World Tribune.com


As a matter of fact, we do know who the enemy is

By Christopher Holton
SPECIAL TO WORLD TRIBUNE.COM
Thursday, September 13, 2001

Listening to some of the analysis of the recent terrorist attacks on the United States prompted me to do a little research.

Some of the analysts on the various TV news networks would seem to force some undue burden of proof on the United States to justify retaliation for what is clearly (to me anyway) an act of war. Those same analysts talk about bringing those responsible "to justice." That line of thinking couldnÕt be more wrong.

This was not a crime. It was an act of war. The perpetrators are not to be apprehended, tried and convicted. Those responsible are the enemy. As Newt Gingrich and Lawrence Eagleberger have both said, nothing short of a declaration of war is needed to free up our forces and our intelligence services to do that which needs to be done and galvanize our nation.

I agree wholeheartedly.

Others ask: declare war? On whom?

Now that weÕre in agreement that we are indeed at war, there are enemy forces and allies that we should declare war on and attack. There are other allies of our enemies who should be targeted with economic and diplomatic sanctions accompanied by a warning to cease and desist.

All the public evidence points to Osama Bin Laden and his organizations as the culprits in this particular act. However, they are not the only terrorist group that targets the U.S. and its citizens. And given that terrorist organizations have always acted in an informal network, there is no reason to distinguish between various enemy forces. We fought Germany and Japan and didnÕt waste any time worrying about their different ideologies.

The U.S. State Department maintains a list of 29 known foreign terrorist groups and supplies descriptions of them. The United States of America should declare war on six of them, starting with those associated with Bin Laden.

Those of you who doubt the necessity of waging a war against all of these groups, even those not directly involved in the most recent attacks, may be surprised by a few facts:

  • The Abu Nidal organization, which was responsible for such attrocities as the 1972 Munich Olympics Massacre, is still in business 30 years later and based out of Iraq. I ask one simple question: Why are any members of this group still breathing?

  • Hizballah, the organization responsible for the Marine Barracks bombing in 1983, still exists. I ask one simple question: Why are any members of Hizballah still breathing?

  • The Palestine Liberation Front was responsible for seizing the cruise ship Achille Lauro in 1985 and pushing wheelchair-bound American passenger Leon Klinghoffer to his death in the Mediterranean. I ask one simple question: Why is any member of the PLF still breathing?

  • Bin Laden himself is responsible for bombing the US embassies in Kenya and Tanzania in 1998. I ask one simple question: Why is Bin Laden still breathing?

    Given that terrorist organizations have committed acts of war against the United States and its allies for 3 decades and have gotten away with it, should we really be surprised that they have escalated the war and brought it to our shores? Surely our failure to punish them has emboldened them. It is time to change that. It is time to bring the war to them.

    Now on to the list of immediate enemies and their backgrounds, courtesy of the U.S. State Department.

    1. al-Qaida
    Established by Osama Bin Ladin in the late 1980s. Current goal is to establish a pan-Islamic Caliphate throughout the world by working with allied Islamic extremist groups to overthrow regimes it deems "non-Islamic" and expelling Westerners and non-Muslims from Muslim countries. Issued statement under banner of "the World Islamic Front for Jihad Against the Jews and Crusaders" in February 1998, saying it was the duty of all Muslims to kill U.S. citizens Ñ civilian or military Ñ and their allies everywhere.

    Plotted to carry out terrorist operations against U.S. and Israeli tourists visiting Jordan for millennial celebrations. (Jordanian authorities thwarted the planned attacks and put 28 suspects on trial.) Conducted the bombings in August 1998 of the U.S. Embassies in Nairobi, Kenya, and Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, that killed at least 301 persons and injured more than 5,000 others. Claims to have shot down U.S. helicopters and killed U.S. servicemen in Somalia in 1993 and to have conducted three bombings that targeted U.S. troops in Aden, Yemen, in December 1992. Linked to the following plans that were not carried out: to assassinate Pope John Paul II during his visit to Manila in late 1994, simultaneous bombings of the U.S. and Israeli Embassies in Manila and other Asian capitals in late 1994, the midair bombing of a dozen U.S. trans-Pacific flights in 1995, and to kill President Clinton during a visit to the Philippines in early 1995. Continues to train, finance, and provide logistic support to terrorist groups in support of these goals.

