The Pentagon announced that terrorist and leader of the al-Qaeda (AQ) based Khorasan Group, Muhsin al-Fadhli, was killed in a drone strike earlier this month.
The Khorasan Group
The Khorasan Group is a product of the al-Qaeda core that has emerged in Syria within the last couple of years.
Many believe that of all the al-Qaeda affiliated terrorist groups, the Khorasan Group is the greatest threat to the United States homeland. Comprised of al-Qaeda veterans dispatched directly from the organization’s high-command, the Khorasan Group is a fusion cell that combines some of the most effective practices of the various al-Qaeda cells.
This group exists to plan terrorist attacks against the United States homeland; though they are not publicly known to have launched such an attack.
The Director of National Intelligence, James Clapper, has testified that the Khorasan Group is at least as great of a threat to the United States as ISIS.
The Khorasan group was targeted by U.S. airstrikes in Syria when it was believed to have nearly completed plans to carry out an attack on a Western target.
Muhsin al-Fadhli
A native of Kuwait, al-Fadlhi led al-Qaeda in Iran, prior to becoming the leader of the Khorasan Group.
It is believed he was involved with an attack on a French oil tanker in 2002.
Al-Fadlhi was a close associate of Osama bin Laden, so much so that he was one of the few privy to the 9/11 plot before the attack occurred.
Al-Fadhli’s ability to operate for Sunni al-Qaeda in Shia Iran should not be overlooked.
The groups are from opposing brands of Islam. The fact that al-Fadhli was able to successfully move al-Qaeda money and personnel through Iran and into Syria suggests that Iran permitted, perhaps even supported, AQ’s efforts.
Iran supports Shia terrorist activity across the region. Their implicit, if not explicit, support of al-Fadhli suggests that Iran favored his end goal of enough to overlook their differences.
This is a red flag that Iran may still see the United States as a greater adversary than its regional enemies; calling into question whether or not they can be trusted in any agreement with the United States, including the recently passed nuclear deal.
Moving Forward
While the death of al-Fadlhi is important, it is not the end of the Khorasan Group.
Al-Fadhli’s death is not a decisive blow to al-Qaeda. His death is important because it is a reminder that al-Qaeda is alive and well, still determined to attack the United States homeland.
Terrorist groups do not die with their leader.
The defeat of al-Qaeda, the Khorasan Group, and ISIS requires a long term strategy rooted in the understanding that the United States is not at war with individual terrorists or terrorist organizations, but with radical Islamist ideology.
The United States must engage in a sustained, multi-faceted campaign to defeat this Islamist ideology.
- Military- Degrade and destroy terrorist groups, including but not limited to increased drone and air strikes.
- Civil- Support and encourage those who speak out against radical Islam, especially Muslims.
- Democracy-promote good governance in these affected countries, governments compatible with the democratic principles of the United States.
This is a war of ideas. It will not be won overnight, but it can be won.
The United States needs to go beyond degrading and destroying Islamist terrorist groups, like the Khorasan Group or ISIS.
Defeating these groups is part of a means to an end but not the end itself. This is a long term objective that requires the United States to maintain the will and strength to counter and defeat radical Islam wherever it appears.
The United States must engage in a generational war of ideas that defeats the driving force of the Khorasan Group by defeating radical Islamist ideology.
Only then will the hydra of Islamist terrorism be destroyed.
