Afghan war must end now

Islamic extremists have captured northern Mali, making it an ideal place for al Qaeda to establish a new stronghold. The terrorist group has already spread far beyond its Afghan haven, eliminating the need for the U.S. to remain in a country that has cost it thousands of lives and trillions of dollars. Photo: Associated Press / SF

Joel Brinkley
Updated 5:15 pm, Saturday, December 15, 2012

The generals and Pentagon officials who manage the Afghan war should take note: A few days ago, Yemen's Interior Ministry announced that government forces had arrested a senior al Qaeda operative - "one of the most dangerous criminal elements in al Qaeda who is involved in killing security men and joining others in terrorist attacks on foreign targets," it said.

Four-thousand miles away, Morocco's Interior Ministry declared on Dec. 4 that al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb has intensified activities aimed at undermining stability in Morocco by trying to recruit Moroccan youths.

And now the FBI has put Radullan Sahiron, a senior leader of an al Qaeda-affiliated terror group in the Philippines, on its most wanted list.

Al Qaeda operatives are pursuing their malignant plans everywhere. In Canada, "seven inmates convicted of Anti-Terrorism Act offenses are currently in federal institutions. Five more are awaiting trial in Ontario and Quebec, and two Winnipeg men who joined al Qaeda are wanted" on outstanding arrest warrants, the National Post newspaper reported early this month.

http://www.sfgate.com/opinion/article/Afghan-war-must-end-now-4121165.php

He makes a strong point. Al Qaeda has become the Andromeda Strain.