No Safe Havens for Terrorists

It’s always been hard for me to agree with a Democrat, even when he’s only “sort of” a Democrat. Independent/former Democrat Joe Lieberman is on the money when he says a military strike against Iran should be considered in response to that rogue nation’s support of attacks on Americans in Iraq.

I would argue that the same reasoning justifies attacks on training areas/safe havens in Syria and Pakistan. While it’s probably not a great idea to advertise such an option, we are at a crossroads in the world where everyone with their head in the sand must look at the reality that is facing us.

Iran is not going to change, they are still developing their nuclear capability and they will not stop their support of terrorists and insurgents who are killing our soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan. Furthermore, the mouthpiece for Iran’s ayatollahs, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, is advertising the belief that the end times are near and that Israel should be wiped off the map.

Iran is not the only problem. Syria continues to support and protect the Iraqi Sunni insurgents who hide out across the border in their own camps. The government in Pakistan is either too afraid of the terrorists in their tribal areas or they are accommodating them for other reasons. As a result, the terrorist camps in these other countries are like nests of bees, creating new killers with assembly line efficiency. (Above photo is from Reuters.)

Syria, Iran and the tribal areas of Pakistan are the Laos and Cambodia of this war. During Vietnam, the North Vietnamese enemy used those adjacent countries to train, recruit and re-supply the forces that fought us in South Vietnam. The anti-war crowd never complained about their use of those countries, but the minute the American military entered Cambodia to attack enemy camps along the Ho Chi Minh Trail we were referred to as “invaders”.

It is incomprehensible that we can continue to permit Iran or Syria to train, equip and perhaps accompany terrorist killers who attack American troops in Iraq or Afghanistan. We also must end the ability of Al Qaeda and the Taliban to have a safe haven in Pakistan.

Although large-scale ground invasions are unrealistic, targeted air strikes would do much to destroy the capabilities in these training camps. If Syria, Iran and Pakistan will not eliminate these safe havens, then we have no choice but to do it ourselves.

We owe it to the men and women who are fighting the terrorists and we certainly owe to the ones who have made the ultimate sacrifice.

SFC Chuck Grist
www.AmericanRanger.blogspot.com