From the Washington Post, :
A new cadre of untested Islamic militants is emerging to take the place of leaders in Osama bin Laden's al Qaeda network, which is now under "catastrophic stress" as a result of international operations over the past 30 months, the senior State Department counterterrorism official told a House International Relations subcommittee yesterday.At least 70 percent of al Qaeda's senior leadership has been detained or killed since the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks triggered a worldwide offensive against the network, and the remaining 30 percent is largely on the run, State Department counterterrorism coordinator J. Cofer Black testified. The movement has been "deeply wounded" by the elimination or arrest of more than 3,400 lower-level members and allies, forcing it "to evolve in ways not entirely by its own choosing," he said.
As a result, several newer and smaller groups, made up predominantly of Sunni Muslims, are moving in to take the lead in the jihadist holy war agenda against the United States and its allies, which has complicated the task of stamping out the threat from Islamic militants, said Black, a former CIA counterterrorism official.
"As al Qaeda's known senior leadership, planners, facilitators and operators are brought to justice, a new cadre of leaders is being forced to step up. These individuals are increasingly no longer drawn from the old guard, no longer the seasoned veteran al Qaeda trainers from Afghanistan's camps or close associates of al Qaeda's founding members," Black told the House subcommittee. "These relatively untested terrorists are assuming far greater responsibilities."
In another ominous sign, Black said, al Qaeda's ideology and its virulent anti-U.S. rhetoric are also spreading well beyond traditional strongholds, inspiring scores of Muslim groups. They include Ansar al-Islam in Iraq, the network of cells created by Jordanian Abu Musab Zarqawi; the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan; the Salafist Group for Call and Combat in North Africa; and the Salifia Jihadia in Morocco, which claimed credit for the 2003 bombings in Casablanca.
"Identifying and acting against the leadership, capabilities and operational plans of these groups poses a serious challenge now and for years to come," Black said.
Beyond the groups is the further problem represented by thousands of militants -- from conflicts such as Chechnya, Kashmir and Kosovo -- who migrate to other conflicts, Black told the subcommittee. The jihadists are a "ready source of recruits" for al Qaeda and its affiliates. And Iraq is a "focal point" for jihadists who are linking up with Sunnis opposed to the occupation.
I discuss that migration of jihadis, principally into Iraq and Bosnia, in Onward Muslim Soldiers.
One point totally lost by the mainstream media and many members in Congress; is that Iraq is a far better place to fight the Jihadist than say Europe or North America.
Sure the presence of American troops encourages an increase in terrorist activity in Iraq. But that also exsposes the terrorist to confrontations with the best trained killers in the world. The net result is that there will be less terrorist left standing as such confrontations increase in number and scope.
The War On Terror has to be made on such deadly calculations. Such is the historical dynamics of the Jihad. The choice to kill until killed was made the the Islamic Jihadist not the democratic Americans. And just because he can execute their game plan better than they and beat them at their own game does not make us evil. Just more advanced.
The ultimate end game for democracy is peace and prosperity. For the Jihad , witness Afghanistan, the net result is conflict and poverty. An endless conflict and poverty with no hope in sight.
Who's left standing at the end of the day, the soldiers of democracy or the terrorists of Jihad will determine which path the human race takes.
I am sure at some point human reason and rationality will win out over inhumane hatred and religious dogma. The very sons and daughters of Allah will choose the path of peace and prosperity ( once they are allowed to think for themselves and make choices ) and abandon the path of endless conflict and poverty.
The reality of such a prospect has in fact propelled the fundamentalist to launch the present Jihad in despiration; to alter the logical sequence of world culture. The wheel of history will crush them though. Turning the Jihad into just a bump in the road.
very insightful, wesley, i must admit. however, your point of view assumes a priori that all humans will comply with cartesian thinking once introduced to it. current events speak a different language. even now, our university professors teach our kids the exact opposite. they teach that there is no objective reason. there is only subjective truth. this leads them to lead our young people to believe that logic is wrong and wrong is right.