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July 15, 2014

While terrorists are often portrayed as semi comical “rag-tag” forces facing Western professionals,

in reality operatives like Imad Mughniyah, Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, Saddam Hussein and the current leadership of ISIS are consummate pros themselves, with decades of operational, clandestine and political experience.

They know all there is to know about intrigue, intimidation and war. They are unrestrained by any scruple, law or accountability. All they understand is power; how to seize it and how to hold it; naturally they have become very good at what they do. Only the very best can win against them. For all of its faults the US campaign in Iraq was possibly the only Western intervention to outfight a terror campaign on the ground. Just how hard that was to achieve is underscored by the current administration’s miserable failures.
Belmont Club サ The Siege of Baghdad

Posted by gerardvanderleun at July 15, 2014 10:48 AM. This is an entry on the sideblog of American Digest: Check it out.

Your Say

The error in thinking comes from looking at the terrorist as a soldier. He's not. He is a vicious thug who will visit violence on all, particularly non-combatants i.e. civilians. The enemy we're fighting in the Stans and Iraq are trained military fighting in mufti. That makes them fair targets at anytime and place and those that shelter become legitimate targets too. We should have learned that lesson in the Nam.

Posted by: Vermont Woodchuck [TypeKey Profile Page] at July 16, 2014 12:47 PM

The only question to be answered truthfully is what of the innocent men, women, children being used as shields by the terrorists?
We and others have answered via the fire-bombing of Dresden, Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Entebbe, results of the rescue attempt for the schoolchildren hostages held by Chechyan nationalists, ...
Different results, different situations, different estimates of lives saved by intervening.

Down the years we've done our best. Ethicists and God have given no consistent, applicable guidance once the situation and decision time has arrived.

We must decide and live with the consequences of the justice or injustice done.
God in his omnipotence has a lot to answer for!

Posted by: Stug Guts [TypeKey Profile Page] at July 17, 2014 10:07 AM

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