Counter-Terrorism: You Can Go Home Again

Archives

February 22, 2010:  Al Qaeda is once more making a big effort to do what it does best (kill Moslems using bombs), in order to further its agenda (global Islamic conquest.) Having killed over 50,000 Moslems in Iraq, and failing to achieve much (aside from becoming the most hated group in the Arab world), al Qaeda has moved to Pakistan over the last few years. In the last few months, al Qaeda terror attacks in Pakistan, in support of their beleaguered Taliban allies, have killed over 2,000 people (nearly all of them Moslems.)

Because the tribal territories of Pakistan proved to be one of the really safe places for known al Qaeda members, the majority of the key members are now believed to be there. Al Qaeda brought experience in organizing suicide bombing operations, and found some of the local Islamic radicals eager to learn. However, over the last six months, Pakistani Army operations in the tribal territories have destroyed many of the al Qaeda hiding places. Some al Qaeda have thus moved to Pakistani cities, where various local Islamic radical groups can provide sanctuary.

Al Qaeda has, as in Iraq, made itself very unpopular in Pakistan. That is increasing their casualties, and causing more security conscious al Qaeda to seek another sanctuary. But there are few left. Somalia and Yemen are more dangerous than Pakistan, and offer fewer amenities, or good targets. Thus Pakistan may prove to be the end of the road for al Qaeda. Ironically, it was in the tribal territories of Pakistan that al Qaeda was founded in the 1980s. In some cases, you can go home again, if only to die.