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War on Terrorism

A South Korean and American soldier provide security during a mission near Kabul, Afghanistan.
DateOctober 7, 2001 - (conflict still ongoing)
Location
Afghanistan, Philippines more...
Result Conflict ongoing
Belligerents
United States United States
United Kingdom United Kingdom
Canada Canada
Israel Israel
South Korea South Korea
Australia Australia
Italy Italy
Philippines Philippines
Pakistan Pakistan
Jordan Jordan
Saudi Arabia Saudi Arabia
NATO
and others		 File:IEA-flag.png Taliban
File:Flag of Hezbollah.svg Hezbollah
al-Qaeda
Waziristan tribesmen
Jemaah Islamiyah
Abu Sayyaf
and others
Casualties and losses
Total Military Dead:
8,802		 Total Military Dead/Jailed:
75,201 - 103,664

The War on Terrorism or War on Terror (also the "Global War on Terrorism" or "GWOT" [1]) is a campaign by the United States, enlisting the support of NATO members and other allies, with the stated goal of ending international terrorism by preventing those groups said to be terrorist in nature from posing a threat, and by putting an end to state sponsorship of terrorism. This campaign was launched by the Bush administration following the September 11, 2001 attacks on New York and Washington, D.C. by al-Qaeda. In addition to governmental actions in the War on Terrorism, several private organizations have played a role in gathering intelligence and supporting the effort.

Overview

See also: Terrorism and List of terrorist incidents

Terrorist organizations had carried out attacks on the United States and allies throughout the latter part of the 20th century, prompting occasional responses. Following the 1998 embassy bombings in Kenya and Tanzania,[2] United States President Bill Clinton launched Operation Infinite Reach, a bombing campaign in Sudan and Afghanistan against targets associated with Al-Qaeda[3][4]. Later, the USS Cole bombing in 2000 occured[5], followed by the September 11th, 2001 terrorist attack[6]. The scope of the attack was far larger than previous attacks, and created an immediate demand for a response against those responsible throughout the United States.

Historical usage of phrase

The phrase "War on Terrorism" was first widely used by the Western press to refer to the attempts by Russian and European governments, and eventually the U.S. government, to stop attacks by anarchists against international political leaders. (See, for example, New York Times, April 2 1881). Many of the anarchists described themselves as "terrorists", and the term had a positive valence for them at the time. When Russian Marxist Vera Zasulich shot and wounded a Russian police commander who was known to torture suspects on 24 January 1878, for example, she threw down her weapon without killing him, announcing, "I am a terrorist, not a killer" [7].

The next time the phrase gained currency was when it was used to describe the efforts by the British colonial government to end a spate of Jewish terrorist attacks in the British Mandate of Palestine in the late 1940s. The British proclaimed a "War on Terrorism" and attempted to crack down on Irgun, Lehi, and anyone perceived to be cooperating with them. The Jewish attacks, Arab reprisals, and the subsequent British crackdown hastened the British evacuation from Palestine [8].

Operative definition in U.S. foreign policy

The United States has defined terrorism under the Federal Criminal Code. Chapter 113B of Part I of Title 18 of the United States Code defines terrorism and lists the crimes associated with terrorism[9]. In Section 2331 of Chapter 113b, terrorism is defined as:

"..activities that involve violent... <or life-threatening acts>... that are a violation of the criminal laws of the United States or of any State and... appear to be intended (i) to intimidate or coerce a civilian population; (ii) to influence the policy of a government by intimidation or coercion; or (iii) to affect the conduct of a government by mass destruction, assassination, or kidnapping; and ...<if domestic>...(C) occur primarily within the territorial jurisdiction of the United States...<if international>...(C) occur primarily outside the territorial jurisdiction of the United States..."

With respect to defining his policy known as the War on Terror, President Bush has stated that:

"...today's war on terror is like the Cold War. It is an ideological struggle with an enemy that despises freedom and pursues totalitarian aims....I vowed then that I would use all assets of our power to win the war on terror. And so I said we were going to stay on the offense two ways: one, hunt down the enemy and bring them to justice, and take threats seriously; and two, spread freedom" [10].

