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Politics : Formerly About Advanced Micro Devices

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To: TimF who wrote (534175)12/3/2009 9:20:56 PM
From: i-node  Read Replies (2) of 1573927
 
One of the reasons for their being so few is that many have fled to Pakistan (another is we've killed or captured a lot of them).

Another is likely that the figure is grossly underestimated (i.e., if there are 200 instead of 100 that's missing it by 100%, which would be gross underestimation).

The point has been made, however, that AQ today is a different organization than it was 8 years ago. We killed or captured the vast majority of the principal players in the organization, so whatever AQ is today, it is totally re-formed.

Coincidentally, the ease of secure communicating has increased substantially. AQ literally does not NEED Afghanistan any longer. Which is one reason an argument could be made for leaving Afg. rather than continuing the war; whether it is an important component in antiterrorism efforts today is doubtful (although there are other reasons for being there).

AQ, out of necessity for them, is far more diverse and sophisticated than the organization that attacked us in '01. There is no reason for a significant presence in Afg., where you're under constant threat, when you could just as easily be in Brussels or Rio.
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