    May have several hundred to several thousand members. Also serves as a focal point or umbrella organization for a worldwide network that includes many Sunni Islamic extremist groups such as Egyptian Islamic Jihad, some members of al-Gama'at al-Islamiyya, the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan, and the Harakat ul-Mujahidin.

    Al-Qaida has a worldwide reach, has cells in a number of countries, and is reinforced by its ties to Sunni extremist networks. Bin Ladin and his key lieutenants reside in Afghanistan, and the group maintains terrorist training camps there.

    Bin Ladin, son of a billionaire Saudi family, is said to have inherited approximately $300 million that he uses to finance the group. Al-Qaida also maintains moneymaking front organizations, solicits donations from like-minded supporters, and illicitly siphons funds from donations to Muslim charitable organizations.

    2. Abu Nidal organization (ANO), a.k.a. Fatah Revolutionary Council, Arab Revolutionary Brigades, Black September, and Revolutionary Organization of Socialist Muslims International terrorist organization led by Sabri al-Banna. Split from PLO in 1974. Made up of various functional committees, including political, military, and financial.

    Has carried out terrorist attacks in 20 countries, killing or injuring almost 900 persons. Targets include the United States, the United Kingdom, France, Israel, moderate Palestinians, the PLO, and various Arab countries. Major attacks included the Rome and Vienna airports in December 1985, the Neve Shalom synagogue in Istanbul and the Pan Am flight 73 hijacking in Karachi in September 1986, and the City of Poros day-excursion ship attack in Greece in July 1988. Suspected of assassinating PLO deputy chief Abu Iyad and PLO security chief Abu Hul in Tunis in January 1991. ANO assassinated a Jordanian diplomat in Lebanon in January 1994 and has been linked to the killing of the PLO representative there.

    Al-Banna relocated to Iraq in December 1998, where the group maintains a presence. Has an operational presence in Lebanon, including in several Palestinian refugee camps. Financial problems and internal disorganization have reduced the group's activities and capabilities. Authorities shut down the ANO's operations in Libya and Egypt in 1999. Has demonstrated ability to operate over wide area, including the Middle East, Asia, and Europe.

    Has received considerable support, including safehaven, training, logistic assistance, and financial aid from Iraq, Libya, and Syria (until 1987), in addition to close support for selected operations.

    3. Hizballah (Party of God) a.k.a. Islamic Jihad, Revolutionary Justice Organization, Organization of the Oppressed on Earth, and Islamic Jihad for the Liberation of Palestine.

    Radical Shia group formed in Lebanon; dedicated to increasing its political power in Lebanon and opposing Israel and the Middle East peace negotiations. Strongly anti-West and anti-Israel. Closely allied with, and often directed by, Iran but may have conducted operations that were not approved by Tehran.

    Known or suspected to have been involved in numerous anti-U.S. terrorist attacks, including the suicide truck bombing of the U.S. Embassy and U.S. Marine barracks in Beirut in October 1983 and the U.S. Embassy annex in Beirut in September 1984. Elements of the group were responsible for the kidnapping and detention of U.S. and other Western hostages in Lebanon. The group also attacked the Israeli Embassy in Argentina in 1992 and is a suspect in the 1994 bombing of the Israeli cultural center in Buenos Aires. In fall 2000, it captured three Israeli soldiers in the Shabaa Farms and kidnapped an Israeli noncombatant whom it may have lured to Lebanon under false pretenses.

    Operates in the Bekaa Valley, the southern suburbs of Beirut, and southern Lebanon. Has established cells in Europe, Africa, South America, North America, and Asia.