Objective and strategies

The United States has based its counterterrorist strategy on several steps [11]:

  1. Defeat terrorists and their organizations.
    1. Identify terrorists and terrorist organizations.
    2. Locate terrorists and their organizations.
    3. Destroy terrorists and their organizations.
  2. Deny sponsorship, support and sanctuary to terrorists.
    1. End the state sponsorship of terrorism.
    2. Establish and maintain an international standard of accountability with regard to combating terrorism.
    3. Strengthen and sustain the international effort to fight terrorism.
      Working with willing and able states.
      Enabling weak states.
      Persuading reluctant states.
      Compelling unwilling states.
    4. Interdict and disrupt material support for terrorists.
    5. Eliminate terroist sanctuaries and havens.
  3. Diminishing the underlying conditions that terrorists seek to exploit.
    1. Partner with the international community to strengthen weak states and prevent (re)emergence of terrorism.
    2. Win the war of ideals.
  4. Defend U.S. citizens and interests at home and abroad.
    1. Implement the Nation Strategy for Homeland Security
    2. Attain domain awareness
    3. Enhance measures to ensure the intergrity, reliability, and availability of critical physical and information-based infrastructures at home and abroad.
    4. Integrate measures to protect U.S. citizens abroad.
    5. Ensure an integrated incident management capability.

Campaigns and theatres of operations

Part of a series on
Terrorism and political violence
By ideology
Religious
Special-interest / Single-issue
Related topics
Structure
  • Methods
  • Tactics
Terrorist groups
Adherents
State terrorism
State-sponsored terrorism
Response to terrorism
Main article: War on Terrorism - Theaters of operation

The "War on Terrorism" is being pursued in the following theaters of operation:

Africa

Main article: Operation Enduring Freedom - Horn of Africa
File:Dragunov on range.jpg
Combined Joint Task Force training in Ethiopia.

This extension of Operation Enduring Freedom, titled OEF-HOA, was initiated in response to the September 11, 2001 attacks on the United States. Unlike other operations contained in Operation Enduring Freedom, OEF-HOA does not have a specific terrorist organization as a target. OEF-HOA instead focuses its efforts to disrupt and detect terrorist activities in the region and to work with host nations to deny the reemergence of terrorist cells and activities.

In October 2002, the Combined Joint Task Force, Horn of Africa (CJTF-HOA) was established in Djibouti at Camp Le Monier. It contains approximately 2,000 personnel including U.S. military and Special Operations Forces (SOF) and coalition force members, Coalition Task Force 150 (CTF-150). The coalition force members consist of ships from Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Pakistan, New Zealand, Spain and the United Kingdom. The primary goal of the coalition forces is to monitor, inspect, board and stop suspected shipments from entering the Horn of Africa region and areas of Operation Iraqi Freedom [12]. Included in the operation is the training of selected armed forces units of the countries of Djibouti, Kenya and Ethiopia in counterterrorism and counterinsurgency tactics. Humanitarian efforts conducted by CJTF-HOA include rebuilding of schools and medical clinics as well as providing medical services to those countries whose forces are being trained. The program expands as part of the Trans-Saharan Counter Terrorism Initiative as CJTF personnel also assist in training the forces of Chad, Niger, Mauritania and Mali [13].

Middle East

Lebanon

Main article: 2006 Israel-Lebanon conflict

In July 2006, following the killing of three Israeli soldiers and the kidnapping of two more by Hezbollah, Israel invaded southern Lebanon intent on the destruction of Hezbollah. The conflict lasted over a month and caused the deaths of between 845[14] and 1300[15] Lebanese (many of whom were civilians) and 167 Israelis (114 military and 53 civilian) and wounding thousands more Israelis and Lebanese[16]. Both the Lebanese government (including Hezbollah) and the Israeli government have agreed to the terms of the ceasefire agreement created by the United Nations that began at 0500 on August 14, 2006. Prior to the declaration of the ceasefire, the US government stated the conflict was a front of the "War on Terrorism" [17] [18] and President Bush reiterated it in a speech the day the ceasefire came into effect[19].

