Sickening News in the War on Terror

Very, very sad news to open with as most of you probably know by now. That being the discovery of the two U.S. soldiers' bodies found Monday night in Iraq which were mutilated and boobytrapped, according to military sources. The soldiers went missing on Friday after an attack on a traffic control checkpoint in Yusufiya, 12 miles south of Baghdad.

Army Pfc. Thomas Tucker and Pfc. Kristian Menchaca were apparently tortured and had their eyes gouged out among other reprehensible things done by these bastards of al-Qaeda in Iraq.
I can't imagine what their families are going through and feel very sad for them.

This is an apparent shift in strategy. Abu Musab al-Zarqawi took a lot of heat from Ayman al-Zawahiri and Usama bin Laden for attacking Shiites, as Zarqawi tried to provoke a civil war inside Iraq between the Sunnis and Shiites. Now it is believed that Zarqawi's replacement has gone back to the old strategy of attacking American soldiers. The new leader is Abu Ayyub al-Masri, an explosives specialist who trained in Afghanistan, he allegedly performed the grisly murders.

I want to know where the outrage is over this! I feel sick by what happened. Yes, this is war. The al-Qaeda types fight like it was the 11th century when the crusades took place. After all their leader Usama bin Laden has been called a modern-day Saladin. Beheadings and this type of nasty fighting was common behavior from Saladin and his ilk.

I have tried to keep an open mind about this but I really have a hard time believing that Islam is the "religion of peace". Maybe the religion itself is. But there is a large percentile of folks who follow the extreme teachings either by committing violent acts or through their silence. Where is the condemnation from Muslim leaders around the world? Al-Qaeda said that the kidnapping of these soldiers was a gift from God. They call themselves "jihadists" or "holy warriors". So they are fighting in the name of their religious beliefs, extreme yes, but still their beliefs. Are there not moderate Muslims who do not subscribe to this nonsense who are willing to take a stand. I hold them as accessories to the crimes committed by these fanatics. Being a silent witness does not make someone innocent. I ask again where is the outrage?

I know the majority of Americans, according to polls, believe that the Iraq war was a mistake. Yet, how can anyone suggest that the United State pull out of Iraq. The consequences of such an action must be considered very carefully. Under no circumstances can America do a half-assed job in Iraq. If we leave Iraq in a shambles it won't be long before Iran takes over, which would expand their control over the oil market and inevitably force a showdown between Tehran and Saudi Arabia. This would produce massive fighting throughout the Middle East and destroy any chance of peace between Israel and the Palestinians. Would a more-powerful Iran then seek to overthrow the already tenuous government of President Pervez Musharraf in Pakistan, which oh by the way, already possesses nuclear weapons.

A while back I read a book called Imperial Hubris: Why the West is Losing the War On Terror, which was originally published anonymously, but authored by Michael Scheuer, a 22-year CIA veteran, who chased bin Laden in the late 90s. Although I disagree that we are losing the War On Terror the author does make some valid points.

The premise of the book is that the United States, since World War II, has not fought wars to win, or lose for that matter. But more so for Presidents to be successful politically. Case in point: Afghanistan. According to the USA Today on Monday, the Taliban and al-Qaeda forces have retaken large areas of southern Afghanistan. Now how can this be! We need to go for the jugular and put an end to this once and for all. Do you realize that the War On Terror is almost five years old. That is longer than the United States' involvement in World War II.

So that this war is not interminable we need to be more aggressive and merciless, just as our enemy is. It seems as though President Bush is willing to go a certain point, but not enough to finish the job.

For example, I agree with several pundits that there should be strict curfews in the hotspots in Iraq and Afghanistan. I feel we should secure the borders in both those countries to prevent arms and fighters from coming in from places like Iran, Syria, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia. It does not appear that we have done this sufficiently.

Today, 100 people were kidnapped in Baghdad. 100 people! I mean how is this possible. Look, I applauded the killing of al-Zarqawi which led to 452 raids, 104 insurgents being killed, 759 insurgents being captured, and the discovery of 28 significant arms caches. Great news there! But there are some things that leave me scratching my head. How is it possible for that many people to be kidnapped in one day in a major city?

There have been over 2,500 American soldiers killed and thousands injured. The democrats and republicans need to put aside their differences and work together to come up with a strategic plan as to how to once and for all destroy the insurgency. The deaths of these men and women cannot and should not be for nothing.