony
Report.
The
first,
Harmony
and
Disharmony:
al
‐
Qa`ida’s
Organizational
Vulnerabilities
,
explored
ways
to
introduce
doubt
and
mistrust
into
al
‐
Qa`ida’s
bureaucracy.
The
second,
al
‐
Qa`ida’s
(mis)Adventures
in
the
Horn
of
Africa
,
revealed
al
‐
Qa`ida’s
frustrated
efforts
to
infiltrate
East
Africa.
The
third,
Cracks
in
the
Foundation:
Leadership
Debates
in
al
‐
Qa`ida
,
described
al
‐
Qa`ida’s
most
important
internal
disagreements,
including
on
the
wisdom
of
the
9/11
attacks.
The
fourth,
al
‐
Qa`ida’s
Foreign
Fighters
in
Iraq:
A
First
Look
at
the
Sinjar
Records
,
was
based
on
al
‐
Qa`ida
in
Iraq’s
personnel
records
for
fighters
entering
Iraq
through
Syria.
This
report,
Bombers,
Bank
Accounts,
and
Bleedout:
al
‐
Qa`ida’s
Road
In
and
Out
of
Iraq
,
expands
on
the
first
Sinjar
Report,
introducing
new
documents
and
new
analysis
to
provide
a
better
picture
of
al
‐
Qa`ida
in
Iraq’s
operations
and
its
prospects
for
the
future.
This
report
could
not
have
been
completed
with
the
support
of
numerous
people.
The
Department
of
Social
Sciences
at
West
Point,
led
by
Department
Head
Colonel
Michael
Meese
and
Deputy
Department
Head
Colonel
Cindy
Jebb,
constantly
encourage
the
CTC
to
continue
to
find
new
ways
of
understanding
contemporary
threats.
The
CTC
itself
is
blessed
with
exemplary
leadership.
Outgoing
Director
LTC
Joseph
Felter
has
led
the
CTC
with
tremendous
energy,
excitement,
and
focus.
The
Incoming
Director,
MAJ
Reid
Sawyer,
has
the
vision,
intelligence,
and
tenacity
to
lead
the
CTC
to
even
more
success.
1
Editor’s
Note
This
report
is
structured
differently
than
previous
Harmony
Reports.
Unlike
earlier
reports,
we
divided
this
text
into
chapters
credited
to
specific
authors.
The
views
expressed
in
this
report
are
those
of
the
authors
and
not
of
the
US
Military
Academy,
the
Department
of
the
Army,
or
any
other
agency
of
the
US
Government.
We
intentionally
approached
authors
with
very
different
perspectives:
academics,
journalists,
and
individuals
with
extensive
experience
traveling
on
both
sides
of
the
Syrian/Iraqi
border.
The
CTC
hopes
that
this
approach
demonstrates
how
Harmony
Documents
can
be
used
by
academics,
journalists,
and
government
agencies
to
understand
al
‐
Qa`ida
and
the
situation
in
Iraq.
Chapter
2,
by
Joseph
Felter
and
I,
is
based
largely
on
our
previous
CTC
report
based
on
the
Sinjar
Records,
al
‐
Qa`ida’s
Foreign
Fighters
in
Iraq:
A
First
Look
at
the
Sinjar
Records.
We
have
enjoyed
the
opportunity
to
take
a
second
look
at
these
documents.
Chapter
4,
which
is
based
almost
entirely
on
the
personal
travels
of
the
author,
is
written
anonymously
to
protect
both
the
author
and
his
sources
on
the
ground
in
Syria
and
Iraq.
It
has
been
a
pleasure
to
work
with
Peter
Bergen,
Vahid
Brown,
Joseph
Felter,
and
Jacob
Shapiro
on
this
project.
Their
insight
and
perspective
is
invaluable.
The
group
has
also
been
very
patient
as
we
worked
through
the
sometimes
frustrating
process
of
releasing
previously
classified
documents—a
process
slowed
further
by
my
own
travels
and
research
agenda.
Dr.
Assaf
Moghadam
provided
immense
support
to
the
production
of
this
report
and
to
reshaping
the
CTC’s
Harmony
Project.
Assaf’s
humility
and
professionalism
are
a
credit
to
him
and
an
example
to
both
his
colleagues
at
the
CTC
and
the
cadets
at
West
Point.
Katherine
Cleary
provided
exceptional
support
as
well.
She
copy
‐
edited
the
entire
project,
finding
and
fixing
many
substantive
and
grammatical
miscues.
The
report
is
better
because
of
her
effort.
For
questions
about
this
report,
please
contact
the
individual
authors
directly
or
Brian
Fishman
at:
Brian
Fishman
July
22,
2008
2