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Obama's new direction for terror fight questioned

FROM JOSEPH FARAH'S G2 BULLETIN

The notion that al-Qaida was neutered was just plain wrong'

Editor's Note: The following report is excerpted from Joseph Farah's G2 Bulletin, the premium online newsletter published by the founder of WND. Subscriptions are $99 a year or, for monthly trials, just $9.95 per month for credit card users, and provide instant access for the complete reports.

The decision by President Obama to begin downsizing U.S. troop numbers in Afghanistan by an initial 10,000 by the end of the year and some 30,000 by the end of 2012 is a calculated political decision that also considers the military situation on the ground there, analysts have said in a report in Joseph Farah's G2 Bulletin.

Even with the drawdown, there still will be some 65,000 U.S. troops left, and allied forces will bring that number in Afghanistan to 100,000.

But analysts say that the U.S. cut will mean a serious change in strategy from the one that has been undertaken to rout the Taliban and al-Qaida.

The talks under way with the Taliban are more of an effort to buy time to continue building up the government of Afghan President Hamid Karzai and provide Afghan security forces with the needed training to take over security in the country.

For the Obama administration, sources say it was a calculated decision that also weighed external factors, including growing public weariness toward the war, which, at nearly 10 years, is the longest in U.S. history.

There also are economic considerations, inlcuding the cost of funding such other enterprises such as the counter-terrorism efforts in Yemen and the continued support for the effort to oust Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi.

Currently, the war in Afghanistan is costing the U.S. some $2 billion a month. The president's decision suggests a change in strategy against al-Qaida, despite the fact that its leader, Osama bin Laden, was killed last May by U.S. SEALs.

Former CIA officer Bruce Riedel said that despite the killing of bin Laden, al-Qaida remains strong. It is operating more out of Pakistan, where the U.S. has increasing difficulty both with terrorist organizations and in getting cooperation from the government.

"The notion that al-Qaida was neutered was just plain wrong," said Riedel.

Keep in touch with the most important breaking news stories about critical developments around the globe with Joseph Farah's G2 Bulletin, the premium, online intelligence news source edited and published by the founder of WND.

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