Terrorists' Unholy War Is Far From Over

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One of those is James -- -- He is the director of the Douglas and so are Allison center for foreign policy studies.

At The Heritage Foundation thank you as always for joining us.

Hey it's -- -- be with this.

So you have an article right now on foxnews.com.

-- show we encourage all of our viewers to check out.

In which you say that it would be a big mistake for us to sit back now.

And decide that this war against al-Qaeda is almost over.

Yeah I -- you know folks don't have to believe me there's a great.

Research organizations called a combating terrorism -- -- West Point military academy.

They all are materials open -- is on line they just came out with a report today.

On al-Qaeda in the -- peninsula it's a great report and one of the things -- points out is that.

-- the foreign operations unit -- at added the good news is it was more than just so hockey it was it was the it looks like it was a -- -- all the key guys in this unit which was specifically organized to attack the United States that that was taken apple what the report points out is that.

Those people while they were.

You know good -- that the captain's organizing the attacks they're not the generals of al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula.

And so the key figures that really make that operation work there's still large.

Yeah -- -- you say new pieces let us not forget that al-Qaeda exists primarily.

Not to conduct terrorist attacks itself but to inspire a global Islamist in surgery.

-- insurgency -- no effort should be spared to diminish denounce and degrade the legitimacy of their evil cause.

So other than military actions how else can we diminish and denounce.

This of Jihad.

Well -- what is one of the things that's really really important as people understand why there is no -- it al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula to Begin with it.

And and that was largely set up as an alternative base of operations.

For al-Qaeda in Pakistan because they were pushed out of Afghanistan there are feeling the heat in Pakistan.

And they thought we need have a base to run operations from so let's let's set this up.

And and what's very key about al-Qaeda Arabian council is.

They are god.

Focused on what's going on Yemen at all they're really focus on -- the global insurgency.

And what's tragic is we have a president.

Who is looking at backing off in Afghanistan and that's a real problem because what that's doing is taking the pressure off.

Al-Qaeda and Pakistan.

The -- Beckham will -- back in Afghanistan they'll set up a safe haven.

Al-Qaeda well a choice of Afghanistan Pakistan and they've got this in Yemen so.

You know if if all you're doing his drone strikes apps and anything else.

But we we could wind up in it in just a couple years having more al-Qaeda bases as opposed collapse.

-- you use the analogy of all whack a mole that you know you can -- one here -- no one's gonna pop up there.

I mean slightly humorous but yet deadly serious.

Yeah and and it's not.

It's not like I'm saying you know let's put more boots on the ground let's invade everywhere -- -- the world's -- you know let's give for an -- everybody let's address poverty also stuff.

It will what will -- will we can't.

Have a strategy which consists solely of you know having a global sniper go out try to pick -- a handful of people.

And you know treat the rest of these two guys like a law enforcement essentially going back.

To the strategy we had in the 1990s which was an abject you know it's amazing if you look at the number of terrorist attacks against the United States.

It it actually plummets.

It after 1989 that's because the Soviets -- that the largest sponsors of global terrorism and that it goes down in the 1990 easier going on -- this is a great deal isn't it.

But what's missing from those statistic says.

We really didn't go after these networks in the 1990s and as a result of that they built back up.

To think 22911.

And then we had that -- afterwards you know there's some great -- data which just came out which says look.

You know lone wolves and all this other stuff we talk about domestically everything aside it's demonstrably -- -- -- That terrorist attacks.

That are run by eight an organized terrorist network ten to kill a lot more people they tended to store a lot more property.

And and they can have a lot more political impact then -- -- most of these are things you really got to take these networks down.

Some of the stuff we're pretty good -- you know that they're going after the money thing the financial that is that's a very effective technique.

Targeting the leaders with the -- is good.

But these alone and isolation are good enough I mean look we can't get the pakistanis working on this you know we're never gonna be able -- -- of people in Pakistan make a difference.

Yeah I you mentioned the drones this latest attack in which -- locking and several others -- were killed.

Was carried out by an unmanned drone of course it's a it's a wonderful thing it saves the a risk to.

American lives so great to have them as part.

Of the military but you express concern in your article that said the Obama administration might come to think that He can conduct this war.

Just by unmanned drones and that you really do need to boots on the ground.

Well you know attacking is not a strategy in the -- -- -- we did this aerial bombardment we -- we basically leveled Germany.

But you know German industrial capacity actually increased over the course of the war.

And not that the bombing was wrong but that but the bombing was just one tactic -- and everything else we did to win the war you know we would -- line.

Just throw strikes alone is not gonna win this that's just a tactic I mean if it is -- -- though which is the game we try to hit the malls with the thing.

But the differences is in the game you know than the -- or just pop it up you know randomly.

Terrorists are smart people that they're gonna figure out how to become better malls are gonna -- and we see this -- you know it's not a Linear progress here what happens as it is.

We find these guys and we whack on and then they go back legal you know what lesson can we learn from this and they try to figure out how to hide -- so now.

Yeah yeah you just need that in that cannot be the sole strategy and and I'm I was really stunned when that the president came out -- the new counterterrorism strategy.

In this summer which basically said we're gonna go back and treat terrorism just like Clinton did in the ninety's.

And you know there was virtually no debate no discussion and I'm I -- I'm incredibly stunned when you see these reversals that we're having in Pakistan and Afghanistan.

And yet you know we're still you know walking like lemmings off the cliff there's no adjustment to the president's strategy you know we're still gonna draw down.

We just doesn't make any sense.

Okay how certainly a lot there and you can read more about this and not his article on Fox News that comment James Arafat on The Heritage Foundation.

A thank you so much for joining us and one of the points He makes about one of these -- so to speak would be the -- Connie network a lot of information in the article.

About that as well.

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Terrorists' Unholy War Is Far From Over

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