All Posts Tagged With: "Al Qaeda"
Marriott Bombing’s Unintended Consequence
Morale and will of the Pakistani military a serious question mark, and elements openly support the Taliban and al Qaeda, and are unwilling to fight their countrymen.
An unintended consequence of the devastating bombing at the Marriott Hotel in the heart of Islamabad last Saturday, September 20 has been provoking the Pakistani government to talk tough about taking on the Taliban and al Qaeda forces nested in Pakistan’s tribal areas. The latest attack, that killed more than 50 Pakistanis and foreigners and wounded over 270, is being described as “Pakistan’s 9-11.”
Whether or not Pakistan can deliver on its tough talk or not is a matter of considerable debate inside and outside of Pakistan. That could start to be answered soon as Pakistan news sources are reporting major operation have been underway since the 23rd.
The Taliban / al Qaeda forces are not a rag tag bunch but a well armed force capable of fighting at the battalion level with good communications and weapons that Pakistan admits is often better they their own.
Pakistan has deployed 100,000 troops into the tribal areas bordering Afghanistan. The morale and will of the Pakistani military and intelligence services remains a serious question mark. Elements of the Inter-Service Intelligence are known to openly support the Taliban and al Qaeda, and portions of the military are either sympathetic to the Taliban or unwilling to fight their countrymen.
The Pakistani government, with its new leader, can rant and rave but unless it’s military has the will that is just worthless nattering.
Pakistan, officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In 1947 it became an independent Muslim state with four provinces and federally administered tribal areas now controlled by radical Taliban and al Qaeda forces.
It is the sixth most populous country in the world and has the second largest Muslim population in the world after Indonesia. Originally it was connected with East Pakistan on the other side of India that became Bangladesh in 1971.
During the Soviet-Afghan War Pakistan covertly supported the Afghan mujahideen and even shot down several intruding Soviet bombers.
In 1999, Pakistan was embroiled with India in the Kargil conflict and fought for several months in nearby Kashmir.
India has nuclear weapons detonated its first device in 1974. Pakistan detonated a fission device in 1998 and is believed to have numerous nuclear bombs now making it the only nuclear armed Muslim nation
Vigilante Hackers Plaquing Terrorist Websites
Intelligence agencies prefer that the Islamic terror sites stay online, so their users can be watched and identified.
A promised al-Qaeda video on 9-11- maybe from Osama bin Laden, never showed up. The growing war by anti-terrorist hackers (individuals and groups) to shut down pro-terrorist web sites is poking big holes in terrorist websites including the likes of al-Qaeda.
Sometimes these vigilantes are exceedingly effective, and lately they may have shut down all of the few sites used as distribution points for important new videos. That brings up another point. Islamic terrorists are often described as having “thousands (usually 5,000+) of web sites.” But nearly all of these are basically fan sites. There are only a few sites that actually conduct the business of terrorism. These sites are under heavy attack by anti-terrorism hackers, as well as being closely watched many intelligence agencies, and a few private anti-terrorism organizations.
Islamic terrorists have been reaching out to their supporters on the Internet, openly asking for ideas and information. This is a dangerous thing for terrorism fans to participate in. If the local police catch someone sending suggestions or information to terrorist groups, it can get you arrested and jailed. Apparently it does put a lot of people on the police radar, and eventually leads to arrests.
The intelligence agencies prefer that the Islamic terror sites stay online, so their users can be watched and identified. Of course the likes of ACLU are wagging fingers at police for snagging such miscreants. The anti-terror vigilante hackers want to fight back, and no one has the heart, or the means, to stop them.
Al Qaeda Strategically Defeated
Al Qaeda is nearly strategically defeated in Iraq and Saudi Arabia , has had significant setbacks globally, and is on the defensive throughout much of the world, CIA Director Michael Hayden said in a Washington Post interview published on Friday. citing major gains against Osama bin Laden’s network and its allies. Successes extend even to the lawless region along the Afghanistan-Pakistan border, where bin Laden is believed to be living. Other Muslims are pushing back against al Qaeda’s extremist form of Islam.
Hayden expressed concern that the progress against al Qaeda could be halted or reversed because of what he views as growing complacency and a return to the mind-set that existed before the September 11 attacks. He did not say one of the concerns involves promises by liberal Democrat presidential candidates to “cut and run” that would allow al Qaeda to regroup, and dishearten allies, and Iraqis.
International media reports generally are siding with Hayden while U. S. mainstream media choses to ignore the good news. Foreign newspapers from Germany to India are calling the progress remarkable since the surge strategy has been in effect. It is difficult to project how many lives and treasure would have been saved had President Clinton taken advantage of either offer by Sudan to arrest and take bin Laden into custody and turn him over to the U. S. before 9-11. Clinton refused both offers and 3,000 were killed on 9-11-2001 and tens of thousands since.