Tuesday January 25, 2005

I've Been Thinking:

The capture of Abu Omar al-Kurdi, aka, Sami Mohammed Ali Said al-Jaaf, a top assistant of the notorious terrorist Zarkawi, the leader of al Qaeda in Iraq, is just a small, albeit important, step in bringing order to Iraq.

No doubt that killing and capturing terrorists is very important in bringing safety and security and democracy to Iraq. And the coalition should be proud of this success.

But influencing the masses is our real goal, and we must never lose sight of that--Zarkawi and the other terrorists never do. The Coalition's main objective should be to make certain that the masses feel safe and secure.

Take away the terrorist's tools of fear!
A military campaign to find terrorists is one step.
An educational campaign to empower the people to reject the terrorists, their goals and objectives is another and that must be developed and implemented.

Education must be added to the list of priorities, it is an essential component of the fight against terror. Without education, terror will continue to gain momentum. It will receive popular support and refuge, even local sponsorship and local recruits.

If you take away local support you destroy the terrorist's ability to function well.
Right now, the terrorists are fighting for the hearts of local Iraqis.
Right now, they seem to be winning that fight.