“You are vastly overstating their reach and capabillities. And you are confusing them with the much broader fundamentalist Islamic movement that started in Iran with Khomeini and has resulted in the Arab Spring.”
I guess it goes both ways. Basically what I’m saying is that Kadaffi would still be in power except for Al Queda, and Assad would not be in the fight of his life. Both of these dictators had solid control over their countries...until this outside entity entered, then things were up for grabs.
These guys are good fighters. My point was that a flash-bang grenade or something like that, that might work with the PLO would not work with these guys. There was no way any military was going to save them (the hostages)...they were dead, once they captured the installation.
Are you joking? Don't you think the airpower and weapons supplied by the West had something to do with the overthrow of Qadaffi? We used drones, smart bombs, cruise missiles, etc. to defeat the Qadaffi regime. It would have never happened without that support. And AQ is not the primary force overthrowing Assad anymore than it was the reason Mubarrak fell.
These guys are good fighters. My point was that a flash-bang grenade or something like that, that might work with the PLO would not work with these guys. There was no way any military was going to save them (the hostages)...they were dead, once they captured the installation.
If you have kidnappers who are willing to commit suicide to capture and kill some hostages, it is more difficult to rescue the hostages. But I would bet my money on our Special Ops people to do a far better job than the Algerians. Still, most of the hostages escaped. The hostage takers are dead.