Boots on the Ground in Iraq
Same Song, Second Verse?
Thirteen years after the terror attacks on September 11, 2001 claimed nearly 3,000 American lives, and changed the political and homeland security landscape of the Western world, the question remains, “Are we safer now?” Al Qaeda is a shadow of its former self. Coalition Forces left Iraq claiming victory and the drawdown in Afghanistan is underway. The world celebrated the defeat of al Qaeda in Iraq, the defeat of the Taliban, democratic elections in both Iraq and Afghanistan and the death of Osama bin Laden.
But has our “Global War on Terrorism” created more enemies of the US? A CIA assessment puts the number of ISIS fighters at possibly more than three times the previous estimates. The terror group that calls itself the Islamic State can muster between 20,000 and 31,500 fighters across Iraq and Syria. Analysts and U.S. officials initially estimated there were as many as 10,000 fighters, including those who were freed from prisons by ISIS, and Sunni loyalists who have joined the fight as the group advanced across Iraq.
ISIS makes al Qaeda look like a group of Boy Scouts. They are brutal to the point of being repulsive. They embrace torture, beheadings and barbaric acts not seen since the eras of Stalin and Hitler. Their mere existence destabilizes the entire Middle East. Their atrocities in Iraq have completely emasculated the Iraqi military and security forces that US and Coalition troops spent years and billions training.
US Secretary of State Kerry says that the US is not at war with ISIS. However, ISIS is at war with the US. In Saturday’s beheading of British aid worker David Cawthorne Haines, a black-clad, masked militant holding a knife says the execution is in retaliation for Britain’s decision to supply arms to Kurdish fighters battling ISIS in Iraq. After the murder, another captive is shown and the executioner warns British Prime Minister Cameron “you … will have the blood of your people on your hands,” if the U.K. continues to ally with the U.S. in its campaign against the group.
The President has repeatedly stated that he will not send ground troops to Iraq or Syria to deal with the threat posed by ISIS. However, military analysts and senior officers all acknowledge that air strikes alone cannot defeat ISIS. With the estimate of over 30,000 ISIS fighters, how is the US supposed to defeat this brutal group of miscreants? The nation is war weary. However, what will the public’s response be to an attack by ISIS in the homeland?
Left unchecked, ISIS poses a threat to the United States and Great Britain. One merely has to look at the carnage done by a small group of terrorists in Mumbai, India in November 2008. In the course of four days, the group killed 164 and wounded 308. These terrorists were members of the group Lashkar-e-Taiba. They were poorly trained and had to be constantly coached by the handlers via cell phone. The Westgate Mall attack in Kenya is another example of what a small group of terrorists can do. The attack by al-Shabaab, in September 2013, left 67 dead and wounded over 175.
The US has spent over $791 billion to secure the homeland since the attacks on 9/11. What has the American public gotten as far as personal security for this incredible sum? Can the Department of Homeland Security state with confidence that there will be no Mumbai or Westgate Mall type attacks? Should our focus be on protecting our borders and hardening places where citizens gather? Should our government start a campaign to warn the American public on the vulnerabilities in the homeland? As the US emerges from the Great Recession, what would the economic impact of this be?
There are many questions with few answers. However, after 13 years and $791 billion, there can be no doubt that the nation is still vulnerable to terrorist attacks in the homeland. The next attack may not come from hijacked airliners, but ISIS has proven that they are able and willing to commit large-scale atrocities. DHS and other federal entities owe it to the American public to ensure everything possible is being done to protect critical sites in the US.
Terrorists have a say. The President and Congress can vow not to send ground troops back to Iraq. However, ISIS may force the Obama administration to change course before ISIS brings their tactics to the US. Perhaps the nation needs to understand this and prepare mentally for another ground offensive. Otherwise, the homeland is a ticking time bomb just waiting for the clock to strike 12.
