Reports of credible terrorist threats against the United States are at their lowest level since the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, according to U.S. intelligence officials and federal and state law enforcement authorities.
The intelligence community’s daily threat assessment, developed after the terrorist attacks to keep policymakers informed, currently lists, on average, 25 to 50 percent fewer threats against domestic targets than it typically did over the past two years, said one senior counterterrorism official.
Why the change?
A broad cross section of counterterrorism officials believes al Qaeda and like-minded groups, in part frustrated by increased U.S. security measures, are focusing instead on Americans deployed in Iraq, where the groups operate with relative impunity, and on Europe.
Though some are expressing caution and even skepticism, interviews last week with 25 current or recently retired officials also cited progress in counterterrorism operations abroad and a more experienced homeland security apparatus for a general feeling that it is more difficult for terrorists to operate undetected. The officials represent federal intelligence and law enforcement agencies, state and local homeland security departments and the private sector.
Huh. No kidding.
So…taking the fight to where the terrorists are, enticing them to go after our soldiers, who can shoot back (and have done so with devastating effect), instead of our civilians here, seems to be working?
I’m simply shocked.
And we’ve been steadily getting better with our counterterrorism and security here at home, too? You don’t say. You mean that despite all our faults doing something we’ve never had to do to this degree in over two centuries of existence, we seem to be figuring it out pretty well and we’re being effective?
Wow. So when the President said this is what would happen when he first laid out his plan four years ago, he wasn’t just a unilateral idiotic cowboy with an “avenge Daddy” complex?
There is, of course, some pooh-poohing:
“I agree,” said John O. Brennan, acting director of the National Counterterrorism Center, told of Gainer’s assessment. “Progress has been made.”
Brennan also said the initial post-Sept. 11 belief that there were large numbers of sleeper cells in the United States turned out to be “a lot of hyperbole.” Some people believed “there was a terrorist under every rock.”
I don’t know about “a large number”, but we did manage to find a ring in New York State and Washington State. We’ve also managed to ferret out a couple smaller plots in other places, too, in the past couple of years. Maybe that “hyperbole” wasn’t entirely misplaced, since we’ve seen that sleeper cells did exist and our vigilance has paid off so far.
Like I said, though, this is good news. Our job isn’t done, but it’s nice to know that we’re doing well so far.
