WHIRLPOOL OF  TERRORISM

  Brig (Ret) Mohammad Yousaf

 “ AMERICA SAID YOUSEF AHMED RAMZAY HAD INVENTED TERRORISM. I SUPPORT TERRORISM AS LONG AS IT IS USED AGAINST THE UNITED STATES AND ISRAEL  ……  YOU ARE MORE THAN TERRORIST, YOU ARE BUTCHERS, LIARS AND HYPOCRITES.”

 What is terrorism? It is the form of warfare in which violence is directed primarily against non-combatants (usually unarmed civilians), rather than military and police forces or economic assets (public or private). The terrorism of insurgents and freedom fighters is purposeful rather than mindless violence, because freedom fighters seek to achieve specific long-term, intermediate and short-term goals. The long-term goal is to change the political community/system, authorities or policies. The intermediate goal of terrorism is to deplete the government’s physical resources, to erode its psychological support by instilling fears into the officials and their domestic and international supporters. The short-term goal is to show their presence in being to draw the attention of the world. TERRORISM IS A WEAPON OF THE WEAK.

 There is yet another form of terrorism called ‘STATE TERRORISM’ which is conducted by the armed forces and intelligence agencies. The most recent examples of state terrorism against the freedom movements are of Israel’s terrorism against the Palestinian’ struggle for their homeland, the American’s in the Vietnam War, the Indian’s against the Sikh movement for independence, and against the Muslims in Kashmir, the Soviet’s in Afghanistan and elsewhere.

 We must not differentiate between the individual/group terrorism and state terrorism. The state terrorism is worst because of its magnitude and use of lethal weapons but it is seldom condemned and generally ignored by the news media. On the contrary, the individual/group terrorism is widely condemned and mostly over projected by the electronic news media. Since, the state terrorism is generally conducted by the powerful states, they mostly get away with their heinous crimes, and while the individual/group terrorists are haunted all over the world.

 If the generals and colonels can be ‘terrorist’, can Freedom fighters be legitimately thought of a ‘Soldier’? But the axiom that states alone are authorized to commit murder complicates the picture of inter-group violence considerably. At the most extreme, it even prompts non-state groups to claim statehood as a way of legitimizing the violence in which they are engaged. The generals commit acts of violence rationally, because they are part of trained armies that obey orders. Nevertheless, personal commitments make the crucial difference.

 The terrorism by intelligence agencies is mostly conducted covertly through their highly trained agents. In most cases, agents from the target countries are carefully recruited, motivated, or bribed and thoroughly trained to destabilize the government. Such operations mostly remain hidden under the clouds of mystery. The US is one of the leading countries, which spread terrorism of various kinds covertly throughout the world through her intelligence agency known as CIA (Central Intelligence Agency).

 Camp Peary better known as “The Farm” is the CIA’s center of training saboteurs, infiltrators, spies, and covert operators of all sorts. The Farm covers an area of about 25 square miles, just northeast of Williamsburg, Virginia, running between US Route 64 and the James River. Parallel to river, it has its own landing strip for the visiting dignitaries and the heads of friendly intelligence agencies. I also had the opportunity to visit this camp in 1985.

 It is a unit, well guarded by armed men, watchdogs and electronic surveillance devices. It has its own accommodation for students and staff, messes, and shooting ranges. There are also several hectares of training area for different kinds of sabotage operations. Clerics, criminals, rogues, mercenaries, professional soldiers, journalists, lawyers, and patriots, all are trained alike in the art of assassination, bombing, tossing grenades, arson, torture, mutilation, and kidnapping, The school authorities proudly claim, “ There is no country in the world whose men have not been trained in this school to spread world wide terrorism to serve and safeguard the interests of United States.”

 There is a massive prove that the United States, over the last few decades, have provided the weapons, training and sanctuary for world wide terrorism aimed at destabilizing the pro-Marxist regimes. The CIA also made several attempts against Cuba’s leader Fidel Castro, Libya’s Qaddafi, Naser of Egypt and Sadam of Iraq either to assassinate them or to overthrow their governments.

 The US policy makers in 1946, perceived the Soviet Union as the main threat to the American’s interest in Central America, Eastern Europe and Asia particularly in the Middle East. The think tank and CIA in Washington asked themselves, who is the principal enemy of our enemy? The tacit consensus was that Islam, the Muslim religion is fundamentally anti-Communist, and if translated into politics, could be made as a mighty force to oppose Moscow in Asia. But they overlooked one major factor; the Muslims in general and Arabs in particular considered Israel, the illegitimate child of US, as their enemy.

