With the 5th anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks on America, there has been a lot of coverage about the events surrounding 9/11. One of the most intriguing documentaries that I saw was CNN Presents, "
In The Footsteps of Bin Laden." The documentary covers a good portion of Bin Laden's life.
There documentary revealed a lot of interesting facts. The most interesting was about how senior members of Al Qaeda disagreed over the success of the 9/11 attacks. They say tactically, 9/11 was a success, but strategically it was a massive failure. Insiders claimed that the attacks were a strategic error because of all the damage that the West has now dealt Al Qaeda. A good majority of the Al Qaeda leadership has been either killed or captured. The Taliban government which shielded Al Qaeda fell after the NATO invasion of Afghanistan. Al Qaeda couldn't use Afghanistan as a safe haven or a training area any more. Many members of the organization are also constantly on the run which puts them in survival mode rather than planning mode.
Interestingly enough, they say that Bin Laden's son was a big part of Al Qaeda's leadership. However, after the 9/11 attacks, he thought that his dad was stupid for planning such a massive strike on America because the retaliation was going to be huge. There was literally hell to pay. After NATO bombed the Taliban back to the stoneage, they say Bin Laden's son left his father's side in disgust and went back to Saudi Arabia.
The documentary also offered an interesting glimpse into Bin Laden during the Battle of Tora Bora, which is where they supposedly had Bin Laden pinned down. They say U.S. intelligence had recovered a radio from a dead Al Qaeda fighter, and using the radio, they were able to listen in on Bin Laden's orders. They heard Bin Laden apologizing to his followers of the destruction that was being brought upon them. This was because special forces were marking Al Qaeda positions, and calling down airstrikes on them around the clock.
Another interesting point was the religious criticism that Bin Laden got after the 9/11 attacks. Radical clerics complained that Bin Laden wasn't following the prophet's guide to warfare. Apparently the Koran explicitly states that before you attack an enemy, you have to give them a chance to surrender and convert to Islam. The clerics argued that Bin Laden never offered a chance for America to surrender before the 9/11 attacks. Bin Laden being a true Muslim then takes the advice to heart, and in the next three video messages that he releases, he offers the chance for America to surrender and convert to Islam. He says that this was the only chance for peace.
Anyway, with this anniversary, it serves as a reminder about why our country is fighting in Afghanistan. One of our allies was attacked, and we responded in mutual defense. We went there to take out Al Qaeda and the Taliban. It really ticked me off when the NDP were having their convention last week, that one of the delegations said that Canadian troops were terrorists because they were in Afghanistan killing civilians. They're also calling for a withdrawal of Canadian troops from Afghanistan. It seems somewhat opportunistic to be calling for a withdrawal during rising casulties. The Taliban's plan has always been to inflict enough casulties on Canadian soldiers (and other NATO forces), that the people back at home lose support for the war and demand a withdrawal. This is apparently the strength of our resolve. I think it's too soon for a withdrawal. If you look at Canadian peacekeeping in Bosnia, we were there for 10 years. Nation rebuilding is hard work, and it takes time.
