WORLD_ No, Mr President, the war against al-Qaeda is far from won

No, Mr President, the war against al-Qaeda is far from won

By Con Coughlin_ World_ Last updated: February 13th, 2013

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*** Con Coughlin is the Telegraph's Defence Editor and a world-renowned expert on global security and terrorism issues. He is the author of several critically acclaimed books. His new book, Khomeini's Ghost, is published by Macmillan. He appears regularly on radio and television in Britain and America.***





Al-Qaeda-linked fighters from the Islamist group Ansar Dine in Timbuktu


There are times, such as last night's State of the Union address, when I think President Barack Obama has taken leave of reality. How he can claim, when half the Arab world is being overrun by Islamist militants, that al-Qaeda is now a shadow of its former self is beyond comprehension.

Is he forgetting that it is only five months since Chris Stevens, the US ambassador to Libya, died following an attack on the American Consulate in Benghazi by al-Qaeda militants? Is he unaware of al-Qaeda's takeover of large swathes of North Africa? Hasn't anyone told him that al-Qaeda is now playing an active role in trying to overthrow the Assad regime in Damascus, as well as infiltrating other Islamist movements in places such as Egypt and Tunisia?

We can all understand Mr Obama's desire to make reviving the American economy his first priority. But it is downright dangerous for him to claim that the fight against militant Islam is over, and that it is safe to bring home the troops.

But then avoiding conflict has been the cornerstone of Mr Obama's presidency since he first took office four years ago, no matter how great the provocation. And it is in this context that he feels he can start withdrawing American forces from Afghanistan, even though it is clear to anyone with any detailed knowledge of the conflict that the Taliban is still a force to be reckoned with.

And, more to the point, so is al-Qaeda, which is simply sitting in the mountains over the border in Waziristan waiting for the Americans and their allies to leave so they can relocate across the border and reconstruct their terror bases once again. So far as Britain is concerned the al-Qaeda terror nexus that remains on the Afghan-Pakistan border is responsible for at least fifty percent of the plots directed against the UK, and if Mr Obama is really going to abandon his responsibility of providing effective leadership for the Western alliance, then we really are in trouble.

Tags: al-Qaeda, Barack Obama, Chris Stevens, Libya, Mali, state of the union, Syria


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Read more: http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/news/concoughlin/100202695/no-mr-president-the-war-against-al-qaeda-is-far-from-won/

______________Quote:

"We can all understand Mr Obama's desire to make reviving the American economy his first priority. But it is downright dangerous for him to claim that the fight against militant Islam is over, and that it is safe to bring home the troops."

And
"So far as Britain is concerned the al-Qaeda terror nexus that remains on the Afghan-Pakistan border is responsible for at least fifty percent of the plots directed against the UK, and if Mr Obama is really going to abandon his responsibility of providing effective leadership for the Western alliance, then we really are in trouble."


Con Coughlin


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