Oct 04 2007
al-Qaeda Calls For Help From Afghanistan As al-Qaeda Is Surrounded
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I would love to see the intelligence estimates on al-Qaeda recruitment efforts. My guess is they are way down. There was recent reporting showing a severe drop off in fresh recruits going into Iraq. Much of that is due to stepped up security. But much of it is also due to al-Qaeda’s brutal atrocities. Recently a Saudi terrorist who fought in Iraq went public in his condemnation of al-Qaeda. These holy warriors never intended to be killing fellow Muslims – which is 95+% of al-Qaeda’s victioms these days. And then there was the repudiation of al-Qaeda and Bin Laden by a famous Islamist cleric in Saudi Arabia. That too probably caused many a potential recruit to change their mind. And as the last link shows general support for al-Qaeda is dropping off.
This indicates to me that al-Qaeda is facing two building pressures. First, they are getting hammered as locals in Iraq turn on their fighters and they are surrounded and getting hammered in Afghanistan and Pakistan. Second, they are not getting the new recruits to replenish their forces and so are being whittled down globally. Like I said, few Muslims are willing to sign up to slaughter Muslims. Sunnis in Iraq are now chanting “al-Qaeda is the enemy of Allah” and swearing on the Koran to destroy al-Qaeda.
All this provides context for a recent call for help from al-Qaeda leaders in Afghanistan. Afghan, NATO, US and Pakistan forces have al-Qaeda cornered in the region surrounding the Afghan-Pak border area near Tora Bora. They are literally surrounded on all sides. So this call for help is most intriguing:
Al-Qaeda’s chief in Afghanistan urges Muslims around the world to come fight for the country’s “independence” and insists that Osama bin Laden is alive and well, according to an audio clip released by a US-based monitoring group.
“In every corner of the world, Muslims should be concerned about Afghan Muslims and help them,” Mustafa Abu al-Yazid says in the audio message on Wednesday, according to SITE Intelligence Group, which monitors Islamist websites.
“Every Muslim who has the feeling of sacrifice in his heart should come forward and fight for the independence of Afghanistan,” Yazid says in Arabic in the 28-minute audio, accompanied by a video showing him in a still image.
Why the call for recruits and support now? Supposedly, if one reads the news, al-Qaeda is growing in strength and power in the region now surrounded. But I have maintained al-Qaeda has been retreating and preparing to circle the wagons. They are preparing for what was the March on Munich in World War II. The modern media is incredibly ignorant of history, military matters, and how they are used and spun. All they see is the impending defeat of the West, while in reality al-Qaeda has been losing and losing big. I expect the media to be mostly wrong – that is their record to date. They never saw the Anbar turn around coming. They never saw the Surge and the Iraqi Awakening coming or being successful. They rarely see anything coming. This may be their way of helping our war effort by not signalling our moves. Who knows.
All I know is al-Qaeda is crying for recruits to flock to their now surrounded forces in Afghanistan and Pakistan. That is more of an indicator of what is happening than a month’s worth of press articles.
Major Update: As I was putting this post together some news came out this morning which supports my some of my suspicions:
Earlier this week, Sheikh Abdel-Aziz Al-Asheikh – the most senior Wahhabi cleric in Saudi Arabia — released a rather surprising religious edict. In this fatwa, the Grand Mufti of Saudi Arabia instructed Saudis not to leave the Kingdom to participate in jihad – a statement directed primarily at those considering going to Iraq. Al-Asheikh said that he decided to speak up, “after it was clear that over several years Saudis have been leaving for jihad†and that “our youth…became tools carrying out heinous acts.†Perhaps even most significantly, Al-Asheikh also addressed potential donors, urging them to “be careful about where [their money is] spent so it does not damage young Muslims.â€
Jihad is not meant to be an act of massacre against fellow Muslims. But that is all al-Qaeda does these days. The fact is they have overstepped even the lines of decency among radical Islamist. That is why they have earned the title “Islamo Fascist”. Their power only eminates from the depths of their brutal depravity, not from some holy insight.
Update: Things are definitely brewing. My guess is they will go full bore after this weekend’s elections in Pakistan and politics will be out of the picture:
In the past 10 days, however, militants have launched at least nine carefully planned operations against security positions in both North Waziristan and South Waziristan, and in towns in North-West Frontier Province (NWFP), including Bannu and Dera Ismail Khan, and in the Swat Valley.
As a result, all security operations against the Taliban and their al-Qaeda colleagues in the tribal areas have stopped, and by all accounts the army is running scared. It is estimated that Pakistan has 100,000 troops and 1,000 military posts along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border.
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The Taliban and their supporters now have the breathing space to replenish stocks and prepare for their new push into Afghanistan. It is envisaged that at least 20,000 fully trained fresh men from at least 16 entry points along the Durand Line that separates Pakistan and Afghanistan will be sent into Afghanistan.