 In Jan 1981, when William Casey took over as director of CIA, the morale in CIA was at its lowest ebb. The echoes of the disaster at “Bay Of Pigs”, a covert operation planned and conducted by the CIA against Fidel Castro was still haunting them. The repeated unsuccessful attempts to assassinate or overthrow Libya’s Qaddafi and their failure to make any headway regarding the hostages being held by Iran had shattered their self-confidence. The ban on the assassinations, by the CIA, through the executive order signed by President Ford in 1976 and reaffirmed by Carter had given a relatively free hand to KGB and other Anti-American elements to kill and kidnap the CIA operators and informers. The CIA was at loss; helpless with the hands tied their back.

 Casey, a professional spy of Second World War, introduced the third dimension of terrorism through foreign, friendly and phony means. He encouraged the CIA to recruit and trained mercenaries, criminals and ex professional soldiers from different nationalities to either counter terrorism by terrorism or spread terrorism against pro-Marxist regimes. Thus the “Farm” was soon flourishing and continued to do so through out his stint.

 Monarchs and dictators, all over the world are the most vulnerable and concern to their personal security. Their lives are always on ‘tender-hook’. Casey made ghost plans against them with fabricated evidence and in certain cases lured Islamic fundamentalists to hatch plans through covert friendly means. He then warned the heads of state a day or two prior to the execution of the plan; providing them with complete electronic evidence. The thankful monarchs and dictators were offered” Security and Intelligence Program’. At a cost of three hundreds thousands dollars to a million dollar, training was given to the personal security force or palace guards; often, also, to the country’ intelligence service. Equipment included, the best weapons, communication, security alarm and locks, light but effective bullet proof vest, and advance techniques in the defense of the palace / presidency. Soon over 12 countries were on the CIA’s list including President Hissen Habre of Chad, Liberia’s leader Samuel K Doe, King of Morocco, Philippine President Marcos, Sudan president Numeri, Lebanese President Amin Gemyal’ President Durate of El-Savada and the Saudi’s King. This program helped CIA, not only to cultivate and plant informers at the key places but also gave ingress in the respective intelligence organizations.

 The US, at times, seemed to have determined that thwarting terrorism furthered their objectives and at times that terrorism promoted them. This confusion still persists with the US Administration. Three covert acts of terrorism unearthed are worth mentioning: -

 *CIA sponsored covert attack on Auguto Cesar Sandino (Nicaragua) Airport by a propeller-driven twin engine Cesna with 500 pounds bombs strapped under each wing.

*Placing of underwater mines by CIA in three Nicaraguan harbors, which would activate by the sound of ships passing overhead had hit several ships and number of civilians were killed and wounded.

*To assassinate Sheikh Fadlallah, a leader of Hizbollah in Beirut, the services of an Englishman were hired through the Saudis at a cost of 3 million dollars. On March 18, 1985, a car packed with explosives was driven about 5o yards from Fadlallah’s residence. The car exploded killing 80 people and wounding 200. The explosion left devastation, fire and collapsed building; but Fadlallah escaped. The tracks were meticulously covered and information planted that Israel was behind the car bombing.

 From 1950 to 1960, the US Administration faced the task of defending their interest in Central America, Middle East and South Asia. Protection of strategic geography, and defending sea and air access routes were linked to defending the vast reservoirs of oil and natural gas in and around the Arabian Peninsula and the Persian gulf. These were areas, which the industrial world had been exploring and depended upon. In addition, America had to defend the security of the new state of Israel.

 The flirtation between America and Islam began from Iran, when Mossadaq, a pro Soviet Prime Minister came into power. The individual Muslim scholars, groups and political parties were encouraged, covertly provided with funds to resist against Soviet influence. The Shah of Iran also considered the increased Soviet influence as a direct threat to his throne and turned towards the America for help. The American flirtation with Islamic Fundamentalists became a serious affair with anti Nasser groups in Egypt and anti Soviet groups elsewhere in the Muslim world.

