Katie Stacey
Current Event #2 Outline
NATO kills al-Qaeda leader
May 31, 2012
Nearly a year after the United States killed al-qaida’s
leader; Osama bin-Laden in retaliation against the September 11, 2001 attack,
the U.S. strikes again killing another two of the terrorist groups members. On
May 27th, 2012, an airstrike in eastern Kunar, Afganistan carried
out by the U.S. led NATO in killing al-Qaeda’s second highest leader in the
country; Sakhr al-Taifi and another al-Qaeda militant.
Al Qaeda and the U.S:
The U.S. has had several successful attacks against al
qaeda’s leaders in the past…
- Abu Musab al-Zarqawi was the senior leader of al-Qaeda in Iraq, but his safe house was hit by
U.S. missiles in a targeted killing. His successor, Abu Ayyub al-Masri, was also later
killed by US and Iraqi forces on April 18, 2010.
However after years of damage done to al Qaeda
they made a plan and killed many Americans in the September 11 attack.
September 11, 2001:
-19 terrorists from the al-Qaeda group hijacked four
passenger jets targeted for New York City and Washington D.C.
-One plane crashed into the World Trade Center complex in
New York city, another crashed into the pentagon in Arlington, Virginia, and
another plane initially intended to hit a target in Washington D>C>
landed in Pennsylvania due to passengers attempting to take over the plane.
-In total 227 civilians and 19 hijackers died.
-Osama Bin Laden took responsibility for the attacks
stating that his motives were because of the presence of U.S. troops in Saudi
Arabia and sanctions against Iraq.
The U.S. planned an attack specifically targeting Osama
bin-Laden that took place on May 2, 2011.
Osama bin-Laden:
-killed in Pakistan on May 2, 2011 by NAVY seals
-mission called Operation Neptune Spear: ordered by
Barack Obama
-The Navy, the united states naval special warfare
development group (SEAL Team Six), Airborne and the CIA all contributed to the
raid in bin Laden’s compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan
The U.S. NATO used letters found at the death of bin
Laden to determine where leaders would flee after September 11.One of the
letters stated that all militants should leave Pakistan’s North and South
Waziristan tribal areas because many leaders had already been killed there.
This specific letter also led them to the Kunar’s Watahpur district as bin
laden said it was better because “it’s rougher terrain”. This then led them to
Sakhr al-Taifi.
Sakhr al-Taifi:
-Traveled between Afghanistan and Pakistan carrying out
commands from senior al-qaida leadership
-responsible for commanding foreign insurgents and
directing attacks against coalition and afghan forces
-supplied weapons and equipment to insurgents in the east
and managed transport of insurgent fighters into Afghanistan
During other attacks civilians had been harmed in
Pakistan aggravating protesters. However, Pentagon Press Secretary, George Little
told reporters that no civilians were killed in the attack against Sakhr
al-Taifi.
http://www.dnaindia.com/world/report_death-of-sakhr-al-taifi-major-blow-to-al-qaeda-pentagon_1695616
i do believe that we are taking the right approach against Al Qaeda because i believe it has to be done to be stopped. if we did not do anything about it the situation would get worse and worse. But with us retaliating i also believe that they will retaliate, which could be a problem do to the fact that we do not want to have another situation like 9-11. i do think that we can handle it but i think that we really need to be careful on what we do and how we do it.
ReplyDeleteYes, I think that the American government is taking the right approach against Al Qaeda. I agree with Tim that it is necessary to take action because without the United States taking action than the situation would become increasingly worse. I think that after Al Qaeda hijacked four passenger jets and attacked the United States, it was necessary for the United States to target Al Qaeda's leader Osama bin-Laden. I believe the United States needed to fight back because the attack on the World Trade Center complex was so devastating, a counter attack needed to be done. I think that since the United States has also had several successful attacks against al qaeda’s leaders in the past, Al Qaeda may want to fight back for revenge. I think that since their leaders have previously been killed by the United States, they may have fear planning more attacks but they may feel as though its necessary. I do have suspicion that the United States could be in danger of Al Qaeda fighting back like they did on September 11th, but I think that the United States military is very strong and they will be able to keep the United States safe and possible prevent attacks from happening.
ReplyDeleteI do think the American government is taking the correct approach against Al Queda. I think it is necessary to take action with this because if we don't, the situation could potentially become worse. After the hijacking, I think the United States did need to target Osama bin-Laden for a counter attack because of how bad what they did to America was. However, this could lead to more problems and more attacks. Since, the leader of Al Queda was killed, I feel as if Al Queda is going to fight back in some way.
ReplyDeleteI believe that killing high-ranked members with Al Qaeda is both good and bad. It's good because the less officers they have, the more chaotic Al Qaeda would be; if there is no authority then eventually it will collapse. It's bad because by killing them we are giving them more reason to repeat an event like 9/11. I believe we could very well be in danger but with the precautions we have today we aren't in as much danger.
