Al Qaeda in retreat?

Discussion in 'Politics' started by countezero, May 30, 2008.

  1. countezero Registered Senior Member

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    The CIA says so. And with no significant attacks, it would seem that estimate is probably correct.

    http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/7427176.stm

    The real question is whether jihadism is on the wane, generally speaking, or if it will flare up again after the War on Iraq finally settles down.
     
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  3. synthesizer-patel Sweep the leg Johnny! Valued Senior Member

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    Of course there are plenty of people who were pretty certain that AQ were NEVER a particular credible threat, and what little threat they did pose was anihiliated in the first few weeks of the Afghan invasion.
     
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  5. S.A.M. uniquely dreadful Valued Senior Member

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    Geez, if the CIA says so it must be true.
     
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  7. Prince_James Plutarch (Mickey's Dog) Registered Senior Member

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    Yes, just like the Palestinians are preeminently innocent victims and Al-Jazeera is the most objective news in the world.

    The US war on terror has been eminently succesful in crippling the offensive capability of Al'qaeda. It has not, however, destroyed Al'qaeda's top leadership to a necessary level.
     
  8. synthesizer-patel Sweep the leg Johnny! Valued Senior Member

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    Do you mean OBL, the goat, or the donkey? There's barely anyone else left
     
  9. iceaura Valued Senior Member

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    Side comment: on the matter of local Mideast politics, is there a demonstrably more "objective" source of general info than Al Jazeera ?

    They have been more accurate with fewer resources, in their reporting on several matters, than most other news sources. Is that a reasonable criterion of "objectivity" ?
     
  10. Mr.Spock Back from the dead Valued Senior Member

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    :roflmao:
     
  11. Brian Foley REFUSE - RESIST Valued Senior Member

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    Oh I feel safer already ...................

    Exit the CIA enter the FBI ..........

    The image is not from Al Qaeda. It's artwork from a computer game called "Fallout."

    LOL , what a Fucking Joke , SHEEPLE countezero

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  12. countezero Registered Senior Member

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    So the embassy bombings, the attack on the Cole and 9/11 didn't impress you, huh?

    Despite its demonization by the American media, I find it a pretty good source. Still, I go for the BBC more often.
     
  13. kmguru Staff Member

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    Without Al Qaeda, our war on Terrorism will be over. The Billions that is being spent on the war machine will come to an end...or will it?

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  14. DiamondHearts Registered Senior Member

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    The invasion of Afghanistan was a war crime. Afghanistan was never a threat to America. The invasion of such a poor, devastated state was used to set a precedent for military incursions by Western capitalists into the Middle East.

    Al Jazeera is a nonpartisan, no objective organization which serves to portray the news from the dominant Arab perspective, which is generally more rational and concerned with the region than the American perspective. American media were sued as a tool of war to justify the invasions of two sovereign nations, Iraq and Afghanistan.

    Looks like what the Americans did to Afghanistan and Iraq.
     
  15. superstring01 Moderator

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    If anything the CIA's report should support what you've been claiming: Al Qaeda isn't the horrible force that American's think it is.

    ~String
     
  16. pjdude1219 The biscuit has risen Valued Senior Member

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    um harboring a terrorist group who repeatly attack american targets and supporting them made Afghanistan a threat.
     
  17. superstring01 Moderator

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    Indeed, due to the sullied business of Iraq, many people want to retroactively alter the Afghanistan invasion to paint it in the same light. It's an easy and popular thing to do now. And while Bush may be some horrible war criminal for Iraq, the USA was hardly out of line invading Afghanistan. I know that Muslims all circle the wagon when even the worst Muslim does something bad and is punished deservingly, but there isn't a US president who could hope to keep his job for long without invading a country that was harboring the terrorists who were known to have bombed and killed so many Americans.

    ~String
     
  18. Kadark Banned Banned

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    "Al Qaeda" has never had the ability to truly harm Americans on their own soil - not now, not 2001.
     
  19. pjdude1219 The biscuit has risen Valued Senior Member

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    tell that to the 3000 dead
     
  20. Ghost_007 Registered Senior Member

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    Al-Qaeda represents 'Jihadism'?

