Has AL-Qaeda lost any ground since the US has declared war on terrorism?

Question

http://www.smh.com.au/news/world/alqaeda-resilient-and-in-control-counterterrorism-chief-warns/2006/09/18/1158431644427.html

Answer 1

I don't know about losing ground.

They lost control of the Afghanistan government, but the Taliban are now resurgent and getting stronger. They also have a lot of power in Iraq now that we have removed Saddam for them.

They have lost some of their senior leaders (Khalid Sheik Muhammad for example), but have more than made up for it in new recruits, especially in Iraq.

I will let you judge whether this has set them back at all....

Answer 2

Considering we have credible evidence showing that they are having trouble recruiting people to their cause, I would say yes. Frequency of attacks around the world is in decline. The majority of their resources are being tied up in Afghanistan and Iraq. People want to cite the number of attacks in Iraq as a sign Al Queda is stronger. I disagree. There are several factions at work in Iraq, and they are not all Al Queda operatives. No one ever said the fight against global terrorism was going to easy and they certainly didn't contend it would be an overnight war. Quite the opposite, we were told to prepare for a sustained conflict which would lead us to many possible destinations around the world. Success in the war on terror cannot be measured in the same terms as conventional war. The terrorists do not owe allegiance to a country and they are hiding in plain sight all over the world. The keys to defeating terrorism are to chase them wherever the fight leads us, identify and attack their sources of funding and promote freedom around the world. Freedom is the greatest weapon in the war on terror. As people become free from oppression the causes of terrorism decrease and tolerance grows. In short, give people something to live for and they will choose life rather than martyrdom.

Answer 3

Well, much as I dislike President Bush, it's undeniable that they've lost a lot of ground. Much of their command structure, financing and senior leadership has been destroyed. They haven't managed to hit any targets in the USA for 5 years in large part because of this- they've had to choose easier targets like the tourist resort of Bali. They certainly don't hate Britain or Spain more than the USA, but their ability to carry out operations has been severely degraded. That's the major reason that they've "morphed" as the author says. It was because they had to, in order to survive. The beast is now more decentralized, like a bunch of P2P clients instead of one big server.

I guess you could liken the war on terror to using antibiotics- you'll eliminate most strains but those that survive and develop a resistance to that drug are more difficult to finally eradicate. In that sense, the previously existing organization and membership has been decimated, but the philosophy has grown.

Their recruiting is way up, but raw recruits willing to sacrifice themselves don't make up for the combat veterans they've lost- guys with years of experience and training who may have fought in other campaigns. So in that respect they are less dangerous, but on the other hand they are harder to track down, since there's less centralized structure and cells operate independently.

Answer 4

No.
It has evolved into an ideology- much harder to kill.
This article presents another angle, that it is much more than just that. That indeed the military aspect of al qaeda is strong too. This is sad and disapointing.
The Afghanistan war made headway against them, but iraq diverted attention from that goal.

Answer 5

No. Every terrorist network in Muslim and European countries has gained plenty of new recruits. And the queues get longer every day.

Answer 6

Hi i dont know about losing ground, but membership,, is down,,,due to superior firepower..... lol

good luck