 When Soviets invaded Afghanistan in Dec 1979, the Americans registered a major shake up in the area vital to their interest. Russians aircrafts at Shindand, only 480 KM from the Gulf had altered the geo-strategic environments in the South Central Asia because of the Soviet threat to the oil supplies. The power equation in the region was changed overnight. Initially, for the first few months, America adopted, a wait-and-see attitude. President Carter was locked into the intractable Tehran hostage crisis. But soon the Washington realized the military potentials of Afghan mujahideen. Thus the American love affair with Islamists turned into a politico-military marriage of convenience. Once the Russians agreed to leave Afghanistan, the Americans as usual, turned their backs on the ruins of Afghanistan. The marriage of convenience ended with a bitter taste.

 The bombing of World Trade center in New York of Feb 1993, perhaps of its kind on the American soil shocked the American Nation. The unsuccessful attempts to kill and disrupt New York life in June 1993 and plans to destroy several American airlines were perhaps more widely reported and commented upon than any other case of terrorism in American history.

 On 7^th August 1998, truck bombs devastated the area around the American embassies in Nairobi, Kenya and Dares Sallam, Tanzania. The Nairobi bomb killed 247 people including 12 Americans. Ten people died in Dares Salaam and over hundred wounded.

 A detailed investigation revealed that all involved in the bombing were Muslim Arabs led by Usama bin Laden. The court record made available to the public revealed none of the references to the Afghan Jihad. The history of attacks on American individuals, installations and embassies is as old as the birth of Israel and the role played by the US Administration during and after the Israel- Arab Wars. But strangely, the news media controlled by the Jews attributed the above as ‘blowback’ from the Afghan Jihad only. Not a word was mentioned about Israel.

 President Clinton, in an effort to draw attention away from his much publicized sexual affair with the young White house intern Monica Lewinsky ordered the retaliatory ‘Cruise’ missile attacks of August 20, 1997, on Afghanistan’s training camps used by Usama bin Laden and on a harmless chemical factory in Khartoum, Sudan. The confirm reports indicate that an agent of Israel’s MOSSAD had deliberately led the CIA to believe that factory was being used to manufacture VX nerve gas, ethyl methylphosphothionate, by providing fabricated soil sample from ground near the factory. The US stoutly resisted Sudan’s demand for an on-the-spot investigation by impartial United Nations investigators. The punitive action against Sudan further enflamed the hatred between Islamists and US and Israel. To counter terrorism with terrorism in any form can neither eliminates terrorism nor can be justified.

 US Administration has hundred different faces to show hundred different worlds. Within their own country, they are the champions of democracy, while outside their country; pro-American monarchs, military rulers and dictators are their favorites. Overtly, they condemn terrorism of all sorts, and, covertly they support terrorism by providing funds, weapon and training to those who are struggling against popular and even democratic but anti-American regimes. US defense oriented industry is the largest in the world. To keep the industry going and to sell obsolete and obsolescent weapons, there has to be wars. Limited wars has to be initiated, promoted and supported by the US Administration.  THOUGH PEACE IS THEIR FORTE; BUT LIMITED WARS ARE THE ECONOMIC COMPULSION OF THE UNITED STATES.

 Islam is a dynamic and pragmatic religion. It is not militant in nature, but it certainly doesn’t offer the other cheek. The hatred between Islam and United States is not based on religion; it is not the crusade of the medieval age. However, there is a firm believe in the Muslim world, strengthened by the covert Israeli’s propaganda that there has always been the invisible hand of the US in wars between the two Muslim countries to polarize and destabilize the concept of Islamic Brotherhood. The news media controlled by the Jews is playing the dubious role propagating against America in the Islamic World and against the Islamic Fundamentalists in America for their own survival.

 It is the time to set the record straight that Islamists are not the only terrorist spreading terrorism around the globe, nor does it imply that since one person of a particular group or religion commits a terrorist action that all are labeled as such. The real culprits are the silent forces that provide the resources of money, weapon, training, covert support and safe heavens. The CIA is one of the many where the very core of terrorism exists. It is necessary to send out a message loud and clear, worldwide, for the need to eradicate the misconception that Muslims are terrorist. This also suggests the need, to understand the Muslims in accordance to their Islamic teachings, and to jointly strive for peace on earth.

 THE WORLD WILL CONTINUE TO EXPERIENCE TERRORISM WELL INTO THE NEW CENTURY, IF THE ROOT CAUSES ARE NOT REMOVED BETWEEN THE UNITED STATES AND ISLAMISTS.