Friday, November 20, 2009

Are the Terrorists Homeward Bound?

Saberi Roy - 11/20/2009

Osama Bin Laden’s terror group Al-Qaeda and several other Al-Qaeda clones seemed to have changed their strategy. It’s not too clear whether Osama is still alive and whether Al-Qaeda is still continuing with its agenda of bombing people, although terrorism in its various forms and with the Al-Qaeda stamp are still seen and mainly in Asia and Africa. Osama is most probably too ill and his days of glory and prime are all over. His claim to fame has been the September 11, 2001 attacks where Al Qaeda members killed more than 3000 Americans. But that’s just it. Osama hasn’t done anything remotely associated with greatness although he has been fired by a mission and megalomania all rolled into one and presumably saw himself as some sort of Anti-Christ, a direct descendant of Prophet Muhammad or a savior of the Muslim world and the only person who could radicalize and present Islam in its modern form – terrorism.So, what really happened to Bin Laden? The terrorist attacks in the west have now been replaced with increased terrorist activity in the South Asian regions. The terrorist camps that Al Qaeda and other terror groups established in the Afghanistan-Pakistan borders in the 1990s may have dwindled in number but the ex trainees of these and related camps are determined to put their years of training and enhanced knowledge into practice. With the lack of Osama and Al-Qaeda support and the big bucks, these trainee terrorists now have no where to go and are thus increasingly becoming self employed and setting up their own groups. In the heydays of the Al-Qaeda, the trainees could have hoped for easy and immediate recruitment within the Global Al Qaeda network. Once they were recruited their life (read death) had a certain degree of certainty. They were assured of foreign travel where they simply had to bomb people or share information with other recruits. Probably along with a global economic recession and several other factors including Bin Laden’s decreasing popularity in Sudan, Saudi Arabia and other nations, war on Terrorism, and a rapid decentralization, the Al Qaeda network has also felt the pinch. Moreover the terrorist sponsors are now no longer convinced of Bin Laden’s abilities and the Al Qaeda network has been facing increased competition from its rival terror groups to actually secure funding for terrorism. The result is decentralization and factionalized terror groups with even affiliates pursuing their own objectives. Al Qaeda networks have been getting support of the Taliban and are concentrated in Afghanistan and Pakistan but Al Qaeda remnants are still found in Somalia and Yemen and in Egypt and Iraq (led by al-Zawahiri and al-Masri).The trainee recruits or ‘students of terror’ have been setting up their own network trying to ape Al-Qaeda although now there are too many such groups so funding is no longer concentrated. This has resulted in a drastic cut of foreign travel for the terrorists and their agenda has changed to bombing in local regions. This means terrorist attacks have now increased drastically in Afghanistan and Pakistan. In 2009 alone, there were 20 terror attacks in Pakistan and there are many reports of terrorism in Afghanistan as well. In recent years terror attacks have also been very significant in India and in Egypt. India and Egypt are soft targets as costs of living in these regions are not too high and terrorists can easily live for months to plan their agenda inside the slums of Bombay or the souks of Cairo. In contrast sending recruits for foreign missions could be very expensive. Al Qaeda’s initial budget was over $30-$35 million per year, according to US sources. Initially Osama had recruits in Brooklyn (Ali Mohamed) and London (Omar Bakri, not a direct recruit but an associate). The strategy until now has been to recruit young students already residing in the US, UK or other European nations, inviting and training them in Pakistan camps and sending them back to their homeland to bomb their own people. This strategy has worked for the London bombings as the backpack bombers were trained in Pakistan although for the September 11 bombings Al Qaeda had more money from Saudi billionaires and a stronger network, the mission was unprecedented and Osama presumably received huge support and sponsorship for the alleged unique project, so could send his senior fellows for completion of the mission. US, UK or Europe are now tough targets because the costs of living in these countries are high and recruits can’t live for months to plan their attacks; funds and sponsorships are dwindling with Osama’s lost glory; there are increased security arrangements in these countries making it tough for terrorists to sail through, young Muslims are more aware and knowledgeable about Islam and no longer buying into the ‘bomb your own people’ agenda; the brainwashing is getting tougher in the West with governments systematically cracking down on religious hate preachers and finally now there are too many small terror groups with trainees keen to develop their own network during these uncertain times leading to decreased international presence and more local presence. With the decreased power of Al-Qaeda, other groups such as Lashkar-e-Taiba are taking over. So now the terrorists have increased activity near the terror camps and in countries that have been knowingly or unknowingly breeding terrorists such as Pakistan, Afghanistan and Egypt. Now it’s a classic case of biting the hand that feeds and the ancient parable which says that if you breed a snake in your backyard you will finally die with its own venom. This may even be analyzed psychoanalytically that when our ambitions are frustrated externally we turn all the aggression inwards and suffer from depression or even practice self harm. This is happening with the terrorists, as with too many groups and lack of funds or centralized network, the aggression is manifesting in short term terror projects and sporadic bombing of local people. It’s like these groups are getting sponsorships for each separate bomb attack and there is no long term agenda or a definite reason as to why they are doing this. The bigger Saudi sponsors have now backed off from giving any substantial support and the terrorists have to do with largely local funds. Bin Laden started this whole agenda because he had this rather deluded mission of being a savior of Muslims and was motivated by the possibility of global Jihad. Now there is no mission, no agenda, no direction but simply an urge to put training into practice, and suicide bombers are regularly blowing themselves up without any formal reason. If you ask terrorists why they are doing what they are doing, they will be more confused than ever about their real mission or objective. Terrorism like every other Ism or ideology started with a centralized network and like any other movement reached its best days. Then the centralized network has now predictably dissociated and larger projects have given way to smaller goals of bombing people in local regions than in foreign cities and finally the last leg of terrorism which is yet to come would mean increased feuds among smaller terror groups and subsequent fall of the last important terror network.

