Afghanistan Remains a Central Front in the War on Terror
Sally McNamara /
In 2007, the director general of Britain’s internal security service described al-Qaeda and its associated groups as, “the main national security threat that we face today.” Revelations that al-Qaeda linked terrorists planned to carry out Mumbai-style attacks in Germany, France and Britain once again underscores this fact.
The capture and interrogation of a German national returning to Europe from a Pakistani training camp revealed a fledgling plan to terrorize European cities through murderous shooting sprees. Through a series of attacks and attempted attacks, Islamist extremists have declared war on Europe and the United States, and despite President Obama’s unwillingness to acknowledge it, the West remains at war with terror.
Al-Qaeda’s relentless pursuit of mass murder atrocities should reinforce to Europe why the war in Afghanistan remains a central front in this war on terrorism. The NATO Alliance must continue to deny al-Qaeda a safe haven in which to operate by winning the war in Afghanistan, and more fairly sharing the burden of that war. (more…)