We are all aware of the barbaric acts of ISIS, al Qaeda and the others flying the Black Flag. Sadly their violence continues to kill innocents around the world and here at home. They fight in the cause of Jihad to impose their totalitarian religion on all people. But they are not the only ones working toward that goal. There are other Islamist groups who seem much less dangerous on the surface, but actually represent an even more insidious threat to free western society. They seek to use our very freedoms as weapons against us.
Former U.S. President George W. Bush’s “War on Terror” required unconventional tactics and methods for detaining terrorists or unlawful combatants that don’t follow the general laws of war.
This is one of the reasons that led to the creation of Guantanamo Bay Prison in Cuba – creating a system that does not give cold-blooded terrorists the same legal protections afforded to Americans under the U.S. Constitution while also considering their humanity by providing for their basic human needs.
Leftists like President Obama buy into the theory that Gitmo is a recruitment tool for jihadists. While Gitmo might provide some political fodder for jihadist videos it’s absurd to think that giving jihadists constitutional rights would help defeat Islamic terrorism.
It’s even more preposterous than the kind of reasoning that says providing jobs and economic assistance will stop radicalization. While things like increases in economic opportunity may provide extra incentives that help deter jihadist recruitment, they do not address the root causes of the problem – for example, the evil ideology.
So, keeping in line with his ideology and promises to close the facility President Obama has decided to release more Gitmo detainees.
Fifteen jihadists (twelve Yemeni and three Afghan nationals) have recently been released from Gitmo and transferred to the UAE – making it “the single largest release of detainees during the Obama administration[.]”
Monday’s release dwindles the prison’s population down to only sixty-one detainees. According to the New York Times over the years about 780 individuals “have been detained” at Gitmo, while 710 individuals “have been transferred” (nine individuals died in detention).
It’s difficult to argue that the release of hundreds of jihadists has helped combat radical Islam. In fact, we have seen the opposite with the emergence of killing machines in groups like ISIS and Boko Haram.
While the number of released Gitmo prisoners returning to battlefield is disputed, former CIA official Gary Berntsen suggests that at least one third of released detainees are back fighting – making for a high recidivism rate.
These kinds of moves put American troops and workers in serious danger of attack. In fact, a couple months ago The Washington Post reported “that at least 12 detainees released from the prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, have launched attacks against U.S. or allied forces in Afghanistan, killing about a half-dozen Americans[.]”
So, taking into account the recidivism rate we will unfortunately expect to see several of the fifteen recently released jihadists with alleged links to radical groups like Al-Qaeda and the Taliban back to waging jihad and possibly murdering more Americans. Until our leaders get serious about jihadists and their Sharia ideology we will continue to see the rise in Islamic terrorism.