The September 11 Terrorists’ Attack On The States:
The events of September 11, 2001, have no precedent in the history of terrorism. On that day 19 terrorists belonging to bin Laden’s al-Qaeda organization hijacked four passenger aircraft shortly after they departed from airports in Boston, Massachusetts; Newark, New Jersey; and Washington, D.C. The first plane crashed into the north tower of the World Trade Center in New York City shortly before 9:00 am. About 15 minutes later, a second aircraft struck the south tower. Shortly afterward, a third plane crashed into the Pentagon in Arlington, Virginia. A fourth aircraft crashed into a field in rural Pennsylvania after its passengers, hearing by cell phone of the other hijackings, attempted to take control of the plane from the hijackers before they could strike another target. Before long, about 3000 Americans had lost their lives.
A Shock to the World:
The hijackers stunned the world with their determination to kill themselves and take the lives of the hijacked passengers and crews as well as the lives of thousands of people working in or visiting the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. Such level of madness was novel, at least in recent times. Who could believe that America of all places would be a prime target of such dare-devil terror group?
America Reacted:
The United States reacted by declaring a global war against terrorism. In the first phase of the war, U.S. forces launched a massive attack on al-Qaeda’s training and logistics bases in Afghanistan and toppled Afghanistan’s ruling Taliban movement. The Taliban had provided bin Laden and his followers with sanctuary and an opportunity to plan and orchestrate their worldwide terrorist.
Furthermore, the September 11 attacks prompted intense scrutiny of why the United States government had failed to detect or thwart the attacks—and what it should do to prevent future attacks. In 2003 a congressional inquiry detailed systemic problems in the U.S. government’s counterterrorism efforts prior to the attacks. It revealed how the terrorists had entered and remained in the United States without raising suspicions, and how key opportunities to disrupt the attack were missed because of poor communication between the FBI, CIA, and other government agencies.
Commission of Inquiry Set Up!
Counter Terrorism Strategy Recommended:
The commission recommended a three-pronged strategy for preventing future attacks:
(1) Continuing to root out and attack terrorists;
(2) Preventing the further growth of Islamist terrorism; and
(3) Developing better protections against terrorist attacks.
As part of this strategy, the commission recommended several changes in government structure. It proposed the creation of a national intelligence director to coordinate all intelligence-gathering work. It also urged the establishment of a National Counterterrorism Center to analyze all terrorism-related intelligence and to plan counterterrorism operations. And these are what is expected of Nigerian government in its fight against the Boko-Haram insurgency. Unfortunately, it is evident the Nigerian government has failed in all of these.
Boko Haram: What Nigerian Government Fails to Do:
It has become so clear to all of us that Boko Haram is an Islamic terror group, working as an offshoot of al- Qaeda to capture the entire continent of Africa.
America lost only 3000 souls in a one-hour shock attack, and America reacted and went after the perpetrators. Nigeria has lost tens of thousands, and hundreds of other thousands displaced as a result of the Boko-Haram insurgency for over a period of five crises-laden years; yet our government has not really done the real thing- we are playing politics; our lawmakers are jumping fence!
· Our government has allowed Boko Haram to displace our people; and then turn our land into an Islamic caliphate. Instead of attacking them even to the Sambisa forest; we’ve gone rather on the defensive. Even some of our ‘generals’, either out of cowardice or hypocricy are asking that we negotiate with them, and possibly grant them amnesty. By that they suggest we should pay Boko Haram for wasting our young brothers and sisters, as well as our old fathers and mothers!
· We’ve refused to prevent them from expanding their frontiers, by giving them safe landing. They no longer attack Borno alone; they are now in Yobe, Adamawa. Their satanic guts have given them a free ride along the beautiful streets of Kano. Even the seat of government does not scare them any longer!
· Our leaders have only informed us that ‘boko haramites are also in the government’, but no enquiry has been set up to fish out these evil gangs who have connived with the devil to sabotage our peace and prosperity.
See the Nigerian Army- a force to be reckoned with in the whole of Africa and beyond- is now a laughing stock among Boko-haramites. They are now fleeing from the advance of book-haram terrorists.
The question is:
- Who has sabotaged our common wealth?
- Who is this enemy in the camp?
Do we really have statesmen in this country?
- Can we boast confidently that we have leadership?
What shall we do?
Until we answer these questions correctly, all our touted efforts to end insurgency would remain an endless drea
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