South Asia

Afghanistan

Main article: 2001 war in Afghanistan

In October 2001, in the wake of the September 11, 2001 attacks on the United States, the U.S and NATO members invaded the country of Afghanistan to remove al-Qaeda forces and punish the Taliban regime which had taken over the country. On September 20, 2001 George W. Bush delivered an ultimatum to the Taliban regime to turn over Osama bin Laden and al-Qaeda leaders operating in the country[20]. The Taliban demanded evidence of bin Laden's link to the September 11th attacks and, if such evidence warranted a trial, they offered to handle such trial in an Islamic Court [21]. As the invasion became more immenent the Taliban government offered to extradite bin Laden to a neutral nation. This offer was seen by Bush as insincere. On October 7, 2001 the official invasion began with British and American forces conducting aerial combing campaigns [22].

Pakistan

Main article: Waziristan War

In 2004 the Pakistani Army launched a campaign in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas of Pakistan's Waziristan region. The goal of the conflict is to remove the al-Qaeda and Taliban forces in the region. After the fall of the Taliban regime many members of the Taliban resistance fled to the Northern border region of Afghanistan and Pakistan where the Pakistani army had previously little control. With the logistics and air support of the United States, the Pakistani Army has captured or killed numerous al-Qaeda operatives such as Khalid Shaikh Mohammed, wanted for his involvement in the USS Cole bombing, Oplan Bojinka plot and the killing of Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl. The Taliban resistance still operates in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas under the control of Haji Omar [23].

Southeast Asia

Philippines

Main article: Operation Enduring Freedom - Philippines

In January 2002 the United States Special Operations Command, Pacific deployed to the Philippines to advise and assist the Armed Forces of the Philippines in combating terrorism. The operations were mainly focused on removing the Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG) and Jemaah Islamiyah (JI) from their stronghold on the island of Basilan. The United States military has reported that they have removed over 80% of the Abu Sayyaf Group members from the region. The second portion of the operation was conducted as a humanitarian program called "Operation Smiles". The goal of the program was to provide medical care and services to the region of Basilan to prevent the ability for members of the terrorist groups to reestablish themselves.

International support

On September 12, 2001, less than 24 hours after the terrorist attacks in New York City and Washington, NATO invoked Article 5 of the North Atlantic Treaty and declared the attacks to be an attack against all 19 NATO member countries.

In the following months, NATO took a wide range of measures to respond to the threat of terrorism. On November 22, 2002, the member states of the EAPC decided on a Partnership Action Plan against Terrorism which explicitly states that "EAPC States are committed to the protection and promotion of fundamental freedoms and human rights, as well as the rule of law, in combating terrorism" [24]. NATO started naval operations in the Mediterranean Sea designed to prevent the movement of terrorists or weapons of mass destruction as well as to enhance the security of shipping in general called Operation Active Endeavour.

The invasion of Afghanistan is seen as the first action of this war, and initially involved forces from the United States, the United Kingdom, and the Afghani Northern Alliance. Since the initial invasion period, these forces have been augmented by troops from Australia, Canada, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, New Zealand and Norway. It was announced on January 27 2006 in the British Parliament that a NATO International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) would be replacing the U.S troops in the province as part of Operation Enduring Freedom. The British 16th Air Assault Brigade would be the core of the force in Southern Afghanistan, along with troops and helicopters from Australia, Canada and the Netherlands. The force will consist of roughly 3,300 British, 2,000 Canadian, 1,400 from the Netherlands and 240 from Australia [25] [26] [27] [28]. Canada also supported coalition efforts in Operation Archer, Operation Apollo, Operation Altair, and Operation Athena as part of the ongoing support for Operation Enduring Freedom [29]. The Canadian government however, does not recognize Iraq as part of the informal network of support for the attacks of 9/11 and as such, has declined to send Forces to that theatre of operations, although scores of them are on assignment to US Forces - mostly assisting in AWACS operations.