    Receives substantial amounts of financial, training, weapons, explosives, political, diplomatic, and organizational aid from Iran and Syria.

    4. Japanese Red Army (JRA) a.k.a. Anti-Imperialist International Brigade (AIIB)

    An international terrorist group formed around 1970 after breaking away from Japanese Communist League-Red Army Faction. The JRA was led by Fusako Shigenobu until her arrest in Japan in November 2000. The JRA's historical goal has been to overthrow the Japanese Government and monarchy and to help foment world revolution. After her arrest Shigenobu announced she intended to pursue her goals using a legitimate political party rather than revolutionary violence. May control or at least have ties to Anti-Imperialist International Brigade (AIIB); also may have links to Antiwar Democratic FrontÑan overt leftist political organizationÑinside Japan. Details released following Shigenobu's arrest indicate that the JRA was organizing cells in Asian cities, such as Manila and Singapore. Has history of close relations with Palestinian terrorist groupsÑbased and operating outside JapanÑsince its inception, primarily through Shigenobu.

    During the 1970s, the JRA carried out a series of attacks around the world, including the massacre in 1972 at Lod Airport in Israel, two Japanese airliner hijackings, and an attempted takeover of the U.S. Embassy in Kuala Lumpur. In April 1988, JRA operative Yu Kikumura was arrested with explosives on the New Jersey Turnpike, apparently planning an attack to coincide with the bombing of a USO club in Naples, a suspected JRA operation that killed five, including a U.S. servicewoman. He was convicted of the charges and is serving a lengthy prison sentence in the United States. Tsutomu Shirosaki, captured in 1996, is also jailed in the United States. In 2000, Lebanon deported to Japan four members it arrested in 1997, but granted a fifth operative, Kozo Okamoto, political asylum. Longtime leader Shigenobu was arrested in November 2000 and faces charges of terrorism and passport fraud.

    Location unknown, but possibly traveling in Asia or Syrian-controlled areas of Lebanon.

    5. Al-Jihad a.k.a. Egyptian Islamic Jihad, Jihad Group, Islamic Jihad

    Egyptian Islamic extremist group active since the late 1970s. Close partner of Bin Ladin's al-Qaida organization. Suffered setbacks as a result of numerous arrests of operatives worldwide, most recently in Lebanon and Yemen. Primary goals are to overthrow the Egyptian Government and replace it with an Islamic state and attack U.S. and Israeli interests in Egypt and abroad.

    Specializes in armed attacks against high-level Egyptian Government personnel, including cabinet ministers, and car-bombings against official U.S. and Egyptian facilities. The original Jihad was responsible for the assassination in 1981 of Egyptian President Anwar Sadat. Claimed responsibility for the attempted assassinations of Interior Minister Hassan al-Alfi in August 1993 and Prime Minister Atef Sedky in November 1993. Has not conducted an attack inside Egypt since 1993 and has never targeted foreign tourists there. Responsible for Egyptian Embassy bombing in Islamabad in 1995; in 1998, planned attack against U.S. Embassy in Albania was thwarted.

    Operates in the Cairo area. Has a network outside Egypt, including Yemen, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Sudan, Lebanon, and the United Kingdom.

    The Egyptian Government claims that both Iran and Bin Ladin support the Jihad. Also may obtain some funding through various Islamic nongovernmental organizations, cover businesses, and criminal acts.

    6. Palestine Liberation Front (PLF)

    The Abu Abbas-led faction is known for aerial attacks against Israel. Abbas's group also was responsible for the attack in 1985 on the cruise ship Achille Lauro and the murder of U.S. citizen Leon Klinghoffer. A warrant for Abu Abbas's arrest is outstanding in Italy.

    Now based in Iraq. Receives support mainly from Iraq. Has received support from Libya in the past.

    None of these terrorist groups should ever feel safe again. We should declare war on each of them and pursue them to the ends of the earth Ñ until they are all dead or agree to unconditional surrender.

