News is still filtering out of Algeria as we wait to see just how many people were killed when government forces stormed a gas facility where Islamist terrorists were holding dozens of workers, including some Americans, hostage. While initial reports speak of many hostages being killed, we can only hope that the casualties turn out to be fewer than feared and that none of the terrorists involved have escaped. But the attack, like the 9/11 assault on the U.S. consulate in Benghazi, Libya, highlights the fact that contrary to the tone of much of President Obama’s re-election campaign, al-Qaeda and its network of affiliated terrorist groups is very much alive, especially in North Africa.
At the Washington Post, Max Fisher writes to emphasize what he says are the “sketchy” links between al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb, an offshoot of which appears to be behind the Algerian operation, and the al-Qaeda that is fighting the United States in Pakistan and Afghanistan. That is true. The fact is, as he points out, Islamists have been fighting in Algeria since the 1990s. Moreover, the notion that al-Qaeda was a centralized group with a unitary command was always something of a myth. However, these different national branches always cooperated and were part of the jihadi pipeline across North Africa and the Middle East. All of which is to say that the claim that the terrorists in Algeria are unrelated to the Islamist terror war on the West is not true. That leads to the inevitable conclusion that the administration’s attempt to portray the conflict with Islamists as having essentially been ended by the death of Osama bin Laden is also a myth.
The large scale of the Algeria attack, which was reportedly carried out by terrorists based in the new Islamist stronghold of Mali, points to the scope of the problem that is still posed by al-Qaeda affiliates. It also makes it clear that the triumphalist tone that has been the keynote of the administration’s representation of its counter-terrorism effort is not justified.
At the very least this ought to complicate John Brennan’s confirmation as the new director of the CIA. Brennan has largely flown under the radar of the national press in his role deputy national security advisor and the White House’s point man on counter-terrorism. Brennan has yet to be grilled about what he knew and when he knew it about the Benghazi fiasco, and who it was that circulated talking points claiming the terror attack was an out-of-control gathering of film critics. Now we may have more dead Americans to account for and just as few answers about what is being done to deal with this threat.
With most of the focus on the nomination of Chuck Hagel as secretary of defense, the rumblings of discontent about Brennan have been muted. But this new outrage ought to wake up even those senators who have been inclined to take it easy on him in order to concentrate their fire elsewhere.
But whatever happens to Brennan, Americans should be even more aware than they were in September that the idea that America’s mission to fight al-Qaeda was accomplished with bin Laden’s death is a terrible mistake. Let’s hope that even more Americans won’t have to die before this fight once again becomes a foreign policy priority.
it's jihad, baby n njihad and rust never sleep n nit never ends, it just reinvents itself n nand renames itself………..all the names of various groups out there n nI will tell you a secret n n………………………………………….(they are all the same)
Truth well spoke. Of course, Hussein- peace be upon him-Obama would love nothing better than to spread the fiction that Al Qaeda is the only enemy we Americans need fight . This way, he can let the Islamists (those without the name Al Qaeda) run rough shod over the planet. And this is precisely what we are seeing.
Kahane chai!
Hey, is that you Chuck Hagel? Now don't try to trickerate us with that Jewish sounding name.
All true, so far as it goes. This Algerian outfit, al Qaeda in the Islamist Maghreb, formerly known as the Salafist Group for Preaching and Combat, was founded by an offshoot of the armed Islamist rebels who fought the Algerian govt. in a ruthless war in the 90s after the main group accepted an amnesty, reconciled and laid down its arms. The Salafist Group may not have had more than a few hundred members rambling around the desert who flourished on kidnappings for ransom, robbery, smuggling and protection rackets and focused its wrath on Algeria. Then, it decided to embrace the al Qaeda brand and seek alliances with other jihadists outside Algeria. That effort did not seem to yield many results for the newly named AQIM, most likely because it still had to spend most of its energy fending off the Algerian government, which does not temporize about its rough treatment of jihadists. n nMore recently, though, in the wake of the Libya war as well-armed Tuareg fighters who supported nGaddaffi retreated into Mali and launched a separatist rebellion against the Mali govt., AQIM was given a priceless gift next door with the opportunity to team up with other jihadists and sieze territory from a weak, basically non-resisting govt. n nDoes this mean that AQIM is no longer just a local threat? Maybe. But now that it has launched a major attack menacing Algeria's lifeblood energy industry, it may have made a huge mistake. Algeria may be moved to join the battle to crush them.
Just after Obama's state visit to Burma, their war against the Rohyinga muslims was transformed into military action against "separatists". n nSurely the wordspinners in the West Wing are working overtime on how to spin Mali and Algeria, while Algeria's government is saying "We told you so!!!!!" re: the Libya adventure. n n
so the United States is now going to go to war with every disaffected group of armed Islamic tribesman in the whole fracking world? arms are everywhere. they are sold in the white market, the black market, the gray market, out the front door, out the back door, out the back of the truck by every conceiveable macher, broker, and dealer. boker or, welcome to planet earth. n nwhat is the geopolitical rationale here, what are the dominoes that are going to fall? As goes Mali so goes? ? ? ? n nGood luck in your war against Islam.
