Saturday, May 24, 2008
Good News from Pakistan
An experienced al Qaeda member, an Algerian explosives expert with the nickname Abu Sulayman Jazairi, who was believed to be plotting against European interests, was possibly killed by an American airstrike on Damadola, Pakistan 10 days ago.
We can be reasonably sure of the numbers we're killing, but I'm with former Secretary of Defense Rumsfeld, we don't know how many are turning to Jihad to replace them. Still, there is a number out there where we would be depleting their ranks, not merely with the deaths of their fighters but also with the disillusionment of those who might join the Jihad.
One outfit says that the absolute numbers of terrorist attacks worldwide are down substantially since 2001. That's maybe not a complete measurement of success, but of some comfort to those who hope the sacrifices of our nation and especially of our armed forces are not in vain.
The Democratic talking point that fighting them only makes more of them has rarely sounded more hollow, especially since the surge change in tactics. Anyone who knows the successes the British had in Malaysia, and ours more recently in Afghanistan and Iraq, knows that you win any sort of war by making the enemy unwilling or unable to fight any more. Both unwillingness and inability are achieved by killing them and destroying their war material. That's like War 101 stuff.
Labels: Pakistan; al Qaeda Ass Kicking