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| Terror Networks & Islam |
| Let The Police Handle It |
| 2004-10-16 |
| October 15, 2004: The war on terror is running into some strange problems. In the Sahel (the semi desert region between the Sahara desert and the jungles of Central Africa), there have been centuries of banditry and rebellion (the two activities often get mixed up.) Now Islamic radicalism has been added to the mix. Young, poor, armed tribesmen are the primary recruits for all forms of organized violence. Now, as American troops train local soldiers to be more effective at patrolling their arid borders, they are finding that the "enemy" is elusive, unpredictable, and not your text book terrorist. Al Qaeda has discovered this as well, and has also found that local gunslingers always have their loyalty up for sale. If the Americans come in offering more money, the al Qaeda members are toast. As a result, bucks, not bullets, has proved to be the most effective weapon along the Sahel. Meanwhile, in Saudi Arabia, public opinion is becoming more tolerant of Islamic terrorists, mainly because there have been no terrorist attacks for months, and more critical of American anti-terror efforts. In the last year, Saudi police have killed or arrested ten of their "26 most wanted" Islamic terrorists. The Islamic terrorist organizations in Saudi Arabia are on the the run. But in the past 17 months, Islamic terrorism in Saudi Arabia has left over a hundred dead (mostly foreigners) and over 200 wounded. The Saudis like to think that, if the U.S. had not gone into Iraq, there would have been no outbreak of terrorism in Saudi Arabia. Most Saudis are willing to tolerate Islamic terrorism as long as it is not practiced in Saudi Arabia. For decades, this has been the attitude in Europe as well, and American operations in Iraq are criticized for "stirring things up." Many Saudis, Europeans, and even Americans, see Islamic terrorism as just one of those things, nothing to get too agitated about. Historically, this is correct. But the 911 attacks crossed the line for many people. Moreover, the ability, and eagerness of, terrorist groups to obtain weapons of mass destruction, has raised the ante. So the world is divided into those who want to treat Islamic terrorism as a police issue, and those that want to root out the support for the terrorists, and reduce the possibility of spectacular attacks using chemical, biological or nuclear weapons. Each camp considers the other out of touch, and there is little possibility of a meeting of the minds. Sort of like religion; you take a lot of it on faith. |
| Posted by:ed |
| #1 The major centers mentioned here are of the opinion that if they just watch the terrorists then they will play by the established rules. A watched pot never boils, right? This watched pot was well on its way to exploding. |
| Posted by: Jame Retief 2004-10-16 9:15:38 AM |