That's the attitude- Let Islam run rough shod over the planet. Remember, an appeaser is one who feeds the crocodile-hoping it will eat him last. These are Winston Churchill's words regarding the Nazis. He also knew a thing or two about Islam.
yeah yeah yeah. Go try to fight 1.6 billion people "over the planet". Starting in Mali. You might have noticed that Israel fights its wars on its borders into contiguous territory. There's reasons for that.
Who said anything about about sending troops overseas to fight this battle? n No, No. Quite the contrary-we need to quarantine the Islamic world, and that means stopping mass Muslim immigration into Western lands. Also, we should not intervene in Muslim sectarian strife-let them fight it out with each other as they have for the past 1400 years. My remedy calls for no military or financial aid to Muslim nations. Really the opposite of the disastrous ME policies of Bush and Obama. The strategy I propose is neither appeasement or fool's errand like Iraq. n
well Jonathan seems to be pointing in that direction but OK. I hear the tramp tramp tramp of marching boots I start to wonder what maps they are using. But I am not as pessimistic as most of you guys. Color me crazy, but I like the Arabs I meet up to the moment five minutes into the conversation where they go off on the worldwide Zionist conspiracy. I figure, OK, the US can conduct relations based on the first four minutes. And Israel has no choice but to live with them and conduct relations–they can't be a ghetto for the quarantine would work in the wrong direction.
do you understand that islam is mandated to bring the whole world to islam? n nthat is the jihad, the struggle to make islam supreme n nwhether we want it or not, islam is engaged in the struggle, the Jihad, with us- n nwhat do you suggest we do?
imo opinion we cannot fight a war against islam. Not as a concept or abstraction. Not as a unified network of population centers. Well, we can fight that war but that will be an endless war because there will be an endless supply of hostile combatants. I'm not a military expert. I tentatively suggest we prioritize strategic interests, lines of communication, lines of resource transport, and match commitments to friendlies along the corridors. I dont get any rationale for starting in on the hinterlands of the anomic and underdeveloped Islamic underbelly and seeking to secure enclaves in non-states and states in dissolution. n n n n
Look , there are hundreds of Islamic terror groups throughout the world, almost none of them with the name Al Qaeda, but all sharing the same ideology as Al Qaeda: Islamic ideology. Frankly, It's silly and counter-productive to narrowly focus on just one of those groups- not even the most dangerous at this point , though the most infamous in Western minds- at the expense of giving free reign to numerous other Islamic groups who are dominating whole nations such as Egypt, Libya, and Somalia. After all, the Muslim Brotherhood government in Egypt shares the exact same goals as "Al Qaeda", even if their methods are more subtle and stealthy.
exactly
…..from the article n nWhat is the duty today on the Muslim as regards these treaties? n nThe answer: n n(1) The first duty is to firmly believe in their invalidity and that because they contain invalid conditions they were born dead the very day they were given birth to; because it is not lawful for the Muslim to conclude an agreement with the unbeliever for abandoning jihad and abrogating this religious duty, nor for giving up hostility towards the Jews and affirming love and amity for them; for this is leaving the millah. These treaties also contain provisions making it incumbent to screen out such Ayahs of the Quran and ahadith (statements) of the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be on him, that declare this enmity towards the Jews. n nThis undertaking constitutes a collusion with the unbelievers for concealing the Deen and knowledge and for suspending the Ayahs of the noble Quran and ahadith of the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be on him, that explain the essence of obligatory relationship with the Jews; and this in fact is driving the Muslims out of Islam and stripping the Ummah of its belief and history.. n nplease read the rest to understand
ok. no treaties, then what? what do you do, as in nuts and bolts. You will issue diktats to Egypt, Pakistan, Indonesia, the Magreb do such and such or else. Or else what?What is the such and such? More nation building? And intervening in Mali supports your strategy how? operationally what is the mission?
by this logic you will be betrayed by any ally you have in the entire Islamic world and all your interventions will be futile–so why even bother? i don't see any strategy here to meet the outsized threat you post
The failing in the west is not one of ability but of will. The one thing Muslims want from the West more than anything else is education. Threaten the Sunni Sheiks and the Shia Ayatollahs who fund and arm international Jihad with the exclusion of their children from American and European schools and you will bring them quickly to heel. n nI have no sympathy for the French or the EU. Foreign oil workers in Algeria are not my friends. I don't buy into the new domino theory that replaces a Communist bogeyman with an Islamist bogeyman. Rebranding long established Muslim brigands and kidnappers in Africa "AQIM" doesn't make them any more a threat to America today than they were yesterday. n nIf the French want to retain a profitable remnant their old colonial holdings in Africa they are welcome to do it with their own troops and their own antiquated equipment. If BP wants to protect its facilities in Algeria, let BP hire mercenaries to do it and subtract the cost from its bottom line. n nThe American public is being outrageously manipulated in this affair. The most egregious lie I have heard in the last week is that ransoms paid to the Muslim brigands in the region is what mainly funds Jihad around the world. The inernational Jihad was started and massively funded by our Saudi "allies" who continue to support it to this day. If you recall that the first response to 9/11 by the State Department was to hustle bin Laden's Saudi relatives out of the country before they could be questioned by the FBI, you begin to perceive the nature of our current difficulties. The recent cockup by State in Benghazi is more of the same. n nOur diplomats and our policy makers are in bed with our enemies.
we can disagree about the level of interpersonal exchange between the United States and the Arab world or its modalities etc. My double take was that Mr. Tobin precisely davidlevavi was laying between the line some new dominoes theory hoodoo–the networks are out there! the mission isn't finished! I think we will be in bed with the two-timing Saudiis for a long long time to come, our very special relationship .. frenemies. For sure it would be nice if the slack was tightened and spades were called spades but … n nwe agree at least on the French thing.
