Targets in the high-stakes world of global terrorism range from the lowliest snitch to a head of state.
In terrorists? minds, all life is expendable, even their own.
This is nothing new. The ancient adage “Live by the sword, die by the sword,” never seemed more timeless than with the recent demise of Abu-Musab al-Zarqawi.
The June 7 death of al-Qaida?s top man in Iraq benefits many within the organization.
Let?s look at how:
» Al-Qaida wins $25 million dollars and a newly minted martyr, great for marketing and new recruiting. Someone (or some people) within his own group betrayed him. Maybe the snitch wanted power; maybe money; maybe both. Certainly new job opportunities appeared in the organization. In fact, the group already named a successor ? Abu Hamza al-Muhajir ? the mastermind behindthe murders and mutilation of three U.S. soldiers taken captive earlier this week. As with any change in command, he?ll want to bring along his own trusted advisers.
(This may cause friction within al-Qaida, which could be good for the rest of us.)
» They also lose a liability. Zarqawi?s penchant for beheading people, and beaming his murders via the Internet, repelled all but the most die-hard fanatics. So far, Muhajir hasn?t taken up that method of self-promotion.
» They win a role model. Zarqawi achieves martyrdom, becoming an example for untold numbers of misguided Muslim youth seeking to avenge his death, wage jihad ? and win 70 virgins in the end.
The murder also benefits those outside the organization.
» President Bush, whose ratings were at an all-time low, gets a boost. Bombing and killing a ruthless thug, loathed by billions of peace-loving people throughout the world, helps to lift his popularity ratings out of the pits. A gushing Oliver North on Fox News? “Hannity & Colmes,” one of cable television?s most highly rated programs, hailed the commander-in-chief?s subsequent surprise visit to Iraqis a “brave and Churchillian moment… .”
» The recently formed government of Prime Minister Nuri Kamal al-Maliki finds an unexpected photo-op and show of superpower strength for its team.
» The United States military, especially the pilots and Special Operations personnel who killed Zarqawi, earn rightful praise as heroes from the operation. The success boosts morale, and perhaps secures more budgetary support for a force that?s really a force. It?s beyond time that they are recognized for their skill, bravery and dedication.
Some of us may even slumber a bit more easily. But last weekend, Abdullah bin Rashid al-Baghdadi, a high-ranking al-Qaida member in Iraq, declared that al-Qaida members would wage jihad with greater strength than before. They were not lying. They did not just kill three soldiers this week. They mutilated them to an extent still beyond publicly released description as this goes to press.
This particular brand of fanaticism and blind hatred are hard to combat. People willing to blow themselves up, or their 5-year-old nephews, or saw the heads off innocent victims live on the Internet would make amoral megalomaniacs like Nero, Mao or Stalin smile.
Brooke Gunning is the author of several regional bestsellers, including “Maryland Thoroughbred Racing,” “Baltimore?s Halcyon Days” and “Towson and the Villages of Ruxton and Lutherville.” She currently is at work on her next book.
