The Perfect Soldier: Special Operations, Commandos, and the Future of Us Warfare by James F. Dunnigan
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Dirty Little Secrets
Islamic Terrorism and Grizzly Bears
by James Dunnigan
March 13, 2005
Discussion Board on this DLS topic
Abu Musab al Zarqawi, the head of al Qaeda terrorism in Iraq, is an inspiration
for Islamic radicals. Zarqawi, unfortunately, is carrying out his terrorist
attacks mainly against fellow Moslems. This is not unusual, as, so far, most al
Qaeda attacks have been against other Moslems. But for Arabs, living in Arab
countries, the al Qaeda carnage in Iraq is scary, and disturbing. But for
Moslems living in Europe, North America and other non-Moslem nations, the death
of so many Moslems, at the hands of other Moslems, is inspiring. Especially with
the young Moslems in places like Europe, it’s easy to swallow the official al
Qaeda line that the Iraqis killed by al Qaeda bombs deserved to die. Moslems in
Moslem countries know better. This generation gap is being exploited by al
Qaeda, and has made Zarqawi a hero to many of these European born
Moslems.
You’ll even find this Zarqawi hero worship in the United States,
but with a difference. While America has a tradition of assimilation, such is
not the case in Europe. There, the immigrants are encouraged to hang onto the
culture and customs of the old country. This makes it easier for terrorists to
operate. Fewer people will turn them in, and recruiting prospects are better. In
the United States, there’s too much danger that someone in the community will
call the FBI or police. Even before September 11, 2001, this was the case. And
since late 2001, the American Moslem community is even more dangerous for
Islamic radicals and terrorists. This, and recent reports that bin Laden is
urging Zarqawi to make attacks in the United States, makes European
counter-terrorism people very upset. They know that any serious Islamic
terrorist efforts are more likely to happen in Europe. It’s that old “how do you
deal with the danger of grizzly bears when you go hiking? Always go with someone
you can outrun” routine. Islamic terrorists know that three years of efforts to
carry out more attacks in America have only filled the jails with Islamic
radicals. The only hope the terrorists have is that the American
counter-terrorism people will get lax and lazy, as they did in 2001.
The
911 attack team was typical of Islamic terrorists in that they were not highly
disciplined when it came to OPSEC (Operational Security). After the fact, it was
discovered that there were numerous opportunities to catch them if the FBI and
CIA had been more on the ball. This is an old problem. After the 1993 bombing of
the World Trade Center, the FBI got a lot more money for counter-terrorism, and
the CIA paid more attention to al Qaeda. But this effort grew weaker as more was
known about al Qaeda, and their sloppy methods. It was another example of “don’t
underestimate your enemy.” The danger now is that the greater terrorism danger
to Europe will make American counter-terrorism organizations assume that the
terrorists are giving up on attacks in the United States. That will never
happen, and it’s the not-so-bright, not-well-trained or disciplined terrorists,
who keep coming, that you have to worry about.
What is scary is how easy it is to carry out a high profile terrorist attack
in the United States. For example, there are still plenty of Islamic radicals
willing to make suicide attacks. Get a trained bomb maker into the United
States, and you can have one or more suicide bombers walking into public places
and setting off bombs they are wearing. The FBI has spent a lot of time with
Israeli counter-terrorism experts, and learned what there is to know about how
these attacks are carried out. The Internet is full of pictures of the bomb
belts, and how they work. It’s also clear that al Qaeda is getting desperate to
make a statement. With democracy, and anti-terrorist attitudes breaking out in
the Middle East, some of the Islamic radicals can see they are losing ground.
September 11, 2001 now looms as their high point. Since then, it’s been
constantly downhill. Even the daily terror attacks in Iraq serve only to make
Iraqis hate the terrorists more. The Palestinian terrorists are talking peace
(or, “ceasefire”) and trying to cope with a loss of popular support.
But
in Europe, the fire of Islamic radicalism still burns bright. Here are Moslems
who live in a democratic society, and still want to kill their infidel
neighbors. None of this assimilation crap in Europe. It’s a place where jihad
can be made. Why wait for the Americans to get complacent and sloppy again. If
you are an Islamic terrorist, Europe is the most inviting target.
Counter-terrorism efforts are finding more and more of the trained terrorists,
the organizers, headed for Europe. While the terrorist bombs are going off in
Iraq, the war on terror is quietly moving to Europe.
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