…..US diplomats John Adams and Thomas Jefferson during their 1786 meeting with the Tripolitan [Libyan] ambassador Sidi Haji Abdul Rahman Adja. n n During their discussions, they questioned Ambassador Adja as to the source of the unprovoked animus directed at the fledgling United States republic. Jefferson and Adams, in their subsequent report to the Continental Congress, recorded the Tripolitan Ambassador’s justification: n n… that it was founded on the Laws of their Prophet, that it was written in their Koran, that all nations who should not have acknowledged their authority were sinners, that it was their right and duty to make war upon them wherever they could be found, and to make slaves of all they could take as Prisoners, and that every Musselman who should be slain in Battle was sure to go to Paradise. n nand what exactly, do you think has changed since then?? n
besht n nthere is NOTHING 'we' can do, to stop muslims from jihad, except getting them to abandon islam n nislam…submission…..is the struggle to make islam supreme, or jihad n nfor the same reason, there is nothing Israel can do to assuage the moslam hatred, or get the arabs to honor any agreement they sign with the Israelis n nno amount of concession will stop the jihad….except n nkoran 9:29 n nFight those who do not believe in Allah or in the Last Day and who do not consider unlawful what Allah and His Messenger have made unlawful and who do not adopt the religion of truth from those who were given the Scripture – [fight] until they give the jizyah willingly while they are humbled. n nand then, given the nature of islam, they will slaughter each other n nnightmare does not begin to describe it n n
Jews in Israel have to have relationships with their Arab Islamic neighbors. n nWarfare cannot be the first and only option. n nIsrael *has* had workable relations in peace and war with the Hashemite Kingdom for 65 years. n nYou may geometrically "prove" this is an impossibility but, like the bumblebee it flies. n nTo each his own.
charleston imagine the world as one big neighborhood–your policy has decided that 1 out of every 5 people you meet are out to get you. n nwow. bummer. be vigilant but in the long run i am personally doubtful that we can live with this level of realism. also as a Jew I know Israel can't live that way. It needs to have relations day to day with its neighbors as circumstances permit because as Sharon proved in 1982 its effective radius of force projection control is about 50 miles from its borders and then things go sideways. It can't for example tell the Hashemites to go screw themselves much as folks thinks Jordan-is-Palestine is a panacea. n nand the U.S. by its nature is an open society. that's what we do. we let folks in, we engage in international commerce. the italian deli across the street from me has hallel pizza and is run by Muslims. n nI don't discuss politics or ZOG. Whatever the long term intentions here the crust is pretty good.
only an idiot would construct that this is …MY POLICY HAS DECIDED n nwhat I have posted is not MY POLICY n nare you capable of comprehending that much??????? n nwhat a maroon
WTF n n nOK, let's substitute world view for "policy" n nOK your "worldview" if *adopted* into policy would be a leap off a tall cliff into nowhere. n nFig newton. n n
you are hilarious n nit is not my WORLD VIEW n nthe articles I posted DESCRIBE what is PERMISSABLE to moslams nwhen interacting with non moslam states n nI am posting to show you the ISLAMIC WORLD VIEW n nyour profound state of denial borders on pathology n n…….coconut?
I've met and worked with many Arabs, including Arabs in Israel. n nThey didn't try to kill me. n nThen there were Arab armies and the PLO and they did. n nAgain, the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan has worked to guarantee the peace on Israel's east for 40 years now and served as a brake on Palestinian aggression. n nAnd Israel intervened to prevent a Syrian invasion of Jordan. n nWho when what. n nPlus we're cousins. n nViaduct?
Only if Bill Clinton had ordered the execution of O.B.L, when he was given the opportunities!!!!!More than 12 years ago!!! nThe financial support for these extremists come from Saudi Arabia, the gulf states and probably pragmatic Iran. They get the petro and gas$ from the whole world (EU, US, India, China and other countries). nAlternative sources of energy are vital.
If the folks here get their wish for a permanent mobilization national security bureaucracy wise against the Islamic east–kiss your Tea Party aspirations good bye. Government feeds on itself. The New Deal civilian mobilization gave the Brain Trusters the chops to reenact Wilson's wartime Presidency and the successful prosecution of the war cemented the progressive reforms of the pervious half century into the prosperous status quo consensus of the American Century (which most here are too young to personally remember). Congressional consent, a Constitutional dedication to representative lawmaking–it all takes a back seat to the bureaucracy and co-opted commercial enterprise. More of what you don't want now.