Regional Terrorists vs. Global Terrorists
We've all heard the language drums playing out the Al-Qaeda tune of over the recent months. Trying desperately to paint Iraqi insurgents with the same brush as Al Qaeda who attacked us on 9/11. To be honest the administration and its lickspittle sycophant partners in the MSM have been doing a good job. People have been buying into the 'frame' if you will pardon the slight pun.
But what are the actual numbers of the really, really, scary AQIZ supermen.
hmmm.... 4%.... they must be real badasses...
But look at that EFFING HUGE green area. That consists of conventional forces facing us. Ex Army, Ex Bathist types, former Republican National Guard etc.You know, the ones that we sent home, armed to the teeth. Thanks Unka Jerry! These are the people we should actually be focusing on. For me, and maybe it’s my training, but I find the attempted linkage between Al Qaeda and AQIZ ridiculous and dangerously distracting. Not just from what we should be focusing on in Iraq, but what we should be doing fighting terrorism worldwide.
The thing that made Al Qaeda such a unique organization is that it is a Global Terrorist Group. I wanted to write 'it was' but sadly due to the incompetent handling of the counter terrorism efforts by the administration Al Qaeda is just about back to full strength. But again they are unique. What we are seeing in Iraq is yet another Regional Terrorist Group. This is more what everyone is familiar with. Remember the terrorist groups from the 70's and 80's, Baader Meinhoff, The Red Brigades, JRA... etc. These are regional based groups. Their beef is usually with some country’s government. Al Qaeda took it to the next level. They went global. Which is what made it so dangerous and left us unable to predict behavior. The U.S. counter terrorist people had never seen this before.
So when the Whitehouse is rambling on about AQIZ (Al Qaeda in Iraq) remember they are talking about a Regional Terrorist Group. An entirely different animal, this is not a group that will 'follow us home'. That’s not the nature of a regional group. They will fade away to some degree when we leave and the remainder will be eliminated by the Iraqi Army over time. Unless of course whatever happens to be the Iraqi government provokes a fight or creates an environment that fosters their growth. But luckily the Iraqi government will not be a target of these groups by default. Its our troops who are their targets and like someone leaning against a wall, remove the wall and they fall down.
UPDATE: Case in point -- new story from McClatchy Al Qaida at renewed strength in Pakistan... we havent kept our eyes on the ball.
The al Qaida terrorist network has rebounded and is at its greatest strength since it was expelled from Afghanistan after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, a new top-level U.S. intelligence assessment concludes, U.S. officials said Wednesday
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