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18 Sep 2001 - 09:00CDT The War Against Bin Laden; Propaganda and Special Operations http://www.emergency.com/2001/11sep01-terror.htm Opinion/Editorial By C. L. Staten, CEO and Sr. National Security Analyst; Emergency Response & Research Institute Chicago, IL (EmergencyNet News) -- The "Iraq News," among others, in the past few days raised the question of whether or not the American public (or some significant segment there of) should "buy" into the premise that one man--Usama bin Laden--and his "group" are alone responsible for Tuesday's carnage in New York City and Washington, D.C.? Obviously, this is an interesting question posed by an interesting source. The "Iraq News" article is only one of dozens published by various media organizations and authors in the past two days that seemingly attempt to divert attention from Bin Laden or other radical Muslim militants and blame the destruction of the World Trade Center on "the Israelis", "American right-wing extremists," "the CIA," or any number of other far-fetched attackers. The simple answer to the Iraq News question is NO. It was not simply one man who carried out the well coordinated and well-planned terrorist operations against America. But, increasing evidence would suggest that he motivated, supported, financed, and probably coordinated the attacks through surrogates in various "compartmentalized cells," who had been planning the attacks for an extended period of time. This discussion begs another question that seems to be on the lips of any number of commentators on the 24-hour-a-day news stations recently; Would killing Usama Bin Laden solve the problem of terrorism directed against the U.S.A.? Again the answer is another simple one...NO...just killing Bin Laden will not solve the problem. In many ways, Bin Laden is more than just a man...to some, he is an almost mythical symbol of a most radical wing of Muslims that believes that violence is the best path to establishing world-wide Islam. It should be noted that this is an infinitesimally small portion of the overall Muslim population and that Bin Laden and the other terrorist groups do not represent "Islam the peaceful religion," but rather, Islam "the expansionist geopolitical strategy." The prime problem that is facing an international counter-terrorist effort is the fact that there are probably dozens or even hundreds of small "cells" that participate in the Al-Qaeda network. They are located in many different countries and answer to Bin Laden through a bewildering "chain of command," if it can even be called that. It is believed by ERRI analysts that they engage in the use of any number of "cut-outs," and use sophisticated "tradecraft" that uses both low/high technology methods in a "convoluted" communications system. Simply capturing or killing Bin Laden will only accomplish one of dozens of goals that will be necessary to end the actions of this al-Qaeda network. If/when Bin Laden falls, he will probably be replaced by Ayman Al-Zawari, a leader of Egyptian Islamic Jihad. Should Al-Zawari fall, he will be replaced by any number of other extreme radicals, who will all attempt to carry on with the mission of jihad and death. In order to effectively dismantle this network, it will require a complex series of both conventional and unconventional attacks on both terrorist nodes (cells) and their leaders...in any number of countries and even in the United States itself. If the U.S. effort expects to be successful, it is likely to be a war of "shadow warriors," including U.S. special operations forces pitted against martyrdom-intent suicide-bombers. Concurrent protection of the homeland will also require a coordinated effort by all America military, intelligence, and emergency service forces. American efforts must also include a major psychological operations component as the U.S. government attempts to counter sophisticated propaganda efforts by our enemies, who will attempt to exploit religious frictions and continue to paint the United States as a "racist nation" that engages in religious intolerance towards Muslims. These attempts are already underway and must be countered with the truth -- that America is a country where religious freedom is a constitutional right of all citizens -- unlike many of the countries engaging in this criticism and commentary concerning the United States. If a historic perspective serves us, we should learn lessons from Kashmir, Chechnya, Israel, the Philippines, and other places where Islamic guerillas have operated for many years. It will also be a protracted struggle that is likely to be costly, both in terms of human lives and materials. But, it is a war that must be fought if America hopes to assure our homeland safety and maintain our rightful place in world... ------------------------------------------------- This Discussion List is the follow-up for the old stopnato @listbot.com that has been shut down ==^================================================================ EASY UNSUBSCRIBE click here: http://topica.com/u/?a84x2u.a9spWA Or send an email To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] This email was sent to: archive@jab.org T O P I C A -- Register now to manage your mail! http://www.topica.com/partner/tag02/register ==^================================================================