Posted on 01/16/2006 6:08:33 PM PST by blam
'Only a matter of time before terrorists use weapons of mass destruction'
By Con Coughlin
(Filed: 17/01/2006)
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.
Henry Crumpton refuses to rule out the military option to tame Iran's nuclear amitions
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."
FRegards,
Z
I think you may be right. However, 911 did it for me.
But the reality is the west will do what it must to survive.
Are you sure about that? I'm not. The twin evils of Political Correctness and Socialsm appears to have sapped much of the will to survive from Western civilization. Civilizations that want to survive have kids--the Europeans sure don't and Americans just barely do. I think even after a WMD attack, you will still have many Americans wanting to talk rather than act.
If the MSM had America's interest at heart, they would do this....instead they work to get another Democrat in the White House....which will certainly be our death nell.
Don't worry, that will never happen. Because there are not millions of innocent muslims. Most of them are in on this war.
But the reality is the west will do what it must to survive.
Don't count on that either. As long as there's a democrat in congress, or so much as a democrat serving as a local dog catcher, they will see to it that any appropriate response is sabotaged.
I'll have to think about your post. I remain optimistic, but for reasons that I can't articulate well at this late hour. My guess is that when faced with a WMD attack, many Americans will seek out religion. Traditional Christian and Jewish faiths will grow strong and supply the manpower and intellectual fortitude to defeat the Muslims. Alternative religions will grow stronger as well, but they will not have the force of a mass movement.
My argument is not very convincing, as I gave no supporting evidence. I'll think about it and write something more robust later.
The seditious MSM has effectively buried 9/11, but the mother bears of America, both conservative AND liberal, have a bookmark in their minds about it.
I'll guarantee that a WMD attack will bring a "kill 'em all and let God sort them out" response from said mother bears, the brain-dead Mother Sheehan not withstanding.
I've said this to more than a few people - the youth of America "gets it" more than many of their elders do. Many volunteered after 9/11 to set things right. I reflect on this fact occasionally, and am still astonished, for I don't expect much out of our nation's youth.
They've already used WMD's in the 1993 attack on the World Trade Center.
Enough Cyanide to kill 40,000 people was part of the truck bomb placed in the basement, luckily all but traces were destroyed by the blast.
Most people don't know this but The Judge in the case revealed it during the sentencing phase of the trial.
http://www.bookyards.com/videos/memorial/World%20trade%20centre/world_trade_center_brakedown.mpg
Time will tell. After a WMD attack occurs, you will have a repeat of 9/11, but on a much more intense scale. As before, the two groups will be:
1. The Kill 'Em All Group
2. The "Lets try to understand them" Group
The MSM will brand those in Group #1 racists and bigots, no matter what. The question is, will people's survival instinct be strong enough to overcome years of brainwashing? Based on my observation, the survival instinct isn't a sure bet. Many people would rather die than be labeled a bigot or insensitive.
I once heard a psychiatrist say the following: If you want to win people over to your side, you need to shock them. While they are initially angry at you (for offending them), they soon start to question why they were offended in the first place. As a result, they often end up discarding the "prejudice" (judgement) that caused them to feel angry or bad. He was using it to explain why Richard Hatch (a gay guy who liked to walk around nude) won the first "Survivor" competition. That explanation seemed counter-intuitive to me (I don't think that way), but it definitely explains a lot of what I see happening in the world.
Likely France or Britain.
Then we will see if the european liberals will survive their decade long fascination with mimickry of Neville Chamberlain and his wacked out appeasement policy on fascism.Liberals will then be stoned in the streets.
Likely France or Britain.
Then we will see if the european liberals will survive their decade long fascination with mimickry of Neville Chamberlain and his wacked out appeasement policy on fascism.Liberals will then be stoned in the streets.
Baldwin County, Alabama voted 68% for Bush and at the same time voted every Democrat in the county out of office, even the dog catcher. Zero Democrats in County government. Baldwin County is on the east side of Mobile Bay.
Does Alec know about this? Someone should send this to him, and let him know that France is still open.
I think liberal hot spots are pretty safe for now, the libs are terrorists biggest allies in this country, and they both know it.
For the same reason sharks don't eat other sharks, Islamofascists won't attack liberal fascists: Professional Courtesy.
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