There are only 100 al-Qaeda fighters left in Afghanistan, so why do our leaders continue to pretend this is a counter-terrorism struggle, in need of hundreds of thousands of foreign forces?
From ABC News:
A senior US intelligence official told ABCNews.com the approximate estimate of 100 al-Qaeda members left in Afghanistan reflects the conclusion of American intelligence agencies and the defence department. The relatively small number was part of the intelligence passed on to the White House as President Obama conducted his deliberations.
But here’s the key bit:
At a Senate hearing, the former CIA Pakistan station chief Bob Grenier testified al-Qaeda had already been defeated in Afghanistan.
“So in terms of in Afghanistan,” asked Sen John Kerry, D-Mass, “they have been disrupted and dismantled and defeated. They’re not in Afghanistan, correct?”
Give a gift subscription to the New Statesman this Christmas from just £49“That’s true,” replied Grenier.
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