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Surge May Be Only Way to Keep US Safe From al-Qaeda

Remote-controlled strikes won't be enough to stop terrorists, say experts

By Rob Quinn,  Newser Staff

Posted Sep 8, 2009 5:22 AM CDT
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(Newser) – The idea that al-Qaeda could be prevented from regaining a haven in Afghanistan without having American troops in the country is gaining support as the war drags on, but it's unlikely to work, many counterterrorism experts tell the New York Times. Terrorism can't be destroyed by airstrikes or Special Forces raids alone, experts say, leaving the US with little option but to stay in Afghanistan long-term for the sake of its own security.

Supporters of tackling al-Qaeda from afar point to the success of Predator strikes in attacking al-Qaeda's leadership in Pakistan. But those successes were only possible with the co-operation of Pakistani intelligence forces, experts say. Their help might not be so forthcoming if the US withdraws from Afghanistan, signaling it is not committed to maintaining security in the region. "We tried to contain the terrorism problem in Afghanistan from a distance before 9/11,” said a terrorism expert at Georgetown University. “Look how well that worked.”

An Afghan man rides on a donkey as US soldiers patrol during a search operation to hunt members of the Taliban.
An Afghan man rides on a donkey as US soldiers patrol during a search operation to hunt members of the Taliban.   (AP Photo/Rafiq Maqbool)
A US soldier with Afghan villagers during a search operation to hunt Taliban members in the Nerkh district of Wardak province west of Kabul, Afghanistan.
A US soldier with Afghan villagers during a search operation to hunt Taliban members in the Nerkh district of Wardak province west of Kabul, Afghanistan.   (AP Photo/Rafiq Maqbool)
A US soldier of 3rd Brigade, 10th Mountain Division, keeps watch from a hill during a search operation to hunt members of Taliban in the Nerkh district of Wardak province, Afghanistan.
A US soldier of 3rd Brigade, 10th Mountain Division, keeps watch from a hill during a search operation to hunt members of Taliban in the Nerkh district of Wardak province, Afghanistan.   (AP Photo/Rafiq Maqbool)
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The notion that you can conduct a purely counterterrorist kind of campaign and do it from a distance simply does not accord with reality .
- Defense Secretary Robert Gates

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COMMENTS
Showing 3 of 7 comments
Spudsy
Sep 9, 2009 4:30 AM CDT
All this money spent there and we aren't even sending home any decent hashish like the CIA did back in the Reagan years to get clandestine money to arm the...... future Al Qaeda. Thanks Republican legends!
JonmarkP
Sep 8, 2009 11:47 AM CDT
You don't have to post at any websites to be smarter than the secretary of defense or the military. But it isn't about smart, it's about motive. This is a massive transfer of wealth from the pockets of taxpayers to the pockets of war profiteers and the few billionaire families who control them-nothing more. If you're an American, you're more likely to be killed in a vending machine accident than by "terrorists." Growing up means, among other things, being informed and knowing the difference between valid information and utter bullshit.
metalworldorder
Sep 8, 2009 11:39 AM CDT
Are you serious? I suppose if we just leave Afghanistan everything will be better? We have a duty to restore order to the country since we ousted the taliban. And I'm sure people posting on a website definitely know better than the president, the secretary of defense, and the military. Grow up.
World • Politics • US

 
Afghanistan • Pakistan • troop surge • counterterrorism • Predator • al-Qaeda • Afghanistan war

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