Gunning for bin Laden
The U.S. military struck with such precision and force that Iraq fell in three weeks. When it comes to conquering countries, for sheer firepower and effectiveness, the United States has no equal. That knowledge has brought comfort and security to Americans who erroneously believe it is their birthright to live in comfort and security. However great the success story of Iraq – and it certainly appears to be a military success story – we must remember what brought us on this path to war: the events of Sept. 11, 2001. They remain unavenged. Osama bin Laden and his al-Qaida network continue to be a real, viable threat to our nation’s safety. Despite the greatness of our military and the bounty on his head, bin Laden eludes capture or death. As U.S. troops celebrated the fall of Baghdad this week, an audiotape purporting to carry the voice and message of bin Laden surfaced calling for Muslims to rise up in suicide attacks against U.S. and British interests to “avenge the innocent children” of Iraq. The Central Intelligence Agency determined that the voice is likely an authentic recording of bin Laden and that it is believed to have been made after the war on Iraq began. This lends more weight to the side that believes America’s campaign against terrorism has failed to kill bin Laden.
Then on Friday, 10 of the main suspects in the Oct. 12, 2000 attack on the USS Cole escaped from a Yemeni prison. This deadly attack was also orchestrated by bin Laden in a prelude to 9-11. While a search is under way, these men are on the loose with the potential to engage in yet more terrorism.
The hunt for bin Laden and the quest to destroy al-Qaida have proven much more difficult than moving forces into a region and launching missiles at bunkers. The initial military strikes in Afghanistan were successful in removing the Taliban, which harbored and abetted bin Laden, from power, but the deadly threat remains. We must be careful in our zeal to celebrate the fall of Saddam Hussein’s regime in Iraq to remember the hunt for terrorists must be carried out in full force.