generalspeaking

"Kill Or Capture"

All the rights and privileges of American citizenship do, after all, have their limits. Let's say that someone who has been born and bred in the United States, received their education there, became part of the greater social contract, travelled widely within America, and was enabled to enjoy all the superior advantages of that situation, suddenly decided it was worthless and not only would he reject it all, but he would go into overdrive convincing psychopathic personalities to violently destroy it all.

Well, the world, including the United States, is chock-full of restless minds, people with aggravating grievances, who despise and reject what others consider to be normal and appropriate. For the most part they are considered by the vast majority to be eccentric in nature, and their unpleasant personalities lead others to avoid them. They go about grumbling angrily about what they cannot change, but rarely do they present as a grave danger to the entire structure that a nation is predicated upon.

Anwar al Awlaki, born in the United States, educated there, and who practised as a charismatic cleric lecturing to Muslims on the justness and faith of Islam, became what has been called delicately "radicalized". His preaching took on dark and sinister overtones. He turned from preaching of moderation and restraint, to urging toward violent reprisals against the enemies of Islam. Finally, the left the U.S. to take up residence in Yemen.

Cunning connivance through Internet contact with actively committed jihadis, he inspired confidence and encouragement, fulminating against all the corrupted values of the United States, adroitly voicing blame of America and its intention and activities in preying on Muslims, encouraging young Muslims born in North America to wake up and see the light of reason in Islam, and devote themselves to jihad. This brought him great acclaim and reputation in the Islamist world.

"He directed the failed attempt to blow up an airplane on Christmas Day in 2009. He directed the failed attempt to blow up U.S. cargo planes in 2010. And he repeatedly called on individuals in the United States and around the globe to kill innocent men, women and children to advance a murderous agenda", stated President Barack Obama, in explaining his decision to have the man targeted for permanent removal as a citizen of life.

So he was killed by an airstrike. A CIA drone did the dirty work, efficiently and accurately. The Joint Special Operations Command had been commissioned to undertake the task jointly with the CIA; reflecting the success realized when that same Command had deployed the Navy SEALs' team that had destroyed Osama bin Laden at his Abbottabad compound in Pakistan.

A second American citizen devoted to the work of al-Qaeda was also dispatched in this second successful operation. Samir Khan, who was accompanying Anwar al-Awlaki in a motorized convoy, met his end as well. Samir Khan was the editor of al-Qaeda's online English-language magazine, Inspire, whose purpose it was to inspire young Muslims to violent jihad and martyrdom.

Neither will be missed, other than by those whom they exposed to the glories of delivering death to innocents around the world. The howls that ring to the heavens by civil rights activists who deplore these deaths in the absence of tidy trials and judge-and-juried conclusions are most unfortunate but quite predictable.

Labels: Africa, Islamism, Technology, Terrorism, United States

posted by Pieface @ Saturday, October 01, 2011