Support for the United States cooled when America made clear its determination to invade Iraq in late 2002. Even so, many of the "coalition of the willing" countries that unconditionally supported the U.S.-led military action have sent troops to Afghanistan, particular neighbouring Pakistan, which has disowned its earlier support for the Taliban and contributed tens of thousands of soldiers to the conflict. Pakistan is also currently engaged in the Waziristan War. Supported by US intelligence, Pakistan is attempting to remove the Taliban insurgency and al-Qaeda element from the northern tribal areas[30].

U.S. domestic initiatives

United States Customs and Border Protection officers.
Further information: [[:Detentions following the September 11, 2001 Terrorist Attack]]

A $40 billion emergency spending bill was quickly passed by the United States Congress, and an additional $20 billion bail-out of the airline industry was also passed.

Investigations have been started through many branches of many governments, pursuing tens of thousands of tips. Thousands of people have been detained, arrested, or questioned. Many of those targeted by the Bush administration have been secretly detained, and have been denied access to an attorney. Among those secretly detained are U.S. citizens.

The Justice Department launched a Special Registration procedure for certain male non-citizens in the U.S., requiring them to register in person at offices of the Immigration and Naturalization Service.

Several laws were passed to increase the investigative powers of law enforcement agencies in the United States, notably the USA Patriot Act. Many civil liberties groups have alleged that these laws remove important restrictions on governmental authority, and are a dangerous encroachment on civil liberties, possible unconstitutional violations of the Fourth Amendment. No official legal challenges have been started as of 2004, but governing bodies in a number of communities have passed symbolic resolutions against the act.

In a speech on June 9, 2005, Bush claimed that the "Patriot Act" had been used to bring charges against more than 400 suspects, more than half of whom had been convicted. Meanwhile the American Civil Liberties Union quoted Justice Department figures showing that 7,000 people have complained of abuse of the Act. The ACLU also maintains that many others do not know they have been subjected to a search because the law requires that searches be kept secret.

The Bush administration began an unprecedented and sweeping initiative in early 2002 with the creation of the Information Awareness Office, designed to collect, index, and consolidate all available information on everyone in a central repository for perusal by the United States government.

Various government bureaucracies which handled security and military functions were reorganized. Most notably, the Department of Homeland Security was created to coordinate "homeland security" efforts in the largest reorganization of the U.S. federal government since the consolidation of the armed forces into the Department of Defense. There was a proposal to create an Office of Strategic Influence for the purpose of coordinating propaganda efforts, but it was cancelled due to negative reactions. For the first time ever, the Bush administration implemented the Continuity of Operations Plan (or Continuity of Government) to create a shadow government to ensure the executive branch of the U.S. government would be able to continue in catastrophic circumstances.


Military decorations

Since 2002, the United States military, has created several new military awards and decorations related to the "War on Terrorism" including:

The US Department of Transportation created two awards related to the "War on Terrorism" which are authorized to be worn on U.S. military uniforms:

NATO has also created military decorations related to the "War on Terrorism":

Criticisms of the "War on Terrorism"

Main article: Criticisms of the War on Terrorism

Civilian deaths caused by United States and coalition military action have been criticized. In any estimate, non-coalition civilian deaths exceed those of the United States in the attacks of 11 September, 2001 from which the "War on Terrorism" began.

U.S. President George W. Bush articulated the goals of the "War on Terrorism" in a September 20, 2001 speech, in which he said it "will not end until every terrorist group of global reach has been found, stopped and defeated"[31]. To critics, such goals create a state of perpetual war, and have argued that groups that are labeled terrorist organizations could continue to arise indefinitely [32].

Others have criticised the War on Terrorism as counterproductive. The United Kingdom ambassador to Italy, Ivor Roberts, said that U.S. President Bush is "the best recruiting sergeant ever for al Qaeda"[33].

