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Rep. Royce, Terrorism Chairman, Statement on the Future of Al Qaeda
Washington, May 24 -
Rep. Ed Royce (R-CA), Chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Terrorism, Nonproliferation and Trade, made the following statement during today's hearing entitled, "The Future of Al Qaeda": Today we consider the impact of Osama bin Laden’s death on the al-Qaeda terrorist network and U.S. counterterrorism policy. For several years before his death, this terror mastermind was out of sight, out of mind. Indeed, Ambassador Daniel Benjamin, the State Department’s top counterterrorism official, didn’t even mention bin Laden’s name at a recent Subcommittee hearing. Nevertheless, bin Laden "was the symbolic, ideological and strategic core of the al-Qaeda movement," and the "primary source of inspiration and cohesion" for associated groups and individuals acting in his name, according to one expert. His killing is a very significant development in our struggle against al-Qaeda. With depleted ranks and resources, and its "star waning" in the Middle East, some go so far as to declare that al-Qaeda is "in its death throes." As we'll hear today, that's wishful thinking. Unfortunately, al-Qaeda has proven all too adaptive. One analyst notes that al-Qaeda operatives weren't driven by loyalty to bin Laden’s personality, but to his twisted ideals. As a 2009 USAID report on violent extremism noted, "we need to acknowledge at the outset the power of ideas…We need to recognize that many violent extremists are moved primarily by an unshakable belief in the superiority of certain values; by a perceived obligation to carry out God’s command; or by an abiding commitment to destroy a system they view as evil and/or oppressive." Bad ideas matter. Unfortunately a growing number of affiliates and individuals are looking to fulfill bin Laden’s vision. Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula – linked to Ft. Hood, the failed "underwear" bomber and cargo plane plots - appears the most energetic part of al-Qaeda. Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb is threatening, with deep roots in North Africa and Europe. An increasing number of European and U.S. citizens have traveled to Somalia to link-up with al-Shabaab. Bin Laden’s hideout location has raised yet more doubts about Pakistan. Was its intelligence service complicit or just incompetent? ISI has supported militant networks inside Pakistan and Afghanistan that are targeting U.S. soldiers. Nuclear proliferator A.Q. Khan received state support. A terrorism trial in Chicago heard testimony this week that ISI provided "financial and military" assistance to the LeT, the group that killed more than 160 in the Mumbai massacre, including six Americans. In the past ten years, Pakistan has received nearly $20 billion in U.S. aid. Simply put, our Pakistan policy isn’t working. Assuming connections between bin Laden and the Pakistani military and intelligence services, a former top IAEA official has asked, "What is to say they would not help al-Qaeda or other terrorist groups to gain access to sensitive nuclear materials such as highly enriched uranium or plutonium?" This isn't a far-fetched question. Intelligence work, including interrogations, was key to tracking down bin Laden. It's notable that outside of Afghanistan and Iraq, there have been no reported U.S. detentions of high-value terrorists under President Obama. For instance, an Indonesian behind the Bali bombings was taken into custody by Pakistani authorities just months before bin Laden's death. Found near Abbottabad, he has been described as an intelligence "gold mine." Yet, the Obama Administration has "made no move to interrogate or seek custody" of him, reports the Los Angeles Times. Bin Laden’s death comes as the Arab Spring is unfolding. The demise of autocracies is welcome, for sure. But there are legitimate concerns that democracy in these countries may empower parties hostile to the U.S., confounding counterterrorism cooperation. One witness today will compare al-Qaeda to a "shark in the water that must keep moving forward – no matter how slowly or incrementally – or die." We look to today’s witnesses for answers on how to kill this deadly predator. ###