    No terrorist group could survive for long without a host state. Even the wealthy Bin Laden could not gather the resources and logistics necessary to carry out a sustained terror campaign without the assistance or tolerance of the Taliban authority in Afghanistan. Other terrorist groups are even more dependent on sponsor states to conduct warfare.

    I was very heartened to hear President Bush state emphatically that the United States will make no distinction between those who commit terrorism and those who harbor terrorists. As such, there is a ready made list of nations against whom we must take action. The most obvious is Afghanistan. The Taliban should be told to give up Bin Laden or face the consequences. However, other nations are even bigger problems in the war on terrorism than Afghanistan. The State Department publishes a list of nations who sponsor terrorism. Those 7 nations are: Iran, Iraq, Syria, Libya, Cuba, North Korea, and Sudan. Each of these 7 should be targeted with various degrees of military, economic and diplomatic pressure due to their activities:

    1. Iran

    Iran remained the most active state sponsor of terrorism in 2000. It provided increasing support to numerous terrorist groups, including the Lebanese Hizballah, HAMAS, and the Palestine Islamic Jihad (PIJ), which seek to undermine the Middle East peace negotiations through the use of terrorism.

    Despite the victory for moderates in Iran's Majles elections in February, aggressive countermeasures by hardline conservatives have blocked most reform efforts

    Its Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and Ministry of Intelligence and Security (MOIS) continued to be involved in the planning and the execution of terrorist acts and continued to support a variety of groups that use terrorism to pursue their goals.

    Iran has long provided Lebanese Hizballah and the Palestinian rejectionist groupsÑnotably HAMAS, the Palestine Islamic Jihad, and Ahmad Jibril's PFLP-GCÑwith varying amounts of funding, safehaven, training, and weapons. This activity continued at its already high levels following the Israeli withdrawal from southern Lebanon in May and during the intifadah in the fall. Iran continued to encourage Hizballah and the Palestinian groups to coordinate their planning and to escalate their activities against Israel. Iran also provided a lower level of supportÑincluding funding, training, and logistics assistanceÑto extremist groups in the Gulf, Africa, Turkey, and Central Asia.

    2. Iraq

    Iraq planned and sponsored international terrorism in 2000. Although Baghdad focused on antidissident activity overseas, the regime continued to support various terrorist groups.

    Czech police continued to provide protection to the Prague office of the U.S. Government-funded Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL), which produces Radio Free Iraq programs and employs expatriate journalists. The police presence was augmented in 1999, following reports that the Iraqi Intelligence Service (IIS) might retaliate against RFE/RL for broadcasts critical of the Iraqi regime.

    Several expatriate terrorist groups continued to maintain offices in Baghdad, including the Arab Liberation Front, the inactive 15 May Organization, the Palestine Liberation Front (PLF), and the Abu Nidal organization (ANO). PLF leader Abu `Abbas appeared on state-controlled television in the fall to praise Iraq's leadership in rallying Arab opposition to Israeli violence against Palestinians. The ANO threatened to attack Austrian interests unless several million dollars in a frozen ANO account in a Vienna bank were turned over to the group.

    3. Syria

    Syria continued to provide safehaven and support to several terrorist groups, some of which maintained training camps or other facilities on Syrian territory. Ahmad Jibril's Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine-General Command (PFLP-GC), the Palestine Islamic Jihad (PIJ), Abu Musa's Fatah-the-Intifada, and George Habash's Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) maintained their headquarters in Damascus. The Syrian Government allowed HAMAS to open a new main office in Damascus in March, although the arrangement may be temporary while HAMAS continues to seek permission to reestablish its headquarters in Jordan. In addition, Syria granted a variety of terrorist groupsÑincluding HAMAS, the PFLP-GC, and the PIJÑbasing privileges or refuge in areas of Lebanon's Bekaa Valley under Syrian control. Damascus generally upheld its agreement with Ankara not to support the Kurdish PKK, however.

