Columnist calls fight against jihadism unfinished 25 years after 9/11 — Jerusalem Post
In the United States, 25 years after the attacks of September 11, 2001, the global fight against jihadism remains unfinished, according to Jerusalem Post columnist Amotz Asa-El. In his view, the United States demonstrated resilience after the Al-Qaeda attacks, but the threat of jihadist ideology has not disappeared.
The columnist called the Freedom Tower, built at the site of Ground Zero in New York, a symbol of the United States' psychological victory. He noted that the attacks targeted the country's commercial, military and political centers but, in his assessment, failed to paralyze the American economy, military or government administration.
Assessment of the war on terror
Asa-El cited a number of attacks that he links to the spread of jihadist violence after 9/11. Among the examples, he named the 2002 Bali bombings, the 2004 Madrid attacks, the 2005 London Underground attacks, the 2013 attack on a shopping mall in Nairobi, and the 2024 attack on a concert hall in Moscow.
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The author also critically assessed the war on terror declared by U.S. President George Bush. In his view, simultaneous military campaigns in Afghanistan and Iraq led to strategic and financial overstretch for the United States. He called it a failure that Afghanistan is under Taliban rule and that Iraq, in his assessment, is under Iran's influence.
The ideological component of the threat
According to the columnist, the term “war on terror” focused attention on the method of violence rather than on jihadist ideology. He believes that international intelligence cooperation can prevent attacks and pursue their organizers, but is incapable on its own of overcoming the ideological threat.
As an example, Asa-El mentioned a French government report covered by the BBC. According to a claim cited in that report, the Muslim Brotherhood controls 139 mosques in France; the author also referred to the document's assessment of support for Islamist activities in Europe by Qatar and Turkey.