Further reading

References

  1. ^ "Momentum & Sustainment: Supporting the Warfighter". Defense Supply Center Colombus. September 23, 2004. Retrieved 2006-08-09. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  2. ^ "Report of the Accountability Review Boards". U.S. Department of State. 08.07.98. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  3. ^ "U.S. strikes terrorist targets in Afghanistan,Sudan". CNN. 08.20.98. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  4. ^ "U.S. retaliates for Africa bombings". CNN. 08.20.98. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  5. ^ "U.S. sailors killed in attack on Navy vessel in Yemen". CNN. 10.12.00. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  6. ^ "What proof of bin Laden's involvement". CNN. 09.13.01. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  7. ^ "The Four Waves of Rebel Terror and September 11". Department of Political Science University of California at Los Angeles. Summer 2004. Retrieved 2006-08-09. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); line feed character in |publisher= at position 32 (help)
  8. ^ "War on Terrorism". Aljazeera.Com. 01.01.03. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  9. ^ CRIMES AND CRIMINAL PROCEDURE [1]
  10. ^ Remarks by President Bush on the Global War on Terror[2]
  11. ^ NAT I O N A L STRATEGY FOR COMBAT I N G TERRORISM[3]
  12. ^ CRS Report for Congress[4]
  13. ^ CRS Report for Congress[5]
  14. ^ Lauren Frayer (2006-08-18). "Lebanese army greeted in south". Indianapolis Star. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  15. ^ Robert Fisk (2006-08-17). "Robert Fisk: Lebanon's pain grows by the hour as death toll hits 1,300". The Independent. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  16. ^ Ben Wedeman (2006-08-14). "Refugees stream back to southern Lebanon". CNN. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
  17. ^ "Lebanon part of 'war on terror', says Bush". ABC News. July 30, 2006. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  18. ^ "Israel needs int'l support for war against terror: DM". People's Daily Online. August 10, 2006. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  19. ^ "Bush: 'Hezbollah suffered a defeat'". CNN. 2006-08-14. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  20. ^ "Transcript of President Bush's address". CNN. 9.20.01. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  21. ^ "Taliban rejects president Bush's demands". PBS. 09.21.01. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  22. ^ "Into Afghanistan: Rooting out the Taliban". United States Department of Defense. August 9, 2006. Retrieved 2006-08-10. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  23. ^ "Top al Qaeda operative caught in Pakistan". CNN. 03.01.03. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  24. ^ "Partnership Action Plan against Terrorism". NATO. November 22, 2002. Retrieved 2006-08-09. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  25. ^ "UK troops take over Afghan duties". BBC. 2006-06-01. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  26. ^ "Canada set for longer Afghan stay". BBC. 2006-06-16. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  27. ^ "Australia outlines Afghan force". BBC. 2006-05-08. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  28. ^ "More Dutch troops for Afghanistan". BBC. 2006-02-03. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  29. ^ "Canadian Forces Operations in Afghanistan". Canada Department of National Defense. April 18, 2006. Retrieved 2006-08-09. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  30. ^ "New frontline in the war on terror". The Guardian. 05.04.06. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  31. ^ "Address to a Joint Session of Congress and the American People". Speech delivered by George W. Bush to the United States Congress, 20 September 2001. Transcript by White House Office of the Press Secretary.
  32. ^ Richissin, Todd. "'War on terror' difficult to define". The Baltimore Sun, 2 September 2004.
  33. ^ Richburg, Keith B. "Kerry Is Widely Favored Abroad". The Washington Post, p. A14, 29 September 2004.

See also

Official sites by governments and international organizations
General "war on terrorism" news
Primary legal documents
Specific articles
Other
Video
  • The Dark Side – After 9/11 Vice President Cheney initiated an expansion of executive power, took on George Tenet's CIA for control over intelligence and brought the War on Terrorism to Iraq.
  • Macedonia Killings Video - 2002 confrontation at the US embassy in Macedonia
  • The Long War - Colbert highlights the new name for "war on terror" that the pentagon is now using.
  • The Power of Nightmares
Recent events

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