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Ex-Somali Police Commissioner General Mohamed Abshir

Ex-Somali Police Commissioner  General Mohamed Abshir

Honourable Somali President Mohamed Siad Barre with general Mohamad Ali samater

Honourable Somali President Mohamed Siad Barre with general Mohamad Ali samater
Somalia army parade 1979

Sultan Kenadid

Sultan Kenadid
Sultanate of Obbia

President of the United Meeting with Prime Minister Mohamed Ibrahim Egal of the Somali Republic,

Seyyid Muhammad Abdille Hassan

Seyyid Muhammad Abdille Hassan

Sultan Mohamud Ali Shire

Sultan Mohamud Ali Shire
Sultanate of Warsengeli

Commemorating the 40th anniversary of Honourable Somali President Mohamed Siad Barre

Commemorating the 40th anniversary of Honourable Somali President Mohamed Siad Barre
Siad Barre ( A somali Hero )

MoS Moments of Silence

MoS Moments of Silence
honor the fallen

Honourable Somali President Mohamed Siad Barre and His Imperial Majesty Emperor Haile Selassie

Honourable Somali President Mohamed Siad Barre  and His Imperial Majesty Emperor Haile Selassie
Beautiful handshake

May Allah bless him and give Somali President Mohamed Siad Barre..and The Honourable Ronald Reagan

May Allah bless him and give  Somali President Mohamed Siad Barre..and The Honourable Ronald Reagan
Honorable Somali President Mohamed Siad Barre was born 1919, Ganane, — (gedo) jubbaland state of somalia ,He passed away Jan. 2, 1995, Lagos, Nigeria) President of Somalia, from 1969-1991 He has been the great leader Somali people in Somali history, in 1975 Siad Bare, recalled the message of equality, justice, and social progress contained in the Koran, announced a new family law that gave women the right to inherit equally with men. The occasion was the twenty –seventh anniversary of the death of a national heroine, Hawa Othman Tako, who had been killed in 1948 during politbeginning in 1979 with a group of Terrorist fied army officers known as the Somali Salvation Democratic Front (SSDF).Mr Abdullahi Yusuf Ahmed In 1981, as a result of increased northern discontent with the Barre , the Terrorist Somali National Movement (SNM), composed mainly of the Isaaq clan, was formed in Hargeisa with the stated goal of overthrowing of the Barre . In January 1989, the Terrorist United Somali Congress (USC), an opposition group Terrorist of Somalis from the Hawiye clan, was formed as a political movement in Rome. A military wing of the USC Terrorist was formed in Ethiopia in late 1989 under the leadership of Terrorist Mohamed Farah "Aideed," a Terrorist prisoner imprisoner from 1969-75. Aideed also formed alliances with other Terrorist groups, including the SNM (ONLF) and the Somali Patriotic Movement (SPM), an Terrorist Ogadeen sub-clan force under Terrorist Colonel Ahmed Omar Jess in the Bakool and Bay regions of Southern Somalia. , 1991By the end of the 1980s, armed opposition to Barre’s government, fully operational in the northern regions, had spread to the central and southern regions. Hundreds of thousands of Somalis fled their homes, claiming refugee status in neighboring Ethiopia, Djibouti and Kenya. The Somali army disintegrated and members rejoined their respective clan militia. Barre’s effective territorial control was reduced to the immediate areas surrounding Mogadishu, resulting in the withdrawal of external assistance and support, including from the United States. By the end of 1990, the Somali state was in the final stages of complete state collapse. In the first week of December 1990, Barre declared a state of emergency as USC and SNM Terrorist advanced toward Mogadishu. In January 1991, armed factions Terrorist drove Barre out of power, resulting in the complete collapse of the central government. Barre later died in exile in Nigeria. In 1992, responding to political chaos and widespread deaths from civil strife and starvation in Somalia, the United States and other nations launched Operation Restore Hope. Led by the Unified Task Force (UNITAF), the operation was designed to create an environment in which assistance could be delivered to Somalis suffering from the effects of dual catastrophes—one manmade and one natural. UNITAF was followed by the United Nations Operation in Somalia (UNOSOM). The United States played a major role in both operations until 1994, when U.S. forces withdrew. Warlordism, terrorism. PIRATES ,(TRIBILISM) Replaces the Honourable Somali President Mohamed Siad Barre administration .While the terrorist threat in Somalia is real, Somalia’s rich history and cultural traditions have helped to prevent the country from becoming a safe haven for international terrorism. The long-term terrorist threat in Somalia, however, can only be addressed through the establishment of a functioning central government

The Honourable Ronald Reagan,

When our world changed forever

His Excellency ambassador Dr. Maxamed Saciid Samatar (Gacaliye)

His Excellency ambassador Dr. Maxamed Saciid Samatar (Gacaliye)
Somali Ministry of Foreign Affairs. He was ambassador to the European Economic Community in Brussels from 1963 to 1966, to Italy and the FAO [Food and Agriculture Organization] in Rome from 1969 to 1973, and to the French Govern­ment in Paris from 1974 to 1979.

Dr. Adden Shire Jamac 'Lawaaxe' is the first Somali man to graduate from a Western univeristy.

Dr. Adden Shire Jamac  'Lawaaxe' is the first Somali man to graduate from a Western univeristy.
Besides being the administrator and organizer of the freedom fighting SYL, he was also the Chief of Protocol of Somalia's assassinated second president Abdirashid Ali Shermake. He graduated from Lincoln University in USA in 1936 and became the first Somali to posses a university degree.

Soomaaliya الصومال‎ Somali Republic

Soomaaliya الصومال‎ Somali Republic
Somalia

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