Jihad needs new victories, or America fears a repeat of September 11, 2001…
Author: Author: Andrey Serenko, Head of the Analytical Center of the Society of Political Scientists of Russia
Recently, US military representatives have announced plans to strengthen intelligence operations in relation to Afghanistan, first of all, we are talking about aerial reconnaissance.
In this regard, the Pentagon plans to develop projects related to the possibility of the longest possible "hanging" of American reconnaissance aircraft in the Afghan sky.
At the same time, the US military admits to a lack of information about the situation in Afghanistan.
These confessions can have two explanations.
First, the Americans are preparing to increase their presence in the region and intend to use the Afghan capabilities to solve this problem. Naturally, therefore, they need a constant flow of the maximum possible information about the situation in Afghanistan.
Secondly, the United States, carried away by the Ukrainian game, for more than a year has weakened its attention towards the Afghan situation. In Afghanistan, using this Ukrainian shift in Washington's political optics, various international terrorist organizations (ISIS and not only) received a respite and opportunities to recuperate.
Not all of these jihadist groups only dream of transferring terrorist activity exclusively to Central Asia and Pakistan. Some of them would like to "repeat the feat" of al-Qaeda on September 11, 2001, and deliver a bright blow to America. Using the "Ukrainian pause" that happened in a very useful way to prepare such an attack.
Of course, there is no talk of a full scenario remake of 9/11 yet (although - who knows?). But it is clear that ambitious jihadist groups will soon get tired of sitting in the "scout camp" of the Taliban.
To keep the attention of sponsors and the young Muslim audience, these jihadist groups need to showcase new bright victories, successes, and achievements.
The "gold standard" of instant jihadist success is a blow to the heart of the "big devil," America, that is, a 9/11-style action. There is no doubt that some leaders of the terrorist groups in Afghanistan and Pakistan are already thinking about such a strike.
Attempts by some special services to shift the "optics of jihadist desires" from the American (Western) to the Central Asian or Russian direction have not yet been crowned with confident success.
Rather, on the contrary, the dynamics of world political events increase the interest of some terrorist groups in demonstrating "victory over America" and its allies. And, apparently, this interest will continue in the future.
Moreover, the emergence of the phenomenon of "great jihadist competition" for the right to strike America first is not ruled out. Especially since they haven't been beaten for a long time. The dramaturgy of jihadist creativity does not imply too long pauses between successful (ter) acts...
The victory of jihad in Afghanistan in August 2021 is going further and further into history and is gradually sinking into the routine of everyday despondency and hopelessness of the Taliban regime. In the yard - already the middle of 2023. The demand for demonstration of new victories of jihad is increasing every day.
Therefore, quite rightly, the Pentagon was concerned about increased intelligence activity in Afghanistan (and, obviously, in Pakistan). Now the main thing is not to be neglected.
