Terror Threats During November 2005

Former special forces officers, trained in Nicaragua and Guatemala, purportedly operate the camp, and it is suspected that smugglers and terrorists are present at the camp. The spokesperson also spoke of a sheriff confirming that the Al-Qaeda suspect was hiding at a community across the Rio Grave River “for a while” and may have been monitoring border activity. A Council on Foreign Relations poll has indicated that 64% of military officers feel that a stable democracy can be established in Iraq. However, only 33% of journalists and 27% of academics hold this view. One can’t help but consider whether or not the overwhelmingly pessimistic attitude of the media and academia does not subtly find its way into reporting and educational instruction. Middle East Operation Steel Curtain along the western border of Iraq was reportedly extremely successful, resulting in the elimination and capture of hundreds of terrorists and insurgents. However, according to the Kuwaiti News Agency, up to 180 terrorists fled into Syria during the campaign at Husaiba. Interestingly, there appears to be a pattern developing: an offensive is initiated, Syria assists the insurgency, and the Iraqi government releases more evidence against Syria. The Iraqi Defense Minister reported that there were at least 400 detainees who stated that they were trained in Syria before entering Iraq to participate in the insurgency. The United States needs to become more vocal about Syria’s involvement in the insurgency, as it will help dispel the myth that the insurgency has widespread support, and also add some fuel to the fire in the campaign to initiate some sort of U.N. or international action against Damascus. The U.S. should release portions of the evidence it has compiled in a very public fashion, perhaps framing Syria’s support for the insurgency and assassination of Hariri as part of an overall problem with Syrian policy. Syria may be able, with Russia’s help, to benefit from U.N. inaction in regards to the Hariri assassination, so the U.S. should level several layers of charges making it nearly impossible for the Syrians to evade their culpability with regard to their interference in the internal affairs of neighboring states. http://globalpolitician.com/articles.asp?ID=1464&print=true [Proofreader's note: this article was edited for spelling and typos on December 11, 2005]

Note: http://globalpolitician...