10116

09/08/2002

EDITORIAL NUMBER=0-10116

UNPRECEDENTED COOPERATION

Since the infamous attacks against the United States one year ago on September 11^th, there has been an unprecedented level of cooperation in the war against international terrorism.

Countries around the globe have joined the fight against Osama bin Laden's al-Qaida and other terrorist networks. The U.S.-led coalition helped the Afghans rout al-Qaida and its Taleban sponsors from Afghanistan. Around the world, plots have been uncovered, terrorist cells have been dismantled, thousands of people have been questioned, and security has been tightened. As U.S. Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld said, "The coalition that is working on the global war on terrorism. . . .is broad, it's deep, it's impressive."

There have been many successes in the past year. Terrorists have been thwarted in Lebanon, Singapore, Indonesia, France, Bosnia, Belgium, the Czech Republic, India, and Italy. Authorities in fourteen countries say they have uncovered and dismantled terrorist cells.

The U.S. is helping many nations improve their military and law enforcement capacity to fight terrorists. Over one-hundred million dollars in funds reportedly tied to al-Qaida terrorist-related groups and individuals have been blocked worldwide. Many nations have changed banking and other laws so they can better fight the terrorist threat.

Clearly, the fight against al-Qaida will be long and difficult. According to a United Nations draft report, al-Qaida has established cells in at least forty countries, developed operational links with other terrorist groups, gained new recruits, and found new ways to channel money and weapons to its supporters.

But as President George W. Bush made clear, the worldwide coalition will not rest until all terrorist groups that are a global threat are eradicated. The struggle, he said, "will not end in a truce or treaty. It will end in victory for the United States, our friends, and the cause of freedom. Just as we were sixty years ago in a time of war, this nation will be patient, we’ll be determined, and we will be relentless in the pursuit of freedom."