Osama bin Laden still plotting attacks on America

More than seven years after 9/11, Osama bin Laden is not caught nor dead and according to Bruce Hoffman, professor in the Security Studies Program at Georgetown University. The al-Qaida network is establishing safe havens and re-organizing in the regions of Afghanistan and Pakistan, showing they’re becoming even more dangerous and likely to succeed with a new attack against America, he said. “I see al-Qaida having a lot to celebrate in 2008,” said Hoffman at the ‘Al Qaeda 3.0’ conference hosted by the New American Foundation and New York University’s Center on Law and Security.

According to Frances Townsend, Homeland Security adviser to President Bush during 2004-2008, establishing instability and strengthening extremism among the tribal areas in Pakistan is another strategical move of the al-Qaida network in order to get nuclear armed. “The Taliban has re-established it’s strength in Afghanistan, they are working very diligently to destabilized the new government in Pakistan,” Townsend said. She highlighted the importance of America recognizing and not underestimate the major influence al-Qaida have on geopolitics as they continuously have intentions to be influential in the area. Her future expectations is that the al-Qaida network will expand the foot hold they have gained in Pakistan, and continue to plot a new attack on U.S. soil and execute it.

Peter Bergen, senior fellow at New American Foundation and CNN’s national security analyst, highlighted the decreasing popularity and public support of the al-Qaida network. He said the strategy of Osama bin Laden is attack the far enemy to make his close enemies to fall. According to Bergen, the leaders and members of al-Qaida are not poor and undereducated people. “If you’re poor, you’re too busy being poor to be a terrorist,” said Bergen. He also underlined that there is still sleeping terrorist cells within American borders, planning a new attack on the United States.