The seedbed of terrorism Ghulam Asghar Khan Jonathan Evans, the MI 5 Chief has disclosed in a speech that suspected al-Qaeda plots targeting Britain originated increasingly in Somalia and Yemen, partly as a result of counter-terrorism pressure on groups leaders in Pakistan and Afghanistan. He said, “Somalia resembled 1990s Afghanistan as a “seedbed of terrorism” where conditions encouraged a significant change in outlook after 9/11.” The seedling planted in Afghanistan by the US invasion in October 2001 have now grown into a full-fledged tree that is now exporting it’s seedlings for cultivation in other parts of the world. Mr. Evans rightly expressed his fears that the militants there might one day inspire like-minded individuals to carry out terrorist attacks in Britain. “It’s only a matter of time before we see terrorism on our streets inspired by those who are fighting today alongside al-Shabaab, an al-Qaeda aligned militant group in Somalia. The MI 5 chief warned that the counterterrorism capabilities have increased manifold in recent years and there remains a serious threat of lethal attack taking place. He saw no reason to believe that the situation would significantly improve in the near future. He particularly referred to the 2012 Olympics pointing out that Britain should not underestimate the challenge of mounting the Games’ security in an environment with a looming high terrorist threat. Evans pointed out that population of suspected plots against Britain originating in the northwest Pakistan dropped to about 50% from 75% during the last three years, showing a diversification and not a reduction of the threat. He, however, did not pinpoint the source of these statistical revelations, which on the face looked cooked up. There has never been an organized terrorist lobby against the British in Pakistan, nor there is presently any such group. The reduction in cases linked to Pakistan tribal belt is partly attributable to the immense pressure exerted on al-Qaeda leadership there. The reduction is also partly a result of increased activities elsewhere. He asserted that most of the terrorist plots in Britain since 9/11 have had links to Pakistan, including the 2005 suicidal attack that killed 52 people on the London underground and Bus networks. Like the America CIA, the MI 5 Director General claimed that he had asked Pakistan to do more. As if the CIA is already not doing much more to kill the Pakistani tribesmen, women and children by sending drones across the international frontiers in flagrant violations of human rights and international law. The US administration is so much possessed bin-Laden ghost that they see him organising hard-line al-Qaeda network in Yemen, and across the Gulf of Aden in Somalia where militant al-Shabaab is fighting a weak transitional government for the last three years and now controls large swaths of the south and centre of the country. It is alleged that these Islamist groups are being trained by some unskillful al-Qaeda associates and might as well pose a threat to the US presence in Arabian Peninsula. It is feared that even some determined amateurs might jeopardize the entire US strategy in the region. Across the Atlantic, two menacing trends are converging in a way that could greatly complicate US melee against the so-called Islamic terrorism; the nomenclature has lately been changed from al-Qaeda to Islamic terrorism. The growing efforts against al-Qaeda and its sympathizers are being directed to radicalize American Muslims en-masse as a threat to US security. The plan has been laid out in a powerful report released last week by the “National Security Preparedness Group” co-chaired by Tom Kean and Lee Hamilton, who also co-chaired the Federal 9/11 Commission. The report partly concluded because drone attacks and other measures have weakened al-Qaeda’s senior leadership, the organisation and its allies changed their strategy from planning large-scale counter-attacks attacks towards unleashing smaller-scale threats, like the attempted time Square earlier this year. The pace of such threats has unquestionably increased. In the Senate testimony Wednesday, terrorism expert Bruce Hoffman, a co-author of the report, noted that over the last 18 months law enforcement officials had uncovered ‘an average of one plot per month’ involving the American Muslims from all racial and economic backgrounds. These have ranged from amateurish bombing plans for the shooters, who attacked military targets in Little Rock and Fort Hood. The participation of so many American Muslims in such attacks is an unprecedented development. “Why so many radical recruits are achieving somewhat more success in the US?” Hoffman explained that one reason might be the extended US military presence in Afghanistan and Iraq, which has provided the recruiters with more fodder to argue that terrorism was justified as pay-back for the civilian Muslim casualties. More important is that the terrorists are simply placing a huge priority on recruiting American Muslims and are getting better by using the internet to do it. And that’s partly because more Americans, such as Anwar al-Awalaki, the firebrand Yemeni-American cleric from New Mexico, are moving up the ranks in international terrorist networks. It’s a strategy that is more effective at targeting Americans, because it’s the Americans who are doing it. Although the number of American Muslims acting on such calls remains tiny, but these trends need vigilance and fair scrutiny. The NSC (National Security Council) deliberations now focus on this risk. The director of National Intelligence has deployed a fulltime analyst to coordinate assessments of it. The US administration has convened officials from cities with large Muslim population to explore and go beyond limit to probe the law enforcement, particularly in concentrating on additional law enforcement resources to keep an effective check on the threat. But the challenge to all American policy makers and the citizens alike is to maintain the balance between vigilance and paranoia. One senior US National Security official said, “The common threat, which unites American Muslims who have joined the terrorist plots is that all of them have internalized the idea that the US is at war with Islam. If the legitimate worry about unearthing domestic terrorists metastasizes into broader suspicion of all American Muslims, that attitude will enlarge the audience for that message and makes it easier for the radicals to recruit in the US. It would in turn fuel suspicions of the non-Muslims in a dangerously downward spiral of distrust and alienation. Imagine how fast that cycle would spin, if a home-grown terrorist succeeds in a major attack.” Breaking this pattern would demand greater effort from all involved in the tangle. The US administration needs a more comprehensive strategy for combating radicalization. Muslim leaders must contest it with greater urgency. Political leaders must avoid the hyperbolic attacks on Islam that have cracked through the dispute over the Muslim community centre near Ground Zero. Intolerance and bigotry always lead to worldwide disasters. This truly is moment where Americans would become the scapegoat and face fearsome consequences for pulling apart the global peace. US is not facing an easy task to find an easy exit from Afghanistan and at the same tine maintaining Afghan army (ANA) and indigenous police force. Despite the apparent pretensions to bid farewell to protracted war, the Taliban rebels would continue to terrorize the entire country. The ISAF believes that substantial US assistance will be needed even after 2014. With about 85% of the populace in revolt, the Afghan Army and security forces would not be able to hold on for a longer time. In such a situation the future stability of Afghanistan becomes uncertain vis-à-vis the Taliban and other warlords. Will they leave Afghanistan in the economic and security quagmire, especially when Iran is out to financially help its Muslim brethren? It is certain that the US installed ruling clique would collapse giving rise to civil war that might as well engulf Pakistani tribal belt. gasghar@yahoo
Posted on: Sat, 08 Jun 2013 05:55:18 +0000
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