One month after the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, Italian port inspectors pried open a steel shipping container and stumbled across an extraordinary find: a complete command-and-control center full of operable computers, phones and satellite equipment. Also stowed away in the container was an Egyptian carrying airport security passes for Los Angeles International, New York Kennedy and Newark airports.
As New York Times best-selling author Richard Miniter explains in his new book, Shadow War: The Untold Story of How Bush Is Winning the War on Terror (published by Regnery, a sister company of HUMAN EVENTS; a free chapter is available here), this Egyptian possessed personal identification giving him access to U.S. airports as a certified airplane mechanic.
The Egyptian stowaway is one of dozens of al Qaeda terrorists being interrogated in an attempt to thwart one of Osama bin Laden??¢â???¬â???¢s most ambitious strategies: to cripple the global economy by attacking ships and sea lanes critical to world trade.
Eighty per cent of merchandise sold annually is moved by ship and 75% of this passes through the Panama Canal, the Suez Canal, the Straits of Gibraltar, the Straits of Hormuz and the Straits of Malacca. These commercial routes, the hundreds of miles of deep-sea oil pipelines and pumps, and the world??¢â???¬â???¢s 2,800 ports make for tempting targets that are difficult to protect.
If a commercial airliner can be used as a weapon, so can a tanker. To this end, bin Laden has maintained a fleet of cargo ships and trained terrorist commandos how to hijack ocean liners.
A major setback was dealt to sea-terror plans when Abdul Rahim al-Nashiri was nabbed in the United Arab Emirates after the National Security Agency traced his cell phone and alerted the CIA to his whereabouts. Al-Nashiri is known in intelligence circles as ??¢â???¬?????al Qaeda??¢â???¬â???¢s admiral.??¢â???¬
This story is typical of President Bush??¢â???¬â???¢s success in the war on terror. Since the September 11 attacks, more than 3,000 al Qaeda terrorists have been arrested or killed in 102 countries, and two-thirds of bin Laden??¢â???¬â???¢s hierarchy has been seized. The largest single reason America has not suffered another major terror attack is that al Qaeda??¢â???¬â???¢s command and control network has been decimated.
The myriad victories thus far would not have been possible without the cooperation of dozens of world leaders. Shattering the canard that President Bush has hurt America??¢â???¬â???¢s international relationships, Shadow War is full of anecdotes detailing constant cooperation from countries as different as Sudan, Spain and Singapore.
Critics of books on intelligence topics routinely grumble about the practice of quoting anonymous sources and basing breaking news on leakers who are only willing to comment off-the-record. While this at times may be a reporting weakness, it is a fact of life for investigative journalists. Important news would rarely get out if sources always were required to speak for attribution. Especially when discussing terrorism, the risks of going public are too high.
In this case, I can personally vouch for the solidity of the author??¢â???¬â???¢s sources. We went on reporting expeditions throughout Asia together. I introduced him to many of my Southeast Asian military and intelligence contacts and was present at many of his interviews in the Philippines, Thailand, Singapore and Hong Kong. Miniter gets scoops because he is a tireless investigator who never hesitates to trek through a jungle, hop on a helicopter or pop into a dodgy watering hole to hunt down a fresh angle or meet a new tipster.
As Miniter confirms, al Qaeda wants to hit America again. John Kerry??¢â???¬â???¢s primary campaign slogan is that his election will bring about ??¢â???¬?????a stronger America.??¢â???¬ This dubious claim is made on bumper stickers plastered on the back of wimpy alternative-fuel vehicles all over the Northeast. Bush-Cheney campaign billboards posted all over the Heartland offer a clearer choice: Boots or Flip-flops?
Whether the Republican ticket is referring to cowboy boots, steel-toe work boots or combat boots, the point is obvious: Reelecting President Bush will make America more secure because he is a strong, decisive leader. The danger in John Kerry is that inconsistent signals by a commander-in-chief make this nation vulnerable.
Richard Miniter??¢â???¬â???¢s Shadow War offers sundry illustrations of what exactly the Bush Administration has done to make America safer. Every day, new successes are achieved because the hard work to stay one step ahead of the terrorists continues in the shadows.
