Mar 24 2008
Updates On The War On Terror 03_24_08
A few updates from the war on terror. Seems allied forces have been busy over the weekend. In Iraq a large number of terrorists have been killed, and nearly twice that number have been killed in Afghanistan. Strangely (or maybe not), the liberal media is all upset that our systemic killing of Taliban commanders is creating an army of younger leaders:
The Taliban leadership in southern Afghanistan is passing into the hands of younger, more extreme insurgents as the relentless targeting of traditional commanders by British forces takes its toll.
In a week spent in Helmand province, The Daily Telegraph has found widespread evidence that special forces operations are degrading the Taliban’s leadership and its ability to co-ordinate operations.
But there are also indications of increasing radicalisation within the Taliban as more extreme fighters, many of them al-Qa’eda-linked foreign militants, fill the gaps left when experienced Taliban leaders are killed.
Western military officials say privately that approximately 200 medium and high-level Taliban commanders were killed countrywide in targeted bombings or assassinations by American and British special forces last year, and a further 100 captured.
Using local intermediaries, the Telegraph was able to meet two mid-level Taliban commanders in the provincial capital Lashkargar. Both claimed that the Taliban was increasingly recruited from outside Helmand and that its hierarchies were becoming far less clear cut.
Clearly we are decimating the terrorist leaders to the point locals no longer run the fighters, which is probably why more locals are being killed and there is a rising resentment with the Islamo Fascists in the region. This is how al-Qaeda lost Iraq, foreigners killing Iraqi Muslims.
Moreover, the fact we are taking out their senior and experienced leaders and they are being replaced by less-wise, more reckless younger folks not familiar with the region and locality is not a bad thing. Hitler did the same thing in the waning days of the 3rd Reich – it did not slow the destruction of the Nazi movement, just as this won’t slow the destruction of radical Islam.
And on a matter which I started picking up on last July and then again last fall (check here and here for examples) we find that there is, in fact, permission for US Special Forces to hunt down key targets in Pakistan:
The Musharraf regime has indirectly approved the US Drone (pilotless plane) attacks on Al Qaeda targets in tribal areas of Pakistan bordering Afghanistan.
Since January, missiles have been fired from the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) operated Predator drones and have hit at least three suspected hideouts of Islamic militants, including a strike on March 16 in Toog village in South Waziristan that left 20 dead.
Sources said that the recent wave of Predator attacks are the result of Musharrafs understanding with the US officials and other top Pakistanis which gave Washington virtually unrestricted authority to hit targets in the border areas.
Sorry Barack, we won’t have to actually invade Pakistan if you become President! There are our allies, and acting like it.
On a more positive note, more Afghan children are in school these days:
Afghanistan’s Education Minister, Khanif Atmar, has revealed that Afghani children are now attending school in record numbers.
Mr Atmar has given the figure of nearly seven million children enrolling for new school year classes.
…
It is believed numbers in the coming year will show a third of the pupils are girls who were banned from attending the classroom under the Taliban regime, which was ousted in the US-led invasion in 2001.
Now that is clearly a brighter future for Afghanis, and clearly the families are participating in this new feature of Afghan life since they are sending their girls to school. No wonder the Taliban was recently ejected from Islam in a religious fatwa released from the Pak tribal areas.
It seems to me al-Qaeda is also on the ropes, given the recent pronouncements from Bin Laden and now Zawahiri:
A new statement attributed to al Qaeda’s No. 2 figure, Ayman al-Zawahiri, calls on Muslims to attack Western interests in defense of the Palestinians in Gaza.
“Let us strike their interests everywhere, just as they gathered against us from everywhere, and let them know that every dollar they spend on the killing of Muslims, there will be shed blood instead in return,” the speaker in the nearly five-minute statement says.
No more trying to save Iraq or Afghanistan. AQ is going back to the tried and true (and well worn) call to arms against Israel. One item that is telling about AQ is the line I highlighted. The image it conveys is one of a movement surrounded and being pummeled. This may be an accidental exposure of the feelings of AQ right now.
I think the biggest mistake AQ made was retreating its forces to the tribal areas of Pakistan to regroup. Because now there is a noose around the area with 80,000 Pakistani forces around the southern edge of the region and some 30,000 NATO fighting forces along the norther edge in Afghanistan. And there are a couple hundred US and UK Special Forces personnel hunting the bad guys inside the tribal region.
Surrounded and begging for help – that is AQ. And with Islamic sects now going on record with fatwas claiming the Taliban are now out of Islam due to their atrocities (and possibly foreign leaders), it will not be much longer before Islam decides AQ should join them and is also expelled from Islam. These Islamo Fascists are not the future of Islam – they are its enemies. And the Muslim community is awakening to that fact quite rapidly.
75:
These guys are talking about terrorists, not just illegals. Like the terrorist that was stopped at the Canadian border back in 99 as he was coming here to blow something up.
And they are building that fence on the southern border, just not fast enough for some people.
75:
Oh please, those migrants have been coming here for years to work.
And what the hell do freebies have to do with this anyway.
AJ does a story on terrorism and then Vince does a snotty little post about how Bush sucks because our government is going to help seal a 7 mile border in Gaza or some such nonsense and the next thing you know we are talking about freebies etc.
Screw this.
Terrye, freebies are what draw the large numbers of illegals. Yes, we’ve always had migrants but never near these kinds of numbers and certainly not these level of illegals. And it’s these large numbers that put a strain on catching the terrorist infiltrators so obviously, these are related problems.