ReplyDeleteI think the American government is definitely taking the right approach. Eliminating the leaders of any organization is the first step in eliminating the organization altogether. The raid of Osama Bin Laden's safe house a year ago finally brought the Al Qaeda leader to his demise and foiled multiple plots that this group was planning in addition to disclosing the locations of other Al Qaeda top men. The American government is now using all of the information they obtained during that raid and I see no problem or threat arising from their actions.
ReplyDeleteThe Obama Administration is taking good approach, but it could use improvement. The current strategy of "cutting off the head," so to speak, is good for an organization which has a state or nation behind it, where there is a known pool of soldiers who are guaranteed to become the next officers. al-Qaeda is so powerful because they operate in the shadows, outside of the system, as a stateless, multinational guerrilla organization. Osama bin-Laden's assassination was a huge symbolic blow to al-Qaeda because he was the known leader, one who inspired many Muslims to fight for him, but the organization is extensive, and there are many up-and-coming al-Qaeda operatives who are qualified and happy to lead now that bin-Laden is gone. Therefore, the United States should also work on a bottom-up approach to toppling al-Qaeda. If they can prevent young Muslims from joining al-Qaeda, the US may be able to hit the organization where it would be most effective. al-Qaeda relies heavily on new blood, and if they can't recruit new men, they will eventually be unable to operate. Killing civilians is not a way to prevent young men from joining al-Qaeda. When the United States kills innocent people, it becomes the villain, and then possible recruits come out of the woodwork to avenge their families, or just to fight America. In conclusion, if the United States hopes to prevent young men from joining al-Qaeda, and to prevent further attacks, then its best course of action is to stop killing civilians and to start toppling al-Qaeda from the ground up.
ReplyDeleteYes, I do believe that the American government is taking the correct approach against Al Qaeda. This group is a terrorist group that killed many Americans and put our country in distraught for many years. Therefore, by killing some of their leaders it truly sends a message from Americans that we are a larger country and capable of harm as well. The US needs to be preventing future generations from joining Al Qaeda and knowing the US military is after all members definetly would complicate joining the group. I think that the US is working effectively in breaking up AL Qaeda and I think they definetly could terrorize this nation again, but its members are decreasing. The goal as of right now should be to decrease Al Qaeda members (which is being done effectively). We are not killing innocent bystanders we are simply targeting members of this group that have the potential to do a lot more harm to the people of the Middle East as well we the United States. In this way, for world security we need to decrease Al Qaeda members.
ReplyDeleteI feel as if we are taking the right approach.. war is war and there's no easy way to stop it especially if the United States is in danger. We very well could be in danger because there is a lot we already know but there are also a lot of things that we haven't found out yet. They could be planning something against us we never know just like 9/11. I feel like the government is being extra careful about what they are doing which is very smart but in order to stop all of the secrets they do need to kill some people making Al-Qaeda incapable and to catch them off guard. We have made a lot of process in moving forward but there is still a long way to go so America can be 100% safe.
ReplyDeleteIn my opinion, this approach towards Al Queada is the correct way to look at this situation. This group is a group that has been the cause for a major disaster/crisis that occurred in our nation causing many deaths to American citizens. Al Queada is still continuing to attack at will and this aggressiveness approach is in my opinion the only way that this issue will end. By killing their leaders one by one, we will be closer to our task of knocking down one of our biggest country threats. If this mission of trying to kill all the Al Queada leaders succeeds i don't believe that we as a country will be in danger of another catastrophic event such as 9/11. We will have already knocked down big and powerful leaders leaving Al Queada incapable of returning fire with those who remain. However we must take into consideration the duration of this process. Like Randa stated, we must prevent future generations from joining this horrible group and stop this thing once and for all.
ReplyDeleteThe American government is taking the right approach to Al Queada. Without the government taking such a strong approach it would give them time to strike at us again. They would be able to prepare and plan another attack without getting harassed. We need to make sure Al Queada is no longer a threat to this world and the people in it through diplomacy or other means. Yes, this makes them want to attack us but before they already wanted to attack us anyway and were going to. This is the right thing to do because in the long run we are saving many innocent peoples lives.
ReplyDeletei agree with my classmates when i say that i do think that the United States is taking the right approach in the Al Queada situation. The terrorism situation needs to be taken as a high priority, and i think that the United States government agree. To take down a major group, such as al queada, you need to take away the people who are in charge. This is the only way we can stop the terrorist group once and for all. We need to take away the leaders, or the group will continue to put not only the United States at risk. We always need to have suspicion with groups like this, these groups put our safety at risk before, and will most likely try to again.
ReplyDeleteI do think the United States is taking the right approach towards the Al Queada situation. Terrorism is a major threat to any country and should always be a high priority. To prevent attacks from Al Queada, we have to keep them weak from the inside, thus, taking down any leaders that have the potential to launch an attack on the United States or any country. Keeping terrorist groups, like Al Queada, without a leader will keep them weak and vulnerable. We take away their leaders, we take away their power. Taking this approach is a high priority and I agree with it.
ReplyDeleteI think that the United States s taking the right approach toward Al Queada. We need to always keep watch about terrorism, and make it one of our highest priority. We need to take down the leaders and find them so they will not plan something against the United States again. I think if we do not try to take down there leaders they could always plan another attack against us to retaliate because we took there leader. I think we need to make this a high priority to keep out country safe from people that hate us the most.