    The concept of Jihad is believed by all Muslims. Al-Qaeda simply represents a minuscule of Jihadi groups, they do not have a monopoly on Jihad. Al-Qaeda has its own philosophy, structure, methods, aims & objectives etc. There are many Jihadi groups throughout the Muslim World, many which are a million miles away from the philosophy and mentality of Al-Qaeda.

    Anyway, have a read of this:

    http://www.nefafoundation.org/miscellaneous/nefainsurgencychart0308.pdf


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  21. DiamondHearts Registered Senior Member

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    Even the proof for this accusation is nominal at best. The Afghani government pre-9/11 asked for documented proof and a world televised UN court case held in Pakistan, which Pakistan agreed to, and instead the US administration simply started bombing people's homes, hospitals, and government buildings.

    You don't simply start bombing thousands of civilians to catch one person (one whom you haven't even proved has any relation to terrorism), its illegal and destroys any form of credibility you may have had. The question is: "Is it justifiable to murder in cold blood thousands of innocent men, women, and children to find a hand full of vigilantes?"

    Speaking of a harboring a hand full of terrorists, why do we not look at the nations that harbors thousands of them? There are many tyrants and killers who are wanted in Middle East countries, for example Altaf Hussein of MQM terror organization who has been responsible for murder of thousands of innocent people, and Reza Shah Pahlavi, and not to mention supporting dictators and murderers like Hamid Karzai, Nuri al Maliki, Hosni Mubarak, Islam Karimov,etc.

    I have been against the war against Afghanistan since day one. I will forever be opposed to it. What America has done there is a travesty of justice of the highest degree, worse than what has taken place for 50 years. A poor, helpless nation has to pay for the unsatisfiable greed of a rich, aggressive nation. Many Afghanis have lost their fathers, sons, brothers, sisters, mothers, and children. This matter will take hundreds of years to resolve, America has no idea what they have done. Generations of Afghanis will grow up in a chaotic, anarchic country and only one reason to blame for this: America. This is what creates militarism, why are Americans so oblivious. Without an invasion, many Afghanis could have began to live normal lives, but those peasants were a threat so they had to be eliminated and their lives had to be ruined. The blame lies squarely with the Bush administration and those unsympathetic individuals who supported these wars in the beginning and those which support it now.

    There are other ways of settling disputes that war. When America learns this, it may well be too late. They have destroyed their economy, prestige, and even their honor by chasing these self-imagined phantoms who seemingly appear wherever a handful of Republicans want a war in the Middle East.

    You are so devoid of touch of reality, I don't see any point of debating you. Even the majority of Americans now believe that the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq were strategic blunders and many more will believe so in a few more years.

    No one is supporting terrorists, we are arguing about an invasion of two sovereign nations which have caused deaths, torture, and rape of many innocent Muslim men and women. Being confrontational and stating Muslims are the enemy, they are evil, etc will not help anyone. As a matter of fact, this is the thinking of us vs. them mentality which you attribute to your enemies.

    It seems propaganda of many Americans and Al Qaeda are becoming harder and harder to differentiate. If you chase a concept for so long, you will end up becoming it yourself. In the pursuit of a few vigilante men, many Americans it seems have lost their soul and much good in themselves. It's very unfortunate.
     
  22. spidergoat pubic diorama Valued Senior Member

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    Afghanistan was the only country we should have invaded, but we did screw that one up, and Al Quida's leaders went to Pakistan. At least we damaged the Taliban, who were harboring them. I'm not sure how much good we did for the country, we are building roads, but it's still very poor. Any kind of war is going to kill the wrong people as well as the right people.

    82% [of afghanis] said that overthrowing the Taliban government was a good thing for Afghanistan

    Equally large percentages endorse the US military presence in Afghanistan. Eighty-three percent said they have a favorable view of “the US military forces in our country” (39% very favorable). Just 17% have an unfavorable view.

    Source.
     
  23. Ghost_007 Registered Senior Member

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    Which leaders? Proof?


    The Taliban are still there and their US sponsored replacement (Karzai) is weak and powerless. Who knows, in 5-10 years the Taliban could take over again.


    I wouldn't say that source is infallible.

    It was undertaken in 2005 and had a sample of only 2,089 mateys.
    It would be interesting to see how many belonged to the many different ethnic groups you have in Afghanistan. It would also be interesting to see which part of Afghanistan the participants were from, the war has affected some more than others.
     

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