The Revenge Attack Myth

[JBeukema]

It is an axiom in coverage of Islamist terrorism that attacks on Western targets by jihadists are inevitably defined as acts of "revenge" or "retaliation" for previous Western attacks or offenses. The recent attempt by Faisal Shahzad to blow up part of Times Square in New York is no different; Shahzad's bungled try, apparently sponsored by the Pakistani Taliban, was motivated, we read, by the CIA's drone attacks against the group's leadership. This is from the The New York Times:

"The C.I.A.'s drone program in Pakistan, which was accelerated in 2008 and expanded by President Obama last year, has enjoyed strong bipartisan support in Washington in part because it was perceived as eliminating dangerous militants while keeping Americans safe.

But the attack in December on a C.I.A. base in Afghanistan, and now possibly the failed S.U.V. attack in Manhattan, are reminders that the drones' very success may be provoking a costly response."
​

Newsweek tells us that one its sources claims that the Pakistani Taliban was "desperately looking for revenge against America inside America." And this from The New York Post: "The Pakistani Taliban claimed responsibility for the Times Square bombing attempt immediately after it occurred, saying it was in response to the drone killing of one of its leaders in August -- but that claim had been roundly discounted by US authorities at the time. But by yesterday, Pakistani Foreign Minister Makhdoom Qureshi said, "This is a blowback. This is a reaction. This is retaliation. And you could expect that," according to CBS News.

All of this analysis would be true if America were using its drones to launch unprovoked attacks against targets in Pakistan. But it is not. These attacks are provoked. And who is doing the provoking? Jihadists, who, for all the obvious reasons, want us to believe that it is our actions that cause the violence they inflict on us. Ask yourself this question: Did American drone attacks in Pakistan cause 9/11? Or the attack on the U.S.S. Cole? Or the embassy bombings in Africa?

The Revenge Attack Myth - International - The Atlantic

 

[Gunny]

It is an axiom in coverage of Islamist terrorism that attacks on Western targets by jihadists are inevitably defined as acts of "revenge" or "retaliation" for previous Western attacks or offenses. The recent attempt by Faisal Shahzad to blow up part of Times Square in New York is no different; Shahzad's bungled try, apparently sponsored by the Pakistani Taliban, was motivated, we read, by the CIA's drone attacks against the group's leadership. This is from the The New York Times:

"The C.I.A.'s drone program in Pakistan, which was accelerated in 2008 and expanded by President Obama last year, has enjoyed strong bipartisan support in Washington in part because it was perceived as eliminating dangerous militants while keeping Americans safe.

But the attack in December on a C.I.A. base in Afghanistan, and now possibly the failed S.U.V. attack in Manhattan, are reminders that the drones' very success may be provoking a costly response."
​

Newsweek tells us that one its sources claims that the Pakistani Taliban was "desperately looking for revenge against America inside America." And this from The New York Post: "The Pakistani Taliban claimed responsibility for the Times Square bombing attempt immediately after it occurred, saying it was in response to the drone killing of one of its leaders in August -- but that claim had been roundly discounted by US authorities at the time. But by yesterday, Pakistani Foreign Minister Makhdoom Qureshi said, "This is a blowback. This is a reaction. This is retaliation. And you could expect that," according to CBS News.

All of this analysis would be true if America were using its drones to launch unprovoked attacks against targets in Pakistan. But it is not. These attacks are provoked. And who is doing the provoking? Jihadists, who, for all the obvious reasons, want us to believe that it is our actions that cause the violence they inflict on us. Ask yourself this question: Did American drone attacks in Pakistan cause 9/11? Or the attack on the U.S.S. Cole? Or the embassy bombings in Africa?

The Revenge Attack Myth - International - The Atlantic

*yawn*

The truth of the leftwingnut attempt to discredit/distort facts. Never mind what the hands are doing, just believe what I say.