Terror on the cheap
UK’s The Telegraph reports that the European union is blaming al-Qaeda for the series of forest fires set in Portugal and Spain this season;
“One should note that setting fires to forests in the countries of the European Union is a new tendency in al-Qaeda’s strategy of a ‘thousand cuts’,” Alexander Bortnikov said, according to state news agency RIA Novosti, at a meeting of heads of security agencies.
“This method allows (al-Qaeda) to inflict significant economic and moral damage without serious preliminary preparations, technical equipment or significant expenses.”
The article continues that instructions on how and where to set fires have popped up on jihadist websites recently. The EU complains that it’s hard to prevent or capture these types of cowards. Apparently, these fires have killed scores of people and caused the evacuation of thousands in Europe, even though I haven’t anything about it until now.
I guess we can expect the same here soon. If the fires haven’t already happened and no one bothered to tell us it was terrorism, which seems to be fairly popular these days among some in our government.
Category: Terror War
I wouldn’t be surprised. Especially now, with the deployment rate of the National Guard, it will get quite expensive. My very first stint of orders after BCT and AIT were for fire duty in southern Oregon. They mobilized the entire Battalion as well as elements from two other Battalions in the state.
This last year, during the height of fire season, the state had to pay more to bring in units from California and Washington to fight fires in Oregon because the Oregon Guard was in the middle of Mob and Training in Colorado.
With the money being cut from the Forest Service, there will be less rangers able to patrol the forests and catch those who set the fires, whether through purpose or accident. In all, I can see this happening in America and being blamed on nature or people who don’t know any better.
Years ago the Aussies actually got their hands on AQ manuals that instructed on the use of wildfires as a weapon. Take two, look at the people seen tossing flaming papers out of a pickup truck in Colorado this past summer.
I remember (very distictly) Good Morning America had a story about this ‘disturbing development in al-Quaida tactics’ early in the year, long before any of the annual big fires started. Perhaps someone can research that?
There is an interesting book called “Fighting in Hell” about fighting the Russians in WWII, compiled from extensive debriefs of German officers. Interesting point of view, like watching “Crosss of Iron” – we rarely hear the German side. In FIH, one of the the noteworthy observations was how the Russians would set harassing grassfires on the steppes during dry season that could be over 100km wide. This is not a new tactic. (The phrase “scorched earth” coems to mind.)
The Japanese did it near the end of WW II with firebombs attached to balloons which drifted over the West Coast. My father found one near Everett Washington when he was a boy. The authorities told them not to say a word about it…
There were some investigations in the fires this summer that suggested terrorism. They also suspected the drug cartels.
What are we calling it now? “Terrorism” or “made made disasters”? I forget. I’m wondering if mandatory sentencing guideliness will be set for setting forrest fires, with respect to “terrorism” that is. Beyond that, I wonder if those who accidentally start fires and are caught will be sentenced under those guidelines.
But they’ll be harming wildlife! This, more than any other factor, may turn the lefty apologists away from them. It’s one thing to indiscriminately kill innocent people but when Bambi gets roasted they’ll be hell to pay!
Jebeebus. More joe. A pot wasn’t enough. There wiill, not they’ll. Dammit.
It is called:
Man Made Incidents of Harming Trees and other Living Things (MMIHTOLT).
Get with it guyz!
One too many i’s in will. Have another cup. Sorry I couldn’t help myself.
Terrorist caused forest fires?
I expect a rash of Sierra Club members running down to the local recruiting office and Smokey the Bear to head to Boot Camp.
Too bad we don’t have the intestinal fortitude to return the favor of a “thousand cuts” strategies….
Eventually we will just leave and the Taliban and Al Qaeda will let the world know they beat back the Great Satan. And when they retake Afghanistan from Karzai and saw his head off on TV the world will know that the Taliban and Al Qaeda were right, that the US no longer beats its enemies into unconditional surrender, we just linger for a while on the ground and leave after we’ve had enough without ever actually achieving a long term goal….the lesson guerillas learned after Vietnam is that if they last long enough the Americans will leave and they can resume their activities just as if we were never there in the first place.
Hell just think about the chaos a few dozen caltrops on some of our busiest highways could cause….
,,,or you could just go over to the sandbox and poison their wells…..
@14 it would be great if our nation understood our enemies. Too many weak minded fools these days…
I believe those who say they want me dead, I would like to return the sentiment sooner rather than later before they have time to act on their wishes.