ReplyDeleteI agree with the classmates that the United States is taking the right approach toward the Al Queada situation. Terrorism is a huge issue and is a major threat to any country and should be a high priority for a country. The United States should take down some major leaders in charge in order to keep Al Queada weak so they do not pose a threat towards any country. Taking down these leaders would take away the potential of them launching an attack on the United States or on any other country. I think that if we don't take down the leaders, then there is a possible chance that they could continue to put the United States safety at risk. If we take away their safety, then we take away their power.
ReplyDeleteI'm with everyone else on this issue. The US has done a great job in fighting al queda and they have a great approach. America is trying to take out all the major leaders of the group to hopefully dismantle the group completely. Terrorism is still a major threat so we must always keep an eye out for it. The approach that America has taken will keep al queda weak . We can't let our guard down though because there is always someone there to take the spot of a fallen leader. We are taking the right approach but we must stay cautious.
ReplyDeleteI believe that the American Government is taking the right approach to this situation. If the United States does not take action, than Al Qaeda with think it doesn't effect us. by acting upon this, it shows that Al Qaeda should not mess with us and that we mean business when it comes to the protection of our country. I think the situation is like a bee colony, if we take out the queen, then the bees do not not why to do. By eliminating the leaders, Al Qaeda will have corruption in the government. We may be in danger of threats because of our actions, but if we continue to take out leaders, than the threat may be eliminated.
ReplyDeleteI don't think that the war on Al Qaeda will ever end since the growing distrust of American influence in the Middle East is exponential. I believe that our best approach is to withdraw from the pointless battles that we incurred with them, and instead try to garrison some of our troops to foreign nations to make sure another Taliban uprising is not at hand. If we continue this ongoing fight, not only will we demoralize our troops, but we will waste our resources as well as cause anger amongst the masses of both the US and the Middle East. The reason they attacked us is because we invaded their land, and simply trying to take control of them will just make them more annoyed with us. So our best option is to make another retreat, and leave it to the hands of the Middle Eastern governments.
ReplyDeleteI, too, think that the United States government is taking the right approach against Al’ Qaeda. Since September 2001, we have been at war with them. Since then, as a country, it has been our duty to defend against future attacks against the US. The US never thought about terrorism as bad as the September 11th attacks and since then the US had targeted Al’ Qaeda leaders to defend us against future attacks and keeping up with our defenses should keep Al’ Qaeda off our tails and backed off of the US. We are trying to show superiority over the US to protect us against attacks and if the US government backs troops out of the Middle East, Al’ Qaeda may get the wrong idea and/or take it to their advantage and take some catastrophic measures. With the high amounts of uranium nuclear energy mentioned in the last current event, it gives me the idea that they are possibly planning another attack or gathering the weaponry to be ready for a counter-attack for themselves; to protect them. When the US found letters at the scene of the assassination of Osama Bin Laden, “the U.S. NATO used letters found at the death of bin Laden to determine where leaders would flee after September 11. One of the letters stated that all militants should leave Pakistan’s North and South Waziristan tribal areas because many leaders had already been killed there. This specific letter also led them to the Kunar’s Watahpur district as Bin Laden said it was better because ‘it’s rougher terrain’. This then led them to Sakhr al-Taifi” These letters the Bin Laden had possession of, gave the US Defense Department the locations or possible locations of Al’ Qaeda leaders and they are a huge advantage to the US. The US needs to keep tabs on the Middle East and keep us on defense to defend us from equal and worse attacks, especially with the Middle East’s equipped high-level nuclear energy.
ReplyDeleteI agree with all of my classmates in saying that, yes, the United States government is in facet taking the right approach against the Al' Qaeda group. Ever since the horrific tragedy occurring on September 11, 2001 our main objective was to keep the country safe from future attacks boosting our national security higher than ever imagined, as Josh had said. The appropriate measures have been taken thus far, in slowly disassembling the terrorist group by taking out important individuals in hopes to completely bring the group to an end. As Adam had said, I agree with the point made of the country to not keep our guard down because there will always be another potential leader willing to step in to put the United States in harms way. These are the right steps being made but we must stay alert and just as overly protective as we have been for the past 11 years.
ReplyDeleteI agree with everyone above, that we are taking the right approach. Before we leave Iraq, we need to make sure that democracy is set in stone in that country and that there is no chance for Al Qaeda to come back into power. Osama Bin Ladan being captured doesn't mean that much unless you eliminate the Taliban army beneith him and the other powerful leaders. Right now, I do not think that we will have another attack. I don't think the Taliban are strong enough right now, but I am not sure. I would have to do other research to come to that conclusion.
ReplyDeleteI agree with everyone that the United States government is taking the right approach against the Al' Qaeda group. The US has to protect us and prevent future attacks. Terrorism is a major issue in the United States and needs to be a top priority. The US needs to take down the major leaders in charge in order to keep Al Qaeda weak so they do not threaten our country again. This should prevent future generations in joining Al' Qaeda, and if this is to continue it will abolish this terrorist group all together.
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