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| Terror Networks |
| State Department official sez it's only a matter of time before bad guys use WMDs |
| 2006-01-17 |
| Biological weapons pose a far more serious long-term terrorist threat to the West than nuclear weapons, according to Washington's leading counter-terrorism expert. And Henry "Hank" Crumpton, the newly-appointed head of counter-terrorism at the US State Department, believes that it is simply a matter of time before international terrorist groups such as al-Qa'eda acquire weapons of mass destruction and use them in attacks. In an exclusive interview with The Daily Telegraph, Mr Crumpton, who previously spent 20 years working for the Central Intelligence Agency, warned yesterday that the "war on terror" was likely to last for decades. "This threat has changed the way we will fight wars in the future," he said. "We are talking about micro targets such as al-Qa'eda which, when combined with WMD, have a macro impact. I rate the probability of terror groups using WMD [to attack Western targets] as very high. It is simply a question of time. "And it is not just the nuclear threat that bothers me. I think, if anything, the biological threat is going to grow. "As catastrophic as a nuclear attack would be, it would be self-contained. But if you look at a worst-case scenario for a biological attack, it would be difficult to determine whether or not it was a terrorist attack, and it would be far more difficult to contain." After the September 11 attacks on the United States in 2001, Mr Crumpton, who was then a senior CIA officer, played a leading role in the campaign to overthrow the Taliban and destroy al-Qa'eda's operational infrastructure in Afghanistan, which relied heavily on covert operations. After the war, allied forces found that al-Qa'eda had been working on anthrax programmes that it intended to use on western targets. "They had hired a very experienced biologist to work on this. They were very serious about it and there is no reason to believe they have given up on their interest." The fear that terrorist groups might be able to acquire WMD from rogue states such as Iran or Syria explains Washington's determination to confront Iran over its nuclear programme. "If we look at the threat posed by Iran, they have links with Hizbollah [the Lebanese Shi'ite Muslim militia], which is a terrorist organisation with global reach, and they are actively pursuing WMD. And the leadership has made a conscious decision to defy international treaties. I am deeply troubled by this." As for taking action to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons, Mr Crumpton insisted that "every option is on the table" - including military action. "I would not rule out anything because of the particularly grave threat that we are facing," he said. In a distinguished career with the CIA, during which he won four of the agency's highest awards, Mr Crumpton was a key figure in its covert operations against al-Qa'eda pre-September 11. Referred to simply as "Henry" in the 9/11 Commission Report, Mr Crumpton tried to persuade the CIA to do more in Afghanistan to hunt down Osama bin Laden before the attacks, but two key proposals to tackle al-Qa'eda were turned down. After the September 11 attacks, in which he lost many close friends, he was initially overwhelmed by sorrow. "But that sorrow was soon replaced by anger, anger that al-Qa'eda could do this to innocent people - and the anger lasted for more than a year." Mr Crumpton stresses the coalition's achievements in disrupting bin Laden's network. In his view, al-Qa'eda's infrastructure has been so badly damaged that it is now struggling to control the groups that would like to support it. "They can't communicate with their supporters unless the odd courier breaks through. They can't get access to money and things like that. We have made life very difficult for them." But despite the initial success achieved during the Afghan war in 2001, he expressed disappointment with the support Washington had received from its European allies since hostilities ended. "The job was not finished and it is not finished now." Bin Laden, who escaped to Pakistan, was "in all probability" still alive, he said. The regime of President Assad in Syria also seriously threatens western security, he says. "The regime continues to support terror organisations. And we know that the Baathist leadership fled to Damascus taking with them money and terrorist expertise, and we cannot rule out the fact that some of that expertise related to WMD." |
| Posted by:Dan Darling |
| #8 TW, Make him sit on the bench marked with a "W". His point on Egypt is taken. But as far as "Hank" goes The Thai term "La" seems to be the right one. In english it means no S%&it! Say something new. |
| Posted by: 49 Pan 2006-01-17 15:51 |
| #7 CF, how about we stop buying their oil and giving those who don't have any "loans". |
| Posted by: gromgoru 2006-01-17 14:03 |
| #6 Balaam's ass spocketh. |
| Posted by: gromgoru 2006-01-17 14:01 |
| #5 Thanks Hank, water is wet too. |
| Posted by: Besoeker 2006-01-17 12:11 |
| #4 A guy in the organization that f*cked up on 9/11 is saying that they're gonna f*ck up AGAIN. For once, I'm going to believe the CIA. I watched the two "cody banks" movies with a sense of un-reality: A COMPETENT CIA? Gimmie a break AND my leg back. |
| Posted by: Ptah 2006-01-17 08:49 |
| #3 Maybe, CZ. But there are multiple objectives here - and not all of those in Egyptian jails were there because they were jihadis threatening the West. The challenge will be, not only to survive, but to survive with as much of our values and souls intact as we can. I personally am not willing for my own part to give up those any sooner than I have to. |
| Posted by: lotp 2006-01-17 08:40 |
| #2 I think that was addressed in the middle section of Alice's Restaurant, where he says, "I wanna kill, I wanna keeeelll, I want blood 'n guts 'n gore 'n veins in my teeth..." |
| Posted by: trailing wife 2006-01-17 07:59 |
| #1 Reminder: by September 11, 2001, Egypt had imprisoned over 19,000 of the type of animals who would use WMD. The US should have used leverage to have them liquidated. Instead, the Bush regime pushed for inclusion of those pigs in pseudo democratic processes. Over two thirds of imprisoned Egyptians have been let go, in advance of Bush' "freedom." The enemy took license from that perverse indulgence, and are positioning themselves to inflict fatal blows against the West. Consequence: hardline Islamofascism has solidified since 9-11, and will never abate until death is put in the balance. We cannot win the counter-terror war until we identify Islamists as the mortal enemy, and conduct mass executions of same. In order for Western Civilization to exist, the Eastern Barbarians have to die. Culling their leadership will create a political power vacuum, that Western ideologies could fill if Western leaders cease detaching Koranimals from their binding Koranic prescriptions to wage mortal combat against every form of Secularism and non-Islamic religion. We have to kill this enemy by the tens of millions. |
| Posted by: CaziFarkus 2006-01-17 07:52 |