The Next Phase of the War on Terror

Yesterday we saw another Islam-inspired attack on civilian, non-Muslims in Nairobi, Kenya.

The big, audacious attacks like the embassy bombings and 9/11 are still the dream but are harder to execute. These smaller attacks are easier to plan and supply so now have become the norm. It's easier to take five or six young men, fill their minds with jihadi bullshit, teach them basic guidelines of where to attack for massive effect then set them loose.

As seen in Mumbai where LeT hit several sites throughout the city, this was an attack that had but one goal and that was to terrorize the local population. Al-qaeda and al-Shabbabb know exactly what they are doing: enter a populated area, secure it from escape, instill panic, allow Muslims to leave and then kill as many people as possible in the short time they have until security forces arrive.

These attacks are cheap, effective and will continue unless we change our tactics once again.

So what can be done to stop these types of attacks? A good question and one without easy answers. Short of arming and placing police and other security within every potential attack area, we have to be smarter before the attacks occur.

There were warnings in Mumbai and information will come out that warnings were received in the case of Kenya. These warnings will have to be investigated--and 95% will turn out to be a dead-end--and every one will have to be run down with old fashioned detective work. A colossal feat but cheaper and easier than placing armed security forces in every mall and sports arena in America. We have a large apparatus in the Dept. of Homeland security and FBI who can handle this challenge--if we change how we do business.

The Obama administration is loathe to be accused of racial profiling and thus has essentially been bullied into not investigating cases that could lead to sopping an attack. We need to get past that. There's history to support using profile-like tactics. During WWII, German and Japanese agents and those who supported the cause of their former homelands were rooted out by good detective work. And for the record, I am not even remotely suggesting we inter those of the Muslim faith like that great liberal hero FDR did with the Japanese. What I am saying is that we have to get over our national hang up of questioning those who may be most suspect but belong to a group that is most capable of causing harm. Every time the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) issues a letter condemning the profiling of Muslims, we need to hit back and tell them that they need to do more to stop it within their community. Instead, we allow them into the highest places of power and scoff at laws that ban their involvement in government. Every time CAIR accuses us of racial profiling or files a lawsuit, we need to remind the world just who they are involved with.

Until we change our tactics and--within the confines of our legal system--look long and hard at who wants us dead, we will continue to be a ripe target. We've been lucky, and thanks to the diligence of those in law enforcement and the intelligence community we have not been hit in an attack of this type. However, our enemies are changing tactics regularly and probing for weak spots.

We continue down the path we are on at our own peril.

Update: Or we can do what the Israeli's are doing in Kenya. Imagine if a rapid-reaction force of special operators was dispatched to the scene of every one of these attacks (think Rainbow 6) and exterminated the perpetrators then tracked down the planners and liquidated them as well. I would guess these cowardly attacks would be fewer.