Dear Editor:
When you think about the series of attacks against Americans –
the World Trade carnage, bombing of U.S. embassy in Sudan, U.S.
consulate in Pakistan, assault on our destroyer in Yemen, ambushes
of American soldiers in Kuwait and Pakistan it becomes apparent
that the radical Al Qaeda terrorists should be the target rather
than Iraq.
Dear Editor:
When you think about the series of attacks against Americans – the World Trade carnage, bombing of U.S. embassy in Sudan, U.S. consulate in Pakistan, assault on our destroyer in Yemen, ambushes of American soldiers in Kuwait and Pakistan it becomes apparent that the radical Al Qaeda terrorists should be the target rather than Iraq.
Our military might can leave the country of Iraq in a pile of ruble and its citizens a nation of refugees, but with little or no effect on the Al Qaeda infrastructure. The reason? It has no infrastructure.
As our CIA and foreign intelligence agencies already know it is composed of small underground cells scattered in at least a dozen countries. They are engaged in training radical recruits to be full-fledged terrorists and planning to execute more of the above atrocities.
If the “target” were shifted back to Osama bin Laden and his accomplices, our administration would surely have the backing of every civilized nation to hunt down and exterminate them.
The U.S. military now has tens of thousands Army, Air Force, Navy and Marines in bases surrounding Iraq equipped with the latest high-tech weapons which Secretary Rumsfeld has assured us will enable our forces to unleash an overwhelming onslaught on the Iraqis. The administration is predicting a quick victory.
The question is: Does the victory mean we are eliminating terrorists? Or turning moderate Muslims into extremists? The latter is just what Al Qaeda cells are wanting – more recruits to be trained as terrorists. A question we should answer before it’s too late. Are we lumping Iraq together with the 9-11 terrorists? Mr. Rumsfeld in a “pep talk” to U.S. troops said “remember 9-11.”
Maybe we don’t need this war. The aftermath may well be the answer to Osama Bin Laden’s prayers.
Neil Wilkinson, Gilroy
Submitted Tuesday, Feb. 18
