With the death of Osama bin Laden, terror suspect Adