Don't blame Intelligence or Security Agencies.....

Thu Sep 13 12:27:42 UTC 2001

> ". The ones carrying out the missions are the vast  minority of such an
organization.

This is highly incorrect, especially when looking at extremist Muslamic
religous groups.

Religious Extremism. Islamic extremists literally pose the largest danger in
terms of religious terrorism.  Sunni terrorists, such as Ramzi Yousef,
convicted in the New York Trade Center bombing, tend to be representative of
this trend, whereas Shi'a terrorists continue to pursue their goals in a
more collective fashion, obtaining direction and support from Iran. Although
the Sunni-Shi'a schism remains, some cooperation between members of the two
branches of Islam has been evident.

Muslim terrorists are often Mujahadeen, devoted to Islam and committed to
Jihad, ("Holy War"), possessing combat experience of such locations as
Afghanistan, Bosnia, and Chechnya. Well-schooled in handling weapons,
explosives and communications equipment, they know the value of the
Internet, fax machines, cellular telephones and encryption. Increasingly
sophisticated and willing travellers, they have access to excellent false
documentation and international contacts, and can blend easily into a local
émigré community, where they can plan and execute attacks without being
readily identified. It is their nebulous, unstructured characteristics,
combined with zealous dedication, which contribute in large measure to the
menace they present. Osama bin Laden is one such extraordinary example, made
several times more dangerous by virtue of his immense wealth, personal
capabilities, and charisma.

> Intelligence gathering should and must be at the preliminary stage, by
> infiltrating such organizations, in any possible way. An operation of the
> size the US witnessed involved many people, at all levels of the
> organization. If the organization was well covered by the CIA/???, then
> the information would have reached them long time before the actual hit.
>
> This is what intelligence is all about.

Intelligence is the best weapon for countering terrorism, but getting good
intelligence on terrorism is challenging because it necessitates direct
communication with the terrorists. CIA guidelines have discouraged hiring
terrorist spies. This limits the information we can gather on terrorists and
their agendas.

 ~ Clarke ~