Al-Qaeda 2.0 needs to be stopped

By: Dan Gray

Consider ISIS Al-Qaeda 2.0. We live in a world where the possibility of another 9/11 exists. Canada must continue to contribute to the prevention of anything nearing the tragedy of that day.

ISIS roots can be traced back to Al-Qaeda in Iraq (AQI). After philosophical and strategic differences in how to bring about the new Caliphate (currently located with fluid borders, roughly in northern Iraq) Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi the then leader of AQI completely cut ties by changing the name of his organization to Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS).
Although the name has changed, there are still some similarities.

After the inception of Al-Qaeda in 1988 by Osama Bin Laden, the organization found safe havens in Sudan and later in Afghanistan. Bin Laden’s organization was funded through donations from many wealthy Arabs and his own personal wealth. They had access to military equipment through many channels including the black market and previously supplied old American weapons from the Cold War. They also had a strategic and philosophical leader in Bin Laden and a plan to eliminate America and create the collapse of the global financial system.

The seven-step plan was uncovered by a Jordanian journalist who had been jailed with Abu Musab Al-Zarqawi, a former leader of AQI as to how the American downfall and rise of the Islamic caliphate was to play out over a 20 year period that started with 9/11.

1) Sept. 11, 2001 was the beginning of the awakening phase. It was meant to provoke the United States into invading a Muslim country.
2) By 2006, Al-Qaeda was supposed to become a movement instead of an organization, with its base in Iraq and smaller bases in other countries.
3) By 2010, additional attacks were planned and Syria was targeted as one of the unstable countries that the organization could control and operate.
4) They expect large growth in their ranks due to regimes in the Arabic world losing power or seeing a significant loss in their power. They wanted to execute cyber-terror attacks on US government, military and major oil suppliers.
5) Declare an Islamic caliphate.
6) Fight a war between “believers and non-believers” in what they called the total confrontation.
7) Win, by causing the collapse of the American economy and the rise of the Caliphate.

Fast forward to 2015. The plan set out by Al-Qaeda seems to have had some hiccups but at its base, the bare skeleton, goals, dreams and vision of Bin Laden seem to be what ISIS is attempting to achieve. If this is the true objective, can we afford inaction?

Evidence shows ISIS is using this plan as an outline to its future success and is arguably executing steps two through five effectively at the moment. In the quagmire that is Middle-Eastern politics they are finding and exploiting the regions numerous faults to their advantage.

The inability or unwillingness of western powers to deal with a Syria that has been torn apart in the last five years has given them a sanctuary for a basis of operations. The ability to control oil platforms and sell the oil on the black market and garner donations to their cause gives them money to operate. Over running fortresses guarded by Iraq soldiers with American equipment gives them some of the most top of the line weapons out there, they have a political and strategic leader in al-Baghdadi … sound familiar?

If left unchallenged and un-checked, the possibilities of what could happen are endless. It has already been shown that although airstrikes are effective, recent ISIS attacks in Tunisia and ISIS led unrest in Libya prove more will need to be done. The sooner the better.

The Canadian contingent to the multi-national coalition is only a small cog in the big wheel of international politics and a war on terror. If we can, by doing our part, prevent another 9/11, then we need to do everything possible to stop Al-Qaeda 2.0: ISIS.