New York senator Chuck Schumer has extended the Obama administration’s claims about their efforts against al-Qaeda — which tend to emphasize the damage done to group’s core in Afghanistan and Pakistan, to claim that “al-Qaeda in Iraq and Afghanistan has been decimated.”
While the state of al-Qaeda in Afghanistan is debatable, it’s hardly on the run in Iraq, especially after the withdrawal of U.S. troops from the country. A recent break at Abu Graib prison staged by al-Qaeda operatives reportedly led to the escape of “hundreds of terrorists,” while the group is also playing a major role in the Syria conflict. The main jihadist group in Syria, the Nusra Front, is considered by the U.S. government to be a front group for al-Qaeda in Iraq, and just recently spearheaded the rebel capture of a key air base in Syria.
“Al-Qaeda Iraq will emerge stronger as a result of its experiences inside Syria,” one U.S. official warned recently.
Schumer credited the president’s use of drones and assured that with al-Qaeda on the run to countries such as Yemen, and said, “Give us a little time, and they will be decimated as well.” He praised the president’s vigorous drone usage to kill terrorists compared to his predecessor. “Remember, George Bush would not let the drones go into Pakistan, and al-Qaeda flourished,” Schumer said. “The president did, and terrorism is way down. He’s pursuing the same tactic in Yemen, and I think it’s working.” Given that this week’s threats from al-Qaeda appear to have emerged from Yemen, Senator Schumer may be optimistic there, too.
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