Ace of Spades HQ

September 09, 2008

NYT EXCLUSIVE! Turns Out Maybe You Can Defeat Terrorists By Fighting Them
— Ace

But, but -- for every terrorist you kill you create two more!!!

This is an Op-Ed by a writer that doesn't necessarily represent the NYT's position, I should say. In fact, I'd cross out the word "necessarily" above entirely.

Still, it's good to see some sense in the NYT.

AMONG all the bombs, explosives and guns, the number of martyred dead is rising. Though this is the will of Allah, it is nevertheless possible to cause the enemy greater damage without exposing the Muslims to danger. How is it to be done?
This question, which appeared as a post in May on the Web site Al7orya, one of the most important of Al Qaedas closed Internet forums, is only one example of the evidence that has been accumulated by American and Israeli intelligence in recent months of a significant ideological change under way within Osama bin Ladens organization. Seven years after 9/11, it may well be that we are witnessing the beginning of the end of suicide terrorism and a shift toward advanced technologies that will enable jihadist bombers to carry out attacks and live to fight another day.
...

Despite countless attempts by Western intelligence agencies, and the many projects by psychologists trying to draw the profile of the average suicide terrorist, we have failed miserably in finding a solution to the poor mans smart bomb. Now, however, attrition may achieve what the experts have not: after years of battle in two main arenas Iraq and Afghanistan Al Qaedas suicide-recruitment mechanisms are beginning to wear out.
While the terrorist group has been careful not to mention it in its official statements, it is no longer uncommon to find jihadists in their chat rooms and, according to Western intelligence sources, in interrogations, stating that young men are reluctant or simply too scared to take part in suicide attacks. At the same time, military blows against Al Qaedas training structure since 2001 have meant that the number of extremists with combat experience is decreasing, and that new recruits are harder to train.

That said, the article is speaking only of suicide bombers in particular, and warns that these fraidy-cat Brave Islamic Warriors are now turning to, oh, let's say, less martyriffic means of killing large number of people at once, such as remote detonators (what an innovation) and even strapping bombs to dogs.

Thanks to Rob.

Posted by: Ace at 07:34 PM | Comments (14)
Post contains 427 words, total size 3 kb.

This might have something to do with it:

Petraeus ordering near daily raids into Pakistan

http://www.nysun.com/foreign/american-raids-penetrating-pakistan/85460/

Posted by: Rob at September 09, 2008 07:38 PM (8IWMm)

2 Somehow, that approach makes sense to me. Brilliant!

Posted by: USCitizen at September 09, 2008 07:41 PM (5pDev)

3 Remember this: "George Bush gave Osama bin Laden exactly what he wanted with the so-called War on Terror."

Or this: "Invading Iraq was the best recruiting tool for Al Qaeda."

And of course this oft-repeated lie: "George Bush's policies have made us less safe since 9/11/01."

All pulled-out-of-the-ass lies repeated by the Left and never challenged by the press.

Posted by: Bart at September 09, 2008 07:42 PM (wjcFA)

4 This our diabolical internet porn strategy playing out. If you're dead, you don't get no more internet porn.

Posted by: Purple Avenger at September 09, 2008 07:46 PM (6L459)

5 One of the reasons behind the WoT was to make suicide bombing look like stupid fad for idiot shitheads with tiny dicks.

Posted by: tachyonshuggy at September 09, 2008 07:55 PM (JBuzy)

"keep killing them til they stop sending them" turns out to be an effective strategy.

We just had to get to the tipping point, dead jihadi-wise.

Posted by: Jones at September 09, 2008 08:10 PM (KOkrW)

7 No war goes on forever. Eventually the true believers and deadenders are killed and the morale of the rest begins to falter. And it turns out that Arabs hate losers more than they hate infidels.

Posted by: Maetenloch at September 09, 2008 08:16 PM (hn7Rm)

8 There was an editorial cartoon in my local paper this weekend that had a muscle-bound, stern-looking Uncle Sam, dressed up as an exterminator, looking at a multitude of rats, with the "lead" rat saying (not an exact quote) "Are you sure you want to get into this with us?"

It made me think a) Yeah, I'm sure, and b) So (according to the cartoonist) we should just run away and let them overrun us? I wonder how the cartoonist would feel if an exterminator he might hire to clean rats out of his basement just said to him "My suggestion is that you move."

Too bad I already sent my local fish-wrapper out for recycling. I wish I could find that cartoon on-line. It was amazing in it's childishness and stupidity.

Posted by: wiserbud at September 09, 2008 08:23 PM (EW49d)

9 the poor mans smart bomb

Not so much. Doesn't a typical AQ suicide bomber cost something vaguely like $100,000 once you add up the training, transport, media expenses, payoffs to relatives and so forth?

less martyriffic means of killing large number of people at once, such as remote detonators (what an innovation) and even strapping bombs to dogs

It seems they're rediscovering the "proxy bomb", an old Provisional IRA favourite. Martyrdom: it's not just for volunteers anymore.

Posted by: anonymous irishman at September 09, 2008 08:25 PM (8kCBk)

10 They can still count on these recruits: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/south_asia/1705341.stm

Posted by: Ostral-B Heretic at September 09, 2008 09:09 PM (9u8Jf)

11 Terror organisations are always harder the people that they count on to support them then they are on their adversaries. The trick is to be patient, to avoid killing too recklessly among the supporters, and to kill the committed revolutionaries. Once the volunteer pools run low the volunteers start running away. The next step is the seeking refuge step. Terrorists don't want to be hermits. They would prefer to take refuge in as much convenience as possible-- staying close to the battle, to the money, to the recruits, and living with a decent amount of protection. Cosmopolitan Iraq was a good one, it will be hard to replace. Nobody wants to hide in Afghanistan, it is too cold, too hot and too far. Despite loose talk about unconnected areas, the best hiding places are like Hamburg or Paris- close to international airports and banks, but with large unassimilated or large seemingly assimilated populations were a revolutionary can be out of sight of the DSGE or GSG9.

Posted by: Potosi Joel at September 10, 2008 05:18 AM (TPRbZ)

12 young men are reluctant or simply too scared to take part in suicide attacks.

The media (at least at the beginning) tried to sell us on the idea that their ideology/religion made them impervious to the fear of death.

Of course this is ridiculous. One of man's strongest impulses is the will to live. And even those who are not afraid of death ARE afraid of pain.

Posted by: Warden at September 10, 2008 05:30 AM (kwqpX)

13 Lets see, the pool of extreme, mentally gifted bomb carriers is finite. Who'd a thought that. Guess those Islamic schools are not preaching enough hatred, and thus stifiling recruiting efforts.

Posted by: GarandFan at September 10, 2008 08:58 AM (HLrE4)

14 http://marlincagan.blogcu.com/

Posted by: Anonymous at April 08, 2011 02:39 AM (zCWZM)

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