by Joel Brinkley
The generals and Pentagon officials who manage the Afghan war should take note: A few days ago, Yemen's
Four thousand miles away, Morocco's
And now the FBI has put Radullan Sahiron, a senior leader of an al-Qaeda-affiliated terror group in the Philippines, on its most wanted list.
Al-Qaeda operatives are pursuing their malignant plans everywhere. In Canada, "seven inmates convicted of Anti-Terrorism Act offenses are currently in federal institutions. Five more are awaiting trial in Ontario and Quebec, and two Winnipeg men who joined Al Qaeda are wanted" on outstanding arrest warrants, the
Earlier this year, Australian media reported that an al-Qaeda-affiliated website identified Australia as a specific target. A mock website photo showed the Sydney Opera House ablaze.
What does all of this have to do with Afghanistan? Since he took office, President Obama has said over and over again that the primary mission there has been to destroy al-Qaeda's ability to carry out terrorist attacks from Afghan soil.
Of course, virtually all al-Qaeda operatives fled Afghanistan a decade ago. Many remain resident in Pakistan. But as Secretary of State Hillary Clinton once put it: "Some people say, 'Well, al-Qaeda's no longer in Afghanistan.'" But "if Afghanistan were taken over by the Taliban, I can't tell you how fast al-Qaeda would be back in Afghanistan."
True. But so what? Right now, al-Qaeda is all over the world.
The al-Qaeda-related group al-Shabab killed 31 people in Somalia earlier this month. Boko Haram, the Islamic terror group in Nigeria, bombed a Presbyterian church on a Nigerian military base, killing at least 15 people. Gen. Carter Ham, who leads the U.S. military's Africa command, said al-Qaeda was sharing explosives with Boko Haram, adding, "it's clear to me that Boko Haram's leadership aspires to broader activities across the region, certainly to Europe."
Everyone already knows that al-Qaeda maintains a stronghold in Iraq. Thousands of operatives are at work in Syria. Early this month, Jordan uncovered an al-Qaeda plot to bomb several sites in Amman. A few weeks ago, Algeria killed three militants, including al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb's military commander.
And perhaps al-Qaeda's most tempting new home opened up earlier this year when Islamic extremists captured Northern Mali, an area the size of Texas. These miscreants are cutting of hands of robbers, beating anyone caught listening to music and women who don't fully cover themselves. What better place for al-Qaeda to establish still another new home?
Already, more than 400,000 Malian civilians have fled their homes, and
In Afghanistan, meanwhile, 3,236 military-coalition lives have been lost -- as well as uncounted thousands of Afghan civilians. The United States has spent or obligated close to
The special inspector general for Afghan reconstruction, in his latest report, declared that after 10 years of training -- at a cost of
The U.S. plans to maintain small bases in Kabul and Kandahar into the indefinite future. If al-Qaeda returns and opens new bases, as Clinton predicted, will it really matter -- given al-Qaeda's presence on every continent? In any case, the residual U.S. forces could take out any new base. Who's going to stop them?
It's time to accelerate the withdrawal. Nothing will be accomplished by staying two more years -- except more lost lives, more wasted money.
Start bringing the troops home -- now.
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