This is a passage from the book “The New Middle East” by Paul Danahar, a well-respected journalist who has spent many years in the Middle East. In the wake of the twin bombings in Beirut in October 1983 that killed three hundred people including two hundred and forty one US servicemen, President Reagan decided to pull out the US troops. The rest is from the book:
Who carried out the bombings has never been discovered but they were blamed on Islamic groups supported by Iran. President Ronald Reagan pulled his troops out of Lebanon. Westerners including academics, aid workers and journalists who were left in the city became the prey of kidnappers who were again said to be linked to Iran. Some were held for years. The CIA station chief William Buckley was kidnapped and tortured to death. A year after his kidnap four Soviets were kidnapped. One was killed within weeks.
American attempt to get their hostages back led to the Iran-Contra scandal in which senior US officials sold arms to Iran, despite an embargo, to try to get their people released. The Soviets according to information obtained by the journalist Bob Woodward, used a different approach to get their three people freed within a month of capture.
The KGB in Lebanon …. seized a relative of a leader of the radical Muslim Hezbollah, had castrated him, stuffed his testicles in his mouth, shot him in the head and sent the body back to Hezbollah. The KGB included a message that other members of the Party of God would die in a similar manner if the three Soviets were not released. Shortly afterwards the three …. were let out a few blocks from their embassy.
Is that why IRI never messes with the Russians?
Probably it is. I hate to agree with anything that Trump says, but I think he has a point when he talks about targetting terrorists families. If the same thing happened to the family members of the hate preaching Imams and members of Jihadi gangs we probably would not see the massacre of innocents by Islamists including the Brussels, Paris, London, Madrid and all the others.
Dear Divaneh,
I am in favor of heavy-handed response to terrorism and kidnapping, but here are a couple of points.
Reagan's team developed a plan to attack Sepah and Hezbollah's positions in Baalbek but his Defense Secretary was against it so it never materialized. However, before leaving Beirut, the heaviest bombardment since Korean War was conducted by the US war ships on Beqqa Valley, killing a whole bunch of people.
After Ghaddafi’s agents killed a US serviceman at a night club in Germany, Reagan attacked his residence in Libya killing many people, but Ghaddafi and his family escaped because the Italian Prime Minister at the time gave him last minute warning. Ghaddafi retaliated by bombing Pan Am over Scotland.
Although Russian action in Lebanon seems successful today, a much harsher campaign in both Afghanistan and Chechnya has not provided the same results.
I saw many posts with references to the above posted by the American right wingers admiring Russian machoism. The same guys calling for Obama's death. I have never been a fan of Obama but I was taken aback by the intense hatred spewed against him. The Russian (Soviet) action worked in response to hostage taking. It did not work in Afghanistan which by the way was the start of American romancing with Islam. I am afraid we are in the hands of politicians who are clueless. The main lesson learnt from fighting insurgencies and terrorism on this scale from the communist insurgency in Malaysia and Oman to Northern Ireland or the past race riots has been to tackle the root causes. Europe has a major problem on its hands namely the disaffected second generation immigrants. Beware of demagogues offering instant solutions.
One is democratic approach and the other one is totaleterian approach.
One cut the ear with the cotton and the other one cut it with razer blade.
Which one prevail in a long run ?
Democarcy is universal value and it will eventually prevail.
The Ruskie approach will work with mollas because violence is their source code. But who ushered them in the first place?
Why is the assumption a stable Middle East? There is no evidence that a stable ME has been a desired outcome or objective of the West or China and Russia. All these extremists groups is some form have been funded and armed by a few major players.
Siavash, I wish you were right but evidence indicates otherwise. Look at Brazil, India, or here in good old U.S.
I was always against violence but I now think that targeted violent attack on individuals is the only way to counter the Jihadi Muslims. I am not talking about bombings that can kill good and bad together. I mean targeted attacks on hard-line radicals and their families. At the very least expel the whole clan from free societies. I never believe these families who say they didn't know their son or daughter was radicalised. Adherence to Salafi Islam is not something that you can hide. Soft punishments like few years jails will not work with these people.
These are not disaffected second generation, but radicalised second generation. They have as much opportunity as the rest of the society but they just have different ideals. Their model is their prophet who killed, raped, pillaged, slaved and created horror by attacking soft targets with his bunch of thieves and tyrants. They want their fascist Sharia ideology to triumph in Europe and the tool is to create horror, just as their prophet did.
Democracy and human rights will not work here. Last time that a European nation sleep walked into the unguarded democracy it ended up with Hitler. Jihadis should not be allowed to use the HR and democracy to achieve their fascist ideal.
Here's West's best and most supported buddy in action: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3502079/Saudi-Arabia-s-kingdom-savagery-DOES-Britain-cosy-butchers.html
Ok Dear Divaneh, let's do it, flatten Molenbeek:
With all due respect, I believe that this war is a Clash of Cultures and civilizations.
Such a war cannot be won in the arena of warfare and bombing alone, but has to be won through a change in heart and minds.
As such, the Mohmad cartoons, pieces of satire, eye-opening facts about Islam ... are going to be more effective than terror and counter-terror.
Once a Muslim boy realizes the true history of Mohamad (ruthless killer and rapist pedophile) it will be very hard for him to become a suicide bomber.
Can't agree with you more Shazde Jaan, but on the side of that long term strategy, application of some short term strategies such as castrating Mullas could protect the society from their terror.