On 11th September 2001, 19 Islamic terrorists divided into four teams carried out a targeted attack against the United States of America that killed 2,977 people immediately and thousands suffered health disorders due to the toxic dust spread from the debris of the attack sites. In retaliation, USA invaded Afghanistan to hunt down the al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden, who they had identified as the mastermind of the 9/11 attacks. The Afghanistan invasion by the USA and its allies led to other conflicts worldwide and the total fatalities of this 22 years War-on-Terror is estimated by the ‘Costs of War Project’ is over 4.5 million. [Let that number sink into our minds – 4.5 million dead over a period of 22 years].
Not satisfied with the invasion of Afghanistan, the
USA, under then President George W. Bush began actively motivating their
leadership and their allies for a military intervention in Iraq in late 2001. In the lead-up
to the invasion, the United States and the United Kingdom falsely claimed
that Saddam Hussein was developing weapons of mass destruction, covertly supporting
al-Qaeda and
that he presented a threat to his neighbours and to the world community. Throughout
the years of 2001 to 2003, the Bush Administration worked to build a case for
invading Iraq, and the Iraq War officially began on 20 March 2003, when the US,
joined by the United Kingdom, Australia, and Poland, launched a "shock and
awe" bombing campaign. Shortly following the bombing campaign, US-led
forces launched a ground invasion of Iraq.
Shortly
after the invasion of Iraq, the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency, the U.S.
Defence Intelligence Agency, and the British M.I6 publicly discredited the
evidence related to the Iraqi weapons of mass destruction (which never existed)
as well as Iraq’s alleged links to al-Qaeda. At this point George W. Bush and
his co-conspirator Tony Blair (the then Prime Minister of the United Kingdom)
shifted to secondary rationales for the war, such as Saddam Hussein’s human
rights record, and as per GW Bush, the holy crusade of the West to promote
democracy in Iraq. There is no doubt that the vast reserves of highly pure
crude oil did set the stage for the Western armies’ invasion of Iraq, greatly
increasing the incentives to take over Iraq by any means possible. In this
political greed for controlling the oil reserves in Iraq, the USA lost 4,507
soldiers, the UK lost 179, and other countries that comprised the ‘coalition of
the unwilling’ lost 139, bringing the invading forces total to 4.825 lives
sacrificed. On the other side, the Iraqi
forces lost 17,690 soldiers, and over 100,000 civilians were killed.
As the
world knows, the USA and its allies had to vacate Iraq by 2011; losing men,
materials and any semblance of honour, having handed the country of Iraq to a
local government supported by Iran. In 2014, with the rise of the Islamic State
in that region, the USA sent in 5,000 troops to “assist” the Iraqi government,
however the Iraqi parliament voted to have the US military presence removed in
2020.
In an
almost identical fashion, the USA vacated Afghanistan in a hurry on 30 August
2021, a withdrawal that was seen across the world in the media. In the early
hours of 31 August, the Taliban (whom the US had declared as terrorists in 2001
and had tried hard to defeat for 22 years) marched unopposed into Kabul and
declared that Afghanistan was finally free of the invaders.
Coming
to the present war of Israel against HAMAS, Hezbollah, the Yemen Houthis and
Iran itself.
The war
began on 07 October 2023, when Hamas–led terrorists groups launched an attack
that breached the Gaza–Israel barrier, attacking Israeli civilian communities
and military bases. During this attack 1,139 Israeli and foreign nationals were
killed and 251 were taken hostage and kidnapped into Gaza. In retaliation
Israel invaded Gaza on 27 October 2023 and to date, their military campaign has
killed over 40,000 Palestinians in Gaza. Exchange of strikes between Israel and Lebanese
militant group Hezbollah have been
occurring along the Israel–Lebanon border and in
Syria and the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights since 8 October 2023. It is
currently the largest escalation of the Hezbollah–Israel
conflict to
have occurred since the 2006 Lebanon War. Significant
escalation in this conflict occurred in Sept 2024 with the Hezbollah being
targeted by Israeli air-strikes and targeted assassinations of Hezbollah
commanders. More than 1,000 people have been killed in the last two weeks of
September in Lebanon and more continue to die as Israel keeps up its assault.
So, the
moot question is: How many lives being destroyed can be defined as a
“proportionate response” to terrorism? The USA’s war-on-terror killed over six
million civilians, the current Israel–Hamas war will claim many thousands more.
It is very clear to any geo-political observer that Israel will not stop till
it runs out of money or military munitions, or both. Unlike the USA, UK or EU
countries that have faced terrorist attacks, Israel is fighting for its very
existence as a country and a negotiated peace with terrorists is not on their
agenda. The Israeli Prime Minister has been very clear in his recent address to
the United Nations. Only the complete surrender of Hamas (and possibly
Hezbollah) will bring this conflict to an end, and there might – just might –
be a fractured peace.
What
lessons can the Govt of India take from the actions of Israel to counter and
destroy the terrorist activities that are being constantly financed and
promoted by Pakistan. There is no doubt that the funding for Pakistan’s
terrorism activities comes from Qatar and to a large extent from the USA. While
Qatar wants to impose Islamic influence on Indian continent, the USA wants to
destabilize this region. The current forced change of government in Bangladesh
is a clear example of the American strategies in the region. Well, our
government can no longer afford to be either a neutral observer or respond
passively to threats to our unity and democracy.
There
is an urgent need for a three-fold strategy to secure our region from these
influencers. The first is a precision armed strike on Pakistani Army
formations. The second is the targeted assassinations of all Pakistani senior
officials who are associated with or have been associated with the Pakistani
ISI. The third strategy is to have a squadron of the Indian navy’s missile
cruisers patrol the international waters close to Qatar, with a clear
diplomatic message to the ruling al-Thani family. “Sponsor terrorism at their
own risk.”
However,
the above will remain nothing but flights of fancy if the Government of India
does not act. The ‘bear-hug’ diplomacy is meaningless if it gives a clear
message that India is afraid of conflict, which many observers like me believe
to be true. And finally, Government officials, especially from the MEA should
stop taking about Pakistan on public forums. It is our Babus who are giving
more importance to Pakistani leaders, than the Pakistani people themselves.
So, we must ask this crucial question.
Is overkill a proportionate response to
terrorism?
