If they had them they would have used them already.
Well...maybe they just finally got them?
You said -- "If they had them they would have used them already."
Al Qaeda seems to have about a five-year planning cycle. They might not have acquired anything until recently (in the last year or so). So, this "if they had them they would have used them" argument is not too assuring, given the facts.
Regards,
Star Traveler
I must strongly disagree. You're still thinking as an American thinks, and also overlooking the difficulty of ensuring the delivery of the materials and of choosing exactly the right date to assist whoever wants to be the "mahdi" in attaining that prophetic goal.
I have considered the jihadis for a long time. I am convinced that IF they have WMD, they quite possibly may sit on them for a long time, waiting for THEIR opportune date. Not what we would think of.
Do they actually have nukes? Who knows. They have the money and the easily-bought expertise. I have no idea. However, it is wrong to conclude that if they had them, they would have used them already. If they have them, they will use them when they think they can best catapult themselves to power in what they think is the coming global caliphate.
For the record, no matter what happens in the US, I think the global caliphate will be defeated, and Islam sent back several centuries with its tail between its legs.