100,000 vs 20,000. I doubt the Pakis are running scared. They seem to be taking their time, wating for the optimal moment to begin their offensive. Possibly in tandem with US/NATO forces now massed along the Afghanistan border area. We shall see if the big finale is finally going to begin.
Bush’s latest disaster: Afghanistan. Details to follow.
In BREAKING NEWS:
Minnesota judge tells Larry Craig: Get a life! The judge’s 27 page opinion was a total smackdown of the tenuous legal theories advanced by the hypocrite’s legal team. Nary a single of Craig’s legal arguments found any traction.
What next? Another appeal?
Could the Democrats be so lucky as to keep this issue alive longer, along with Domenici’s retirement, Stevens’ investigation and blowback from Bush’s veto of health coverage for sick kids.
It’s a perfect storm.
Soothsayer:
Latest disaster? I thought that was the good war.
The liberals wanted the USA to go the mulitnational route in Afghanistan by using NATO and the UN, we did.
Besides, this post is about Pakistan, don’t you know the difference?
Just think if Bill Clinton had dealt with AlQaida years ago, we would not even be having this discussion.
Geeze, Terry, could you get any stupider?
Afghanistan WAS the right war . . . but you see, Georgie had his heart set on invading Iraq and proving that his penis was larger than his old man’s . . . so crucial resources were diverted from Afghanistan to Iraq . . . Osama bin Laden was allowed to escape . . . Afghanistan became the #1 heroin source on the planet . . . and the Taliban were allowed to reconfigure . . . because the idiot Bush dropped the ball and squandered $1 Trillion down a rathole in the Iraqi desert.
“It is envisaged that at least 20,000 fully trained fresh men from at least 16 entry points along the Durand Line that separates Pakistan and Afghanistan will be sent into Afghanistan.”
This on top of the massive spring offensive that we heard so much about? Surely, we are doomed…
The Spring offensive ended up being more daisy fertilizer just like this will be.
OK I’ve held off but SoothGhoul you are a fucking moron. Afghanistan is a special forces war, we learned that from what happened when the Russians tried to make it a conventional war. Iraq is a hit and hold war where you need conventional troops.
And why are you so interested in the Presidents penis, is it because you want to compare it to your fond up close and personal memories of Clinton’s?
You should be happy SouthGhoul there should be more body counts for you masturbate to soon. I know it’s hard for you to get off when it’s not American dead, but if you squint just right maybe you can convince yourself they’re really white and not brown???
Notice that “Bootlicker” is actually in mourning, because his fellow Anti-American Leftist Nutbag Jihadi Allies are fornicating with their imaginary virgin goats in Jihadi-heaven in record numbers!
So, since he can’t root for his Jihadi allies without looking like the complete Anti-American/Pro-Jihadi Leftist Nutbag Buffoon that he is; he tries to move the goalposts…..Sigh……AGAIN, to another topic: i.e. Senator Craig and some typical delusional Anti-American/Pro-Jihadi Leftist Traitor Nutbag rantings about Iraq!
Sigh……pure. freaking.idiocy!
But then again, that’s no surprise, coming from “Bootlicker”!
Leftys always seem to revert to form .
Afghanistan and Iraq are both fronts in the same GWOT. Different settings, different tactics. Bush squandered nothing.
Sooth, rejoice that you are alive to see truly great leadership remake the ME, something even Churchill failed at. This might even be adding significance to your life .
Your preocupation with Senator Craig is curious, given that he was simply accused of applying Dem Party values.
Stupid? Me? Well no, in fact if I remember correctly there were people on the left saying we were only going to Afghanistan for a pipeline. Didn’t you see the movie.
Besides Sooth, if the Democrats wanted to send 500,000 men into Afghanistan they should have made an issue of it before. After all the invasion in Iraq took place in March 2003 and we went after the Taliban in November 2001. So why weren’t they demanding more troops then?
Seems to me they were talking about brutal Afghan winters and quagmires.
What exactly would we do with all those troops? Invade Pakistan?
Like I said the Democrats had their chance to deal with Afghanistan and did not. They do not need to be lecturing anyone about that now.
Terrye,
The Democrats could not ‘deal with Afghanistan’.
They had just reduced our ground forces to a total of 540,000 personnel by FY2001. We now have 690,000 active duty soldiers and Marines. That force is still growing.
Anyone remembering running out of ordinance during the Afghan Quagmire. Yup, we ran out of many types of ordinance in November 2001.
How many new weapons systems did the brilliant Clinton Team Defense develop in his eight years? Systems optimized for the type of conflict we find ourselves in. Those brainiacs figured things out just a half decade after the shooting match started. They would still shut down development and production of such systems.
We survived the Clinton Legacy!!!
Let’s hope, pray, that the legacy (such as it is) is over & done!