Nathan Larson
Blog 10
War

     This week it was revealed that the media correspondent for Al-Qaeda propaganda in the United States was killed by a U.S. drone strike in January. Unfortunately, two American hostages as well as an Italian hostage were also killed in the drone attack due to lack of intelligence about their locations.  Al-Qaeda media correspondent Adam Gadahn was an American Citizen, born in Oregon, he grew up on a Goat farm and converted to Islam when he was 17. He was accused of treason in 2006 when the government learned he was spreading propaganda in the U.S. for Al-Qaeda.  His death is a vital blow for the U.S. against Al-Qaeda as his death will mean that there will need to be further leadership structuring within their ranks. Al-Qaeda has been struggling to create a solid leadership base in order to grow and continue its terrorist activities. The United States has been fortunate enough to have had great success in the past six months, eliminating forty of Al-Qaeda’s leader’s forcing Al-Qaida to scramble to keep itself active. The drone program has provided the United States the ability to keep track of and eliminate Al-Qaeda members and leaders forcing them to be on the move more frequently has made it near impossible for them to form significant bases of operation anywhere they have previously been comfortable conducting their terrorist activities. There has been some concern however that as the United states military presence diminishes in Afghanistan, Al-Qaeda will return to its mountains and reestablish its network their where they have previously had success. If this happens the efforts the U.S. has put forth over the past decade will have been seemingly In vain. Eradicating the Taliban and Al-Qaeda presence in Afghanistan will be difficult to complete with only the drone program, but as it has been witnessed that troop presence although somewhat effective hasn't solved the problem completely, and more U.S. casualties is avoidable if we withdraw. There is always the concern that the terrorism simply continue when we leave, but with the drone program it is possible to keep an eye on the situation with no personal danger to U.S. troops. It is hopeful we can suppress the terrorist activity going forward, with limited U.S. risk of life, but the terrorism problem around the world seems to be escalating rather than subsiding, so it is difficult to find much hope. 

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/04/25/world/asia/cia-qaeda-drone-strikes-warren-weinstein-giovanni-lo-porto-deaths.html?hp&action=click&pgtype=Homepage&module=first-column-region&region=top-news&WT.nav=top-news&_r=0

http://news.yahoo.com/killing-u-al-qaeda-media-frontman-seen-big-104616516.html