"Al Qaeda controls more territory than ever in Middle East" Topic

"From around Aleppo in western Syria to small areas of Falluja in central Iraq, al Qaeda now controls territory that stretches more than 400 miles across the heart of the Middle East, according to English and Arab language news accounts as well as accounts on jihadist websites.

Indeed, al Qaeda appears to control more territory in the Arab world than it has done at any time in its history.

The focus of al Qaeda's leaders has always been regime change in the Arab world in order to install Taliban-style regimes. Al Qaeda's leader Ayman al-Zawahiri acknowledged as much in his 2001 autobiography, "Knights Under the Banner of the Prophet," when he explained that the most important strategic goal of al Qaeda was to seize control of a state, or part of a state, somewhere in the Muslim world, explaining that, "without achieving this goal our actions will mean nothing."…"

Full article here
link

This is not good.

Amicalement
Armand

Just shows what few thousand fanatical lunatics can do if they put their minds to it …

No wonder the US military just recently bought a whole lot more Hellfires. :)

Appears to me that map is badly out of date, and all the sand-colored areas should be green.

They are resurgent all over, despite official statements to the contrary.

Yes but look at the areas:

Most are nothing but pure crap with very little water.

I think the map is pretty close from what I've been hearing and reading. Al Qaeda's influence in the pre-bin Laden strongholds are in decline. Not only have drone strikes had a telling impact on their presence in Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Yemen, but the governments and populace in those countries have started to resist Al Qaeda's presence, and those countries have become comparatively stable.

In Somalia it's the warlords that run the show, and I don't know that Al Qaeda ever had any real presence in Indonesia.

On the other hand, the areas in green have been sites of increasing turmoil over the past couple of years--ideal conditions for "organized" terror groups to get a foothold.

Fact is, we can't "defeat" al Qaeda. It's not a formal army or nation. It's a state-of-mind--a movement. It's whack-a-mole.

Nonsense. Al Qaeda and affiliated jihadi groups are resurgent almost everywhere. Pakistan, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, Iraq, etc.

IMO it's a direct consequence of the fact that .

On one side, everybody and their aunt and uncle claims to be Al Qaeda.

While the other side sees Al Qaeda everywhere.

Some of us just see re-branding of the ethnic religious crap that's always simmered in the regions. Much of which was given predictable new life in the power vacuum created by the bull in a China shop invasion of Iraq. Yes, much of this is a direct result of a War fought with too few troops and an intentionally sidelined State Department with no plan for reconstruction or occupation.

The interim "peace" was an illusion, bought by Patraeus through a series of favorable contracts to particular tribes but it wasn't built on systemic cultural change as successful occupations in the past have been. Once the graft payments stopped the return of the insurgency (which isn't exactly what it is but is a comfortable description for the West) was inevitable.

Not a single thing that has happened is a surprise. Almost all of it was predicted before the invasion of Iraq by every regional expert.

I do think some claim to be affilated with AQ but in pretty much in name only … like AS in Somalia. That being said, they still are a problem … How many new Hellfires did the US buy ?

What chriskrum has said.

Amicalement
Armand

Releasing more of them early, and/or ever isn't helping either.

"Catch and release" isn't a viable tactic when dealing with terrorists.

"Catch and release" isn't a viable tactic when dealing with terrorists.

Yeah, like that's actually what's happening on any level, ever.

If "catch and release" doesn't work, then maybe "spay and neuter."

Oh, sorry, I thought you were talking about *terriers*. Never mind.

"Yeah, like that's actually what's happening on any level, ever".

It's happened on a number of occasions, and continues today. Many terrorists captured after 9/11 have gone to be recaptured on the battlefield a second time, and/or to conduct raids against our personnel overseas.

A number have been released from Gitmo, since they want to close that, and then repatriated to their former countries, for imprisonment, or release. Usually, in the case of the former, they either bribe their way out, or make miraculous escapes (usually with hundreds of others criminals/terrorists).

Elaine Stewart, the lawyer for the blind sheikh, who advocated bombing the twin towers first, was just released by the US Justice Department last week:

link

She was "….serving a 10-year sentence over her 2005 conviction for helping a client, blind Egyptian cleric Sheikh Omar Abdel-Rahman, smuggle messages from prison to Egypt's Islamic Group, which the government had listed as a terrorist organization".

Reports of late also mention releasing Osama's driver and courier to Yemen, where no doubt he will be released, and/or escape as well, like most of those we've sent back there do.

What embassy did that driver plot to attack? And Elaine Stewart, did they fit her for a suicide vest?

