If every success some of our supported minions have then we are told that we are winning the war on terror….when we kill a leader or destroy a cash stash or drive a group from this site or another…if every one of those we are told, mostly by the propaganda arm of the government, the media…..we are slowly winning the war…..but are we?
I read a story that says that the number of terrorist attacks has declined over the last year……
The State Department says there was a 13% decrease in the number of global terrorist attacks between 2014 and 2015—the first such decline since 2012. There were 11,774 attacks that resulted in 28,328 deaths in 2015, compared with 13,463 attacks in 2014 that killed 32,727 people, according to an annual survey of worldwide terrorism, per the AP. Of those killed in 2015, 19 were private American citizens, compared with 24 in 2014. Attacks and deaths declined in Iraq, Pakistan, and Nigeria, but they increased in Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Egypt, the Philippines, Syria, and Turkey. Iran remained the “foremost state sponsor of terrorism in 2015” through its support of Lebanon’s Hezbollah, the government of Syrian President Bashar Assad, and anti-Israel groups such as Hamas, the report says.
The Islamic State remained the greatest worldwide terrorist threat with a “formidable force” of fighters in Iraq and Syria. Al-Qaeda and affiliates also remained active in Afghanistan, Pakistan, and parts of West Africa and North Africa, where it continued to stage mass casualty strikes, including on hotels in Burkina Faso, Mali, and Tunisia, as well as the bombing of a Russian passenger jet, the report finds. In East Africa, the report notes that Somali group al-Shabab remained a serious threat in 2015 not only in Somalia but in neighboring Kenya. Along with Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iraq, the Sinai, Somalia, and Syria, the report designated Libya, the southern Philippines, the Sahara, Yemen, and portions of Colombia and Venezuela as “terrorist safe havens” where groups are able to operate with relative ease due to poor or inadequate governance.
Could that be a realistic indicator that we are winning….or is it just another “feel good” story that the media likes to pass off as news?
Personally, I do not see it….I mean terror is a tactic not an entity…..we can possibly lessen the attacks….but defeating it…..I have my doubts.
Apparently the UN is not that optimistic either….
A new report from UN Undersecretary-General Jeffrey Feltman warned today that despite a lot of talk of ISIS suffering major setbacks in recent weeks, the group is not being weakened strategically, and continues to attract large amounts of recruits internationally.
Feltman’s report conceded that airstrikes have put ISIS’ oil revenue under pressure, but that they have been able to significantly diversify their sources of funding, including smuggling antiquities and taxing the local population of their territory.
The report also says ISIS is converting its stores of local currency into gold and other tradable commodities, and seeking to increase the amount of revenue it generates from kidnapping and ransoming international hostages.
Rather than an ISIS in decline, the report says ISIS is moving to “a new phase,” trying to build up its affiliates, move its assets abroad, and send more returnees back to their countries of origin to launch attacks globally.
What are your, my readers, thoughts?
Brain Shrivel…..
🙁
What, is this Twitter? You get more than 164 characters, milady… use them…
*grin*
gigoid, the snarky
The Twit Zone shrinks the brain and the ability to communicate (especially in a civil, literate, way) of even the very brightest minds.
Donald Trump used to be a Rhodes Scholar before he fell into the Twit Zone.
In my opinion, The Donald is a megalomaniac which is a sign of Tertiary Syphilis. ~~dru~~
While I agree to a certain extent re: Twitting, it does make one think about the most succinct way to express an idea. Also, while amusing, I find it hard to believe Trump EVER possessed more than the minimum requirement of neurons to engage in conscious activity, a number low enough it would prevent any such mental activity, even that required to Twit, er, Tweet… In short, I don’t think he has ever had anything more than mere canniness, an ability to lie with facility, and no conscience, all of which make him excellent politician material.
gigoid
As long as there are hot heads in political arenas and the means to cause havoc there will never be an end to the war on terror because when one bunch of terrorists is defeated others will rise up to take their places. That is how cockroaches have managed to survive all kinds of adverse conditions for centuries on end and that is how terrorists continue to proliferate regardless of the antidotes invented and tried to stop them.
And the way that the M-IC creates markets.
To be honest, the numbers quoted above gave me a huge grin… must be my mood today. I grinned at the irony made obvious by the use of statistics….
First, from a media overload standpoint; the report claimed that in the US, there were 19 deaths attributed to terrorist activity. Nineteen. Out of 350 million citizens, 19 died from what is termed ‘terrorist’ events. To my way of thinking, I would think it would take a lot more than that to feel terrorized, yet, every fucking day, the media has tons of stories about it, and trumpets the call to ‘do more’…. What a crock!
Second, from a military standpoint, if I were commanding an army, I would definitely want to see a higher ratio of success than the numbers would indicate. Almost 12,000 attacks, but, less than 30,000 killed? That’s less than three per incident. What is so terrifying about that? Shit, I get more terror trying to cross the street outside my house, where there are definitely more deaths happening than in this ‘war’….
it’s ridiculous, ffolkes. Terrorism is only a word; anyone who knows how to deal with fear dismisses it out of hand. It’s just another attempt to control your mind, so quit encouraging them by being afraid, for goodness sake!
There is no war on terror; there is a war for your mind. Are you going to give up, without even fighting?
gigoid, the dubious
Yes….what he said! chuq
Really in any war, whether against a Word or an actual enemy there is no winning or losing; either you Win or Lose and I’d say no one has done either on any front. dubi is right, crossing a street is crazy dangerous but we don’t cower in our homes for fear of crossing the street. I appreciated our media circus for the attack we had here in San Bernardino, CA mostly because it kept me informed about what areas to stay out of, to stay away from police activity. Frankly, all though the whole thing was repugnant, I was more afraid of “Friendly Fire” here at home than anything else….I work at not fearing anything but fear. Not to say I’m always successful but the bogey man at night, or insomnia, is really more terrifying to me….dru
You know that most of the terror attacks here and in Europe are done by citizens not the so-called immigrants….just saying….chuq
Agree. I consider all gang activity either against themselves and each other or against the rest of the people to be terrorist activity….like Jessie James and his OutLaws of yore or any current Para Militia Organization; hell my neighbor’s rottweiler terrorizes me. The media should not stop reporting BUT the media should only report! …not keep stirring the pot. dru
Agree…but since the media is a corporate shill speculation is the new norm….chuq