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More than two decades after the war on terror began and one year after the Taliban took over Afghanistan, terrorism remains a threat to America’s security and interests around the world.
“I think security has definitely improved,” Long War Journal editor-in-chief Bill Loggio told Fox News Digital. “There has never been an attack on the scale of 9/11. There have been other attacks, but certainly not on the scale of 9/11.”
A lot has changed since Al-Qaeda terrorists hijacked a plane and crashed it into the World Trade Center and the Pentagon in New York City. The result was a more than 20-year war on terrorism and an overhaul of federal intelligence and law enforcement aimed at preventing another attack.
Some changes, such as the addition of the Department of Homeland Security, have made the United States less vulnerable to attack, experts say.
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“Since 9/11, we’ve learned how to protect Americans from terrorism,” Elizabeth Sherwood Randall, President Biden’s counter-terrorism adviser, told the Atlantic Council last year. Horrible things are still happening, but the combination of our international and domestic actions has so far prevented and stopped 9/11-style attacks.”
Yet the threat that shocked Americans 21 years ago remains strong around the world.
“Threats emanating from terrorist groups around the world still remain and are shifting to areas where a jihadist presence never existed,” Loggio said.
A Washington Post and ABC News poll conducted last year found that 49% of Americans believe the United States is safer than it was before 9/11, and 41% believe it is safer than it was 21 years ago. I believe it is declining.
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This figure represents a dramatic departure from the same survey two years after the 2001 invasion of Afghanistan. In 2003, 67% of her Americans believed the country was safer, compared with 27% who said it was less safe.
An NPR/PBS NewsHour/Marist poll last year found that 30% of respondents thought the country was safer than before 9/11, and 44% thought it was less safe. .
The disorderly withdrawal of the United States from Afghanistan after nearly two decades of war, and the resulting return to Taliban rule, may justify that pessimism. We said it could be worse than before.
“Today Afghanistan is completely under the control of the Taliban with the help of al-Qaeda,” Rozio said, noting that in 2022 there will be no major resistance to the Taliban like there was in the Northern Alliance before 2001.
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Al Qaeda’s foothold in Afghanistan provides the organization with two key strategic advantages: safe haven and state backing. As before September 11, 2001, terrorist organizations can use Afghanistan as a base of operations with little fear, providing a safe haven to recruit, train, and possibly carry out attacks. But unlike 2001, the Taliban’s complete control of the country means the organization has strong allies and ample protection.
What makes the threat potentially more deadly is that terrorist groups are growing in numbers and spreading to more remote parts of the world, making it difficult for the United States to track and fight them on multiple fronts. I am doing
“Al-Qaeda is waging active insurgency in places such as Yemen, Somalia, Pakistan, Mali and across Africa,” Loggio said. “It has a large cadre within Syria and also has Islamic State operating in much of the same region and Iraq.”
Roggio said the US and other Western governments have shown little appetite for campaigns against terrorism, despite the widespread threat. Three successive U.S. administrations have vowed to end “endless wars” abroad, ultimately leading to accords with the Taliban and the abandonment of the U.S. position in Afghanistan.
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But just because it’s no longer on the offensive doesn’t mean it’s over, Mr. Loggio argued, pointing out that many organizations around the world are still working on their plans.
“You can end your involvement in the war, but that doesn’t mean the enemy is over. The enemy still gets votes.”
Given the lack of U.S. commitment to the fight, Roggio fears the terrorist groups may regroup and begin planning their next attack. Noting that many did not expect to attack the United States with knives or planes, terrorists may now have the ability to plan their next major attack while they are no longer on the defensive. I claimed no.
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“We don’t want to give them the time and space to think about what the next attack against us might look like,” Loggio said.
“They are indoctrinated, fundraising and planning their next attack on the West,” he added. “Our ability to reach out to them is limited … and that gives them the ability to innovate.”