Al Qaeda in Pakistan More Potent than ever

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/13/washington/13intel.html?ref=world entitled “U.S. Analyst Depicts Al Qaeda as Secure in Pakistan and More Potent Than Last Year”

In a sense I have no problem with this article. It excerpts some remarks made by Ted Gistaro who joined the CIA in 1989. I never worried about Al Qaeda’s efforts in Iraq. They were more exposed there and more easily killed. As far as Iraq went, I only worried about the Leftist efforts to undermine our nation-building efforts in Iraq. But Pakistan was indeed a more serious problem, primarily because they have nuclear weapons. We could not afford an Islamist takeover of Pakistan. We pressured them over the years to expel the Taliban sympathizers, but they were never able to do so.

The Leftist press paid little attention to Pakistan. Instead they hammered Bush for not waking up to the fact that he had LOST, LOST, LOST in Iraq. By invading Iraq Bush had empowered Al Qaeda IN IRAQ.

Of course that was nonsense – potent nonsense because it was believed by a lot of people – but nonsense nonetheless. Bush was right about Iraq; so the Leftists eventually had to leave off. Looking around they noticed Pakistan, much as it always was. “Good Grief! Why didn’t Bush do anything about Pakistan. There Bush was, wasting his efforts on Iraq, when he ought to have paid more attention to Pakistan. Shame on Bush!”

What I wonder after reading Mark Mazzetti’s article is to what extent Al Qaeda is more powerful in Pakistan as a result of being chased out of Iraq. Not all of the Al Qaeda recruits were killed in Iraq. I wonder how many of them went to Pakistan, beefing up Al Qaeda and making it “More Potent Than Last Year.”

Lawrence Helm