'There is no Laxman Rekha for US'

(December, 21, Chennai, Sri Lanka Guardian) Another year is passing by. 2007 was by no means a peaceful year. Especially, for India. Blast after blast rocked India across the breadth and length of the country. Ahead of the New Year, security expert B Raman looks back and sees how 'secure' the year has been. And what awaits us in 2008.

How do you rate the global war on terrorism in 2007? Are you satisfied?

The so-called Global War on Terrorism started on October 7, 2001, when the US forces went into action against Al Qaeda and the Taliban in Afghanistan. It is now in its seventh year. There have been tactical gains, but strategically the situation remains as worrisome as in 2001. Among the tactical gains, one could mention: 1. The arrest of a number of leading operatives of Al Qaeda, the destruction of the training infrastructure of Al Qaeda and the Taliban in Afghan territory; 2. The effective action against the Jemmah Islamiyah of South East Asia; 3. Greater international co-operation against terrorism, the convergence of views in the international community that terrorism is an absolute evil and should not be tolerated, whatever be the objective etc.

However, these have been off set by negative developments such as: 1. The Spread of jihadi terrorism to Iraq and Europe after the US occupation of Iraq; 2. The resurgence of Al Qaeda and the Taliban from sanctuaries in Pakistani territory; 3. The US failure to trace and eliminate Osama bin Laden, his deputy Ayman al-Zawahiri and Taliban leader Mulla Mohammad Omar; 4. The de facto control of North and South Waziristan in the Federally-Administered Tribal Areas of Pakistan by Al Qaeda and pro-Al Qaeda organisations; the spread of their activities to the North-West Frontier Province; 5. The spectacular eight-fold increase in suicide terrorism (from 6 in 2006 to 50 in 2007 so far) in Pakistan since the commando raid on the Lal Masjid of Islamabad in July, 2007; an equally spectacular increase in suicide terrorism in Afghanistan from 17 in 2005 to 140 so far this year; 6. The spread of Al-Qaeda inspired terrorism to Somalia and Algeria; and the spread of jihadi terrorist cells to many countries not so far affected by terrorism such as Germany, Denmark and Canada.

Since the US is fighting its war on terrorism against foreign Muslims in foreign countries, the restraints, which normally apply when one is fighting against one's own nationals in one's own territory, are not observed. There has been a disproportionate use of force by the US through its air force and artillery, causing large civilian casualties. This has been driving more young Muslims to undertake suicide operations -- either individually or as members of known jihadi organisations. Highly militarised and disproportionate counter-terrorism as practised by the US in Afghanistan and Iraq has itself become a new cause of aggravated terrorism. There is no Laxman Rekha for the US in counter-terrorism. Any method is a good method and any weapon is a good weapon for use against terrorists.