    4. Libya

    Despite all the happy horse manure coming out of Tripoli recently, Libya has yet to comply fully with the remaining UN Security Council requirements related to Pan Am 103: accepting responsibility, paying appropriate compensation, disclosing all it knows, and renouncing terrorism. The United States remains dedicated to maintaining pressure on the Libyan Government until it does so. Qadhafi stated publicly that his government had adopted an antiterrorism stance, but it remains unclear whether his claims of distancing Libya from its terrorist past signify a true change in policy.

    It continues to have contact with groups that use violence to oppose the Middle East Peace Process, including the Palestine Islamic Jihad and the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine-General Command.

    5. Sudan

    Sudan continues to be used as a safehaven by members of various groups, including associates of Osama Bin Ladin's al-Qaida organization, Egyptian al-Gama'a al-Islamiyya, Egyptian Islamic Jihad, the Palestine Islamic Jihad, and HAMAS. Most groups used Sudan primarily as a secure base for assisting compatriots elsewhere.

    Khartoum also still had not complied fully with UN Security Council Resolutions 1044, 1054, and 1070, passed in 1996Ñwhich demand that Sudan end all support to terrorists. They also require Khartoum to hand over three Egyptian Gama'a fugitives linked to the assassination attempt in 1995 against Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak in Ethiopia. Sudanese officials continued to deny that they had a role in the attack.

    6. Cuba

    Cuba continued to provide safehaven to several terrorists and U.S. fugitives in 2000. A number of Basque ETA terrorists who gained sanctuary in Cuba some years ago continued to live on the island, as did several U.S. terrorist fugitives.

    Havana also maintained ties to other state sponsors of terrorism and Latin American insurgents. Colombia's two largest terrorist organizations, the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia and the National Liberation Army, both maintained a permanent presence on the island.

    7. North Korea

    In 2000 the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) engaged in three rounds of terrorism talks that culminated in a joint DPRK-U.S. statement wherein the DPRK reiterated its opposition to terrorism and agreed to support international actions against such activity. The DPRK, however, continued to provide safehaven to the Japanese Communist League-Red Army Faction members who participated in the hijacking of a Japanese Airlines flight to North Korea in 1970. Some evidence also suggests the DPRK may have sold weapons directly or indirectly to terrorist groups during the year; Philippine officials publicly declared that the Moro Islamic Liberation Front had purchased weapons from North Korea with funds provided by Middle East sources.

    No terrorist should ever feel safe or secure in any of these countries again. Obviously, these nations should not be dealt with in the same fashion. Cuba, for instance, is isolated and weak. There is no immediate need for bombing. Other problems exist with regard to North Korea that require careful dealings as well. Iraq, Iran, Syria, Sudan and Libya, however, are another story entirely. Either they should hand over terrorists residing within their borders and cease all support for these organizations, or they can expect military action directed at them and possibly even declarations of war. The price for involvement in terrorist activity needs to go so high that no nation would be willing to pay it.

    At this point I should say something about Red China. The State Department makes no claim that Red China sponsors any foreign terrorist organization. Keen observers should look past that. The seven nations who the State Department says do sponsor foreign terrorist organizations all have one chief arms supplier: Red China. Some of these nations Ñ Iran, Iraq, Syria, Libya and North Korea Ñ have received ballistic missile technology from Red China. Iran and North Korea are believed to have received assistance from Red China with their Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD) programs.

    Capitalists who are so fired up about Permanent Normal Trade Relations with Red China should apply the principles of supply side economics here. Let's all hope and pray that this ballistic missile and WMD technology don't "trickle down" to terrorist organizations.

    If we are truly serious about winning the war against the terrorists, we need to get serious with the ultimate source of weaponry, namely Red China. And, these days, the most vulnerable spot is their pocketbook.


    Christopher Holton is the president of Blanchard and Company and has been writing about geo-political issues, economics, and defense topics for more than 10 years.

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