How Do We Deal With Terrorists

[Spock]

This Thread Is Being Created Due To Technical Difficulties With The Previous Thread Which Had Such A Great Dialogue Going

Anyway. Post Away.

[Spock]

Islamic Scholar Sentenced to Va. Prison
July 13, 2005 11:25 AM EDT
ALEXANDRIA, Va. - A prominent Islamic scholar who exhorted his followers after the Sept. 11 attacks to join the Taliban and fight U.S. troops was sentenced Wednesday to life in prison.

Ali al-Timimi of Fairfax was convicted in April of soliciting others to levy war against the United States, inducing others to aid the Taliban, and inducing others to use firearms in violation of federal law.

[Draken]

Hmm well quite a topic! A few thoughts....

Yes the courts are one way, and yes they're slow. An even-handed judiciary that applies laws impartially is one of those things Western countries should always strive for. If we lose that by bunging suspected terrorist sympathisers in prison without due legal process then even if in the short term a few enemies of the state are off the street, we have allowed terrorism to change us, to affect our societies for the worse.

Mao was right when he said "The guerrilla must move amongst the people as a fish swims in the sea." Terrorists or insurgents need not only logistical support, they need the tacit support of a chunk of the population to allow them to operate undetected. The urge to carry out actions that increase sympathy for terrorists among a community must be resisted, no matter how satisfying they might be in the short term. For instance, a crackdown now on the British Islamic community might flush out a few criminal militants, but the resentment caused will create more. Bombing an insurgent camp in a village might take out most of them, but the anger at the inevitable collateral damage will be directed at the people dropping the bombs, not the people they were aiming at. Again, you just create a new wave of recruits, and a community more determined to aid them.

Better to concentrate on gathering intelligence on the ground, finding the weak points in an organisation and infiltrating them. Political and religious terrorists are driven by interpretation of a doctrine - work on those current sympathisers with differing interpretations, create splits within the organisation. Close off the inlets of Mao's sea until the terrorists are isolated within what they thought was 'their' community. The number of people they can trust and places they can hide reduces to the point where their movements can be tracked. Then put in a small elite force and kill them with minimal fuss.

When fighting a counter-insurgency war, don't think that any amount of conventional firepower will win it. Think outside the box and play the insurgents at their own game. A few dozen undercover operatives on the streets of a city will protect your assets and account for more of the enemy than a tank regiment and a ground attack squadron ever can.

One example:

The CRW Wing can also trace its roots to the SAS involvement in Yemen from 1964 to 67, specifically the "Keeni-Meeni"units formed by Major Peter de la Billiere. "Keeni Meeni" is a Swahili phrase which describes a snake moving stealthily through the grass. Arab guerrillas were extremely adept at CQB in the crowded streets of Aden City. They were virtually indistinguishable from the local population and could escape easily after assassinating British politicians, soldiers, civilians and even local policemen. The Keeni Meeni units were formed to combat this. The operators would disguise themselves as locals and carry Browning High Power pistols. They would then roam the streets and ambush the Arab death squads - dark skinned Fijian operators were specially suited to this role. These operations required excellent reaction times and alertness.

(From http://students.engr.scu.edu/~jabrah...sas/page2.html)

And finally, if it ever does come down to an open pitched battle, here's how to do it: http://www.masterliness.com/a/Battle.of.Mirbat.htm

[Spock]

Draken, most appreciated. Well thought out and presented. Mao had it right on so many things, just not all of them. .....don't tell L.C.O.U.

Sadly it will be years, if ever, that we get intell on these people. Money and more money may work but it's unreliable in the long term.

[inked]

We realize they mean what they say about civilians, non-adherents, and ultimate goals.

See my posts today in the London bombing thread.

[Spock]

....sigh.....