75,
Once a liberal always a liberal…they’ll never get the freebie connection.
Terrye,
“Oh please, those migrants have been coming here for years to work.”
Like I said, since it’s been going on for years let’s just accept it then, right? Nothings changed, right?
You don’t see the connection between the border issue, freebies, Vince’s feelings about the government, a border in Gaza and terrorism. You are entitled to that opinion. For those of us who do see those connections and many more we are also entitled to ours.
Screw that.
No one made an issue in 2004, and then all of sudden it is an emergency?
Did you know me in 2004? Wow. such arrogance. I’ve been complaining about it since 2001.
AJ does a story on terrorism and then Vince does a snotty little post about how Bush sucks because our government is going to help seal a 7 mile border in Gaza or some such nonsense and the next thing you know we are talking about freebies etc.
Bush does suck. We have our own border problem with Terrorist., they passed a law to build the fense and they aren’t doing it.
But somehow they could find the political will to throw all kinds money at Egypt and send in the Army Corp of Enigenners there ASAP. It seems like when it comes to the Arabs, we’re johnny on the spot and can’t jump high enough.
Crap like this is why conservatives aren’t even listening to Bush anymore and if it wasn’t for the disasterous Democrats and the total ruination this country would suffer if one of them got elected, they wouldn’t be voting for McAmnesty either.
Vince,
I’m usually with you most of the time but I think comparing the Egyptian/Gaza border situation to our own with Mexico is a bit of a stretch. Don’t get me wrong, I agree that Bush isn’t exactly conservative and certainly isn’t regarding the Mexican border situation. He is from Texas, after all. But I can’t go so far as to say Bush “sucks”. Just my two cents but there a lot of other factors besides he and his administration that are dragging their feet on a border fence, not the least of which is an entire party of half our nation eager to add millions of illegal voters to their rolls.
A must read at the “freerepublic”
On the verge of victory
The war in Iraq promises to remake the Middle East
Sunday, March 23, 2008
By Jack Kelly, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Kathie, pleased correct me if I’m wrong but is not this paper one of Rush’s favorites?
75: I’ve become totally alienated from Bush.
It’s a sad state of affairs when someone I really wanted to succeed is such a failure.. and I do think he failed. And whats’ really tragic is that he’s probably going to be the best thing have for a while, because I have no hope the next president is going to be any better.
Just because Bush is better than the alternatives, it doesn’t mean there is anything objecitvely great about the way things are..
Kathie,
That was a great read…but they always have to throw in their critisicms of President Bush…my favorite being the one about the cost being higher because of the blunders made in prosecuting the war. I wish they would tell us exactly which wars have been prosecuted perfectly…of course they can’t because they don’t exist, but that have to throw that piece of meat to the wolves. I guess it thinks it gives them some kind of credibility.
I dont think there will be any victory in Iraq until the regime in Iran is crushed.
Just think how much better the US would be strategically if we would have focused our resources on Afganistan and Pakistan in the first place.
Vince, I agree that “better than the alternatives” isn’t ideal but I don’t think he’s a failure by any means. I think he’s “strayed” from the conservative cause far less frequently than the conventional wisdom says. For the most part, I’m still in his corner. It’s very difficult for any president in his last term to get things done, especially one who’s taken the beating this one has. We’ll all be better because of him, certainly not despite him but that being said…prepare yourself for our next president. We’ll all be remembering the Bush days in a far more favorable light. I’m certain of that.
75….I don’t know if it is one of Rush’s favorites. I thought that Jack explained just how complicated this war is. To difficult for sound bites. It was always a risky war but given the many facts that few in the public domain knew much about because we are not privy to the NIE I think it was the right decision. The senators knew what the NIE said. They voted for the war. Because of secrecy they can say anything now, like Bush lied. About risky…….it may work for the world benefit it may not, but it is worth the try. That was the decision the President had to make in the wake of 911. I think there are few Presidents that have had the courage of this President.
Kathie,
Amen.
Vince,
Is your “Total alienation” from Bush all about Mexican immigration?
75,
Your response to WWS was no response. The northern border remains a threat, regardless of the number of illegals currently exploiting each border.
Whippeti…I don’t get why the dems are talking about the costs, which have been enormous granted. This is how I see it. The costs of 911 were in the neighborhood of 1 trillion, maybe more. I think that if my home were in danger, let’s say I might loose it for some reason, I do everything to keep it. I give up dinners out, I shop at Target, I buy only essential foods, I turn down the heat, conserve on water etc. But the dems don’t get it. Their answer to terrorism is forget it. They belittle those who protect us, disconnect the dots, up domestic programs like free education, free medical care, etc. I think you protect your home because with out it nothing else matters.
Kathie,
Because the Dems don’t really care about your home. They only care about theirs. Since they have convinced themselves that they are the only ones who care about others they can spend all of our money to help those they feel are “needy.” The more people they buy off in this manner the more votes they receive and the longer their term in office.
They believe that since they “care” in this manner that it doesn’t really matter what threats may come to the U.S. because no one will harm them since they are so “caring.”
If for some unforseen (in their minds) reason those who may want to harm us do find their way here they believe they are safe because they’ve spent so much time, effort and money defending them.
It’s all Bush’s and the evil Republican’s fault. And they believe that socialist and communist societies are the more perfect ones. Damn the history that shows otherwise.
Other than that it’s all about power and they’ll do whatever it takes to get it and whatever it takes to keep it once they have it. The ends justify the means…
Coral,
How much better would we be strategically and why?