– 2008 STATUS REPORT
Two terror trials are taking place nowadays in UK. The first is the trial of 8 suspects, arrested in 08/2006 who planed to reconstruct the Bojinka Plot from 12/1994 and to explode 7 commercial airliners over the Atlantic Ocean with liquid explosives smuggled to airplanes in chaser bottles. (See – Atlantic Airliners Plot ) The second is the trial of 3 suspects of assisting the London 7/7 attack. The three were arrested in 03/2007. The trials raise the question about the extent of Islamic terror threat in the Western Democracies and the current situation of Al Qaeda. (See – Leeds Cell )
The London 7/7 , almost three years ago, was the last successful terror attack in the Western Countries. Since then about 10 terror plots were foiled in Europe and USA. The last of them early this year (2008) when European police arrested a network of 24 PAKISTANIS, directed by Baitullah Mehsud from Waziristan, PAKISTAN. The network planned an attempt on PAKISTAN’S President Pervez Musharraf’s life during his visit in Europe in 01/2008. (Barcelona 01/2008 Arrests) Giving the number of population, the number of Islamic citizens in the Western countries and the ongoing wars in Pakistan and Afghanistan the numbers are as low as possible.
In the years 2003-2006 dozen of networks were exposed in Europe that recruited volunteers to Iraq and facilitated their travel to the Middle East. Since 01/2006 only one such network was exposed when the French police arrested, on 11/13/2007, a group of 7 on their way to IRAQ. There is a clear decline in the excitement of young Muslims to join the war in IRAQ ( Pontarlier 11.13.07 ). Probably because the war in IRAQ turned to be a war of Muslims against Muslims rather then war against the American occupant.
In Iraq, as well as in the Muslim World, a new front emerged between Sunnis and Shiites which consume the energy of the Muslim World. In Pakistan, IRAQ, Yemen and Afghanistan both sides, Sunnis and Shiites, attack each other with bloody suicide attacks, mortars shells, roadside bombs and other means. The Global Jihad lost his focus on the Western Democracies and turned to be bloodshed of Muslims killing Muslims.
Al Qaeda leaders addresses the Muslims in the worlds from time to time from their hideout in the mountainous border area between Pakistan and Afghanistan through video footages or audiotapes broadcasted in the web or Arab TV networks. In fact those appeals reveal a distress. They calls upon Muslims to unite, to be focused on the infidels and to help each other which is the best indication that the Muslim world is exactly in the opposite – not united, not focused and fighting each other.
Summary ;
Today (04/2008) Al Qaeda and Islamic terror groups are on the retreat in the Western Democracies. The Global Jihad was contained, in large extent, to the Arab and Muslim World. The Jihad turned to be an Internal Muslim conflict much more then a conflict with the Western World although America, the crusaders (the Christians) and Israel are still the perfect excuse for Muslims to kill each other.
Within the Western Democracies the Global Jihad and the confrontation between Islam and Democracy became mainly a Cultural Conflict .
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