According to Reuters, more than 5,600 websites are spreading Al-Qaeda’s extremist ideology worldwide, with more than 900 new ones appearing every year.
A Saudi researcher has identified the Internet as a key battlefield for militants who launched a campaign to topple the U.S.-allied ruling royal family in 2003.
Khaled al-Faram gave a presentation to the Information Technology and National Security conference in the Saudi capital Riyadh. The conference was organized by the Saudi intelligence agency to encourage the public to cooperate more with the government and share expertise on how to survey the Internet for militant activity.
He said it was difficult to track most of the sites, though hardcore al Qaeda sites often change addresses to avoid detection or start up again elsewhere once infiltrated.
“There are some 900 news sites appearing every year, and despite the retreat of some media outlets specifically run by al Qaeda, extremist Web sites are constantly on the rise.”
“The real battle with al Qaeda is no longer on the ground, but rather a media battle, and it is a real threat to national security,” Faram told Reuters.
“For al Qaeda media coverage is more important than the actual operations,” he said.
