The United States plans to address the massive Muslim
support for Al Qaida.
U.S. officials said the Bush administration seeks to halt the
recruitment of Muslims to Al Qaida and Islamic satellite organizations. They
said the measures being considered include requests by allies in the Middle
East and Asia for a revision of Muslim educational curriculum as well as the
closure of so-called madrassas, or religious seminaries used to recruit
Islamic militants.
Al Qaida will seek to draw on its Muslim support over the next few
months in efforts to revive the insurgency group, officials said. They said
Al Qaida and its supporters are urging devout Muslims to join their
so-called holy war against the United States and Israel.
"Al Qaida is a worldwide trans-national terrorist group that cannot
exist without some form of popular support," U.S. Special Operations Command
chief Gen. Charles Holland said. "The strategic Center Of Gravity [COG] for
Al Qaida is their relationship with the world's Muslim population. Without
active support from a sizeable minority of the Muslim population and the
passive support of a greater number, Al Qaida would fold. They rely on
popular support for both their recruitment and freedom of action. If we
ignore this strategic COG, all our tactical and operational success will be
for naught."
Holland told the Senate Armed Services Committee on March 12 that Saudi
fugitive Osama Bin Laden wants the United States to invade Muslim countries
and slaughter Muslims. The general said this would have fulfilled his
warnings that Washington intends to annihilate the Islamic world.
Instead, Holland said, Washington ensured that the U.S.-led war in
Afghanistan would contain Muslim allies. These include such countries as
Jordan and Turkey.
The result was that hundreds of Pakistani volunteers who entered
Afghanistan returned home after they found themselves fighting fellow
Muslims who opposed the Taliban regime. Holland said this led to a rift
between Pakistani Muslims and Al Qaida.
"We chose a strategy that didn't play into his hands," Holland said. "By
working with a surrogate Muslim force, we neutralized his plans."
U.S. officials said Al Qaida is likely to find the best reception for
his insurgency in Yemen. They said U.S. military trainers have been
instructing Yemeni special forces on detecting and destroying Al Qaida
strongholds.
"In Yemen, for example, there's reason to believe that the Al Qaida
would like to reconstitute in that country," Defense Secretary Donald
Rumsfeld said. "We'll be working with the Yemeni government to head off the
possibility of that country becoming another haven for terrorists by helping
them train and equip Yemeni forces, special forces, and supporting them in
their efforts to combat terrorism."