They're released because due process was ignored and there wasn't sufficient evidence to actually convict. Heck, in the driver's case, not only was there never any crime, there was never even the suspicion that he was involved in any criminal activity. That's not "catch and release," that's the entire purpose of a Constitutional Republic.

Real terrorist, on the other hand, those that plot to attack the U.S. tend to have a life expectancy measured in months when they go public. That's hardly "catch and release."

But hey, who am I to stop you from looking at a map like the one posted at the start of this topic and drawing the brilliant conclusion from it that it's due to "releasing" terrorist? I'll let that stand alone as testament to the brilliant and inciteful (pun intended) analysis you continually provide here on TMP.

I provided a couple of examples, and there are many others that have been released and gone back to fighting our people overseas.

One Gitmo releasee is now believed to have been involved in helping to lead the attack against our embassy in Benghazi, and his org is going to be added to the terrorist watchlist.

The lady lawyer/terrorist sympathizer was convicted of passing along information to terrorists, resulting in a number of killings. Apparently, the Fatwah was being ignored by the blind sheikh's followers, but was rekindled after Elaine told them that the sheikh wanted them to continue with their murderous rampage, so yea, she's got blood on her hands, and is unapologetic about it.

Seems your assertion is incorrect.

Sorry that you can't handle the truth.

Only too predictable, what could be a useful discussion quickly gets detoured into la-la land by pointless (and stupid) political commentary.

"…some members of the current administration have direct ties with the Muslim Botherhood and have strongly affected US foreign policies turning 50 years of alliances on its head."

Nonsense, somebody's been listening to too much talk radio.

"How did we get to a place where our President is pushing aid for Al Qaeda allied forces in Syria?"

Uh – it was the other side's candidate for President who has been the strongest proponent in Congress for arming so-called Al Qa'ida types in Syria. Get out much?

Now, I'll be the first to admit that both sides of the political debate have their extremists, with ridiculous views. Just wish the "reasonable center" on both sides could discuss it without the wackos intervening.

Stop finger pointing … start drone and cruise missile strikes … No matter what the US does, someone if not everybody is going to be mad at us … The short answer … attrition …

What ? Drone & Cruise Missile strikes requests should only be posted on the Blue Fez ?

"I could not find an iota of factual evidence or even a single legitimate news source to support this allegation".

Fighter jets, tanks, and Billions of dollars of aid given to them, directly in Egypt, while throwing Mubarak under the bus. That's more than a little evidence for you.

Thankfully, the Egyptian military has stepped in, has overthrown the head "brother", and are jailing the MB again, as Mubarak did, back in the day, since even the Egyptians know they are terrorists, and radicals.

"How did we get to a place where our President is pushing aid for Al Qaeda allied forces in Syria?".

"I'm sorry, but you could not be more incorrect. The administration resisted arming the rebels".

Actually, the original poster is correct. The "secret" mission in Benghazi was for securing the MANPAD SAMs in Syria, and secretly shipping them to the rebels there, thru Turkey.

You know, the ones our former madam secretary had amnesia about, while testifying under oath.

"One Gitmo releasee is now believed…"
"Lady Lawyer/Terrorist sympathizer…"

You've got uncredited innuendo on one end and a flat out admission that the other isn't a terrorist. You neetly dropped your "driver" example.

Do some guilty people go free in the U.S. justice system? Yes, they do. Is that "catch and release" as national policy? Only for a very particular kind of idiot.

Does any incident of a guilty person going free have a statistical relationship to the map above? Again, only if you have very warped political glasses through which you view the world.

Just saw a pundit on CNN, make a valid twist on an old adage – "The enemy of my enemy is still my enemy …" … Very appropriate for what is going on in the regions on the map. In many cases … As far as releasing Gitmo alumni, about 1/3 end up rejioning their old buddies … May be we should secretly put a GPS chit in them, like we do our pets. When we see they are hanging out with their old crew … send in the drones and/or cruise missiles. Sneaky, under handed, immoral, draconian, Orwellian, etc., etc. … In light of 9/11, the mall in Kenya, etc., etc. … IMO it's giving them a taste of their own meds … < we need a mushroom cloud Smilie >

"The "secret" mission in Benghazi was for securing the MANPAD SAMs in Syria, and secretly shipping them to the rebels there, thru Turkey."

Tinfoil hat pinch much?

I quit wearing tin, since the little greys told me it didn't work …

So how would some one game this? Ambush Alley rules? 15 or 28mm figs??