Osama Bin Laden released an audio message two days after the anniversary of 9/11. As the Al Qaeda leader reiterated his threats of the past we’re looking into perspectives on how real those threats are. Has the group expanded or weakened since 9/11? Our sources include ITN, FOX 5, The New York Times, MSNBC, Time magazine, CNN and Philly.com.
A reporter from
ITN examines what bin Laden said. He vowed to continue the fight against the US.
“He called for the American people to liberate themselves from neo-conservatives and the Israeli lobby. He also referred to US military action in Afghanistan, saying, ‘if you stop the war, then fine. Otherwise we will have no choice but to continue our war of attrition on every front.’"
And Bin Laden’s followers are as devout as ever, says a reporter from
FOX 5 in New York City. She described those involved in a foiled Bronx bomb plot eajirlier this year.
“These suspects made a statement as to wanting to commit a jihad. They were angry. They apparently hated members, according to investigators, members of the Jewish community and the US military.”Jeffrey Gettleman, East Africa Bureau Chief for
The New York Times, says the US is making progress against Al Qaeda. He reports that US troops killed one of the most wanted Al Qaeda militants in a raid in Somalia Monday.
“That’s going to be a pretty big blow to the militant movement in Somalia.” MSNBC speaks with a terrorism expert, who believes the Al Qaeda network is growing.
“In the United States, interestingly enough, we have seen now a series of Jihadist events: the Bronx plot last weekend, the shooting yesterday of the recruiter in Little Rock – I understand that is actually part of a larger network of Americans who went and trained in Yemen and came back with the idea of carrying out Jihad. So I think the Al Qaeda network is on the rise.”A writer for
TIME Magazine says Al Qaeda is weakened, adding the group is no longer the main threat to US national security.
“Today… al-Qaeda is believed to comprise a couple of hundred desperate men, their core leaders hiding out in Pakistan's tribal wilds and under constant threat of attack by ever present U.S. drone aircraft… This year's official threat assessment by the U.S. Directorate of National Intelligence cited the global economic downturn as the primary security challenge facing the U.S.”CNN national security adviser Frances Townsend says, regardless, it’s important to maintain vigilance.
“It’s not luck, Karen. It really is an awful lot of hard work by lots of people both here and our allies around the world. That doesn’t mean… I think anybody in the counter terrorism community would tell you that Al-Qaeda continues to this day to plan attacks not only against us, but against our allies in Western Europe.”
Philadelphia Daily News writer Dave Davies says terrorism continues to affect Americans’ daily lives.
“Eight years after 9/11, we're used to changes in our routines. We show ID to get into office buildings, and take off our shoes at airports. But should a college student flying back to school be handcuffed and held for five hours because he has Arabic flash cards in his backpack? That's the way Nick George, a senior at Pomona College, in California, sees what happened to him at the Philadelphia airport two Saturdays ago.”So is Al Qaeda losing ground? Or are they still a very real threat? We’d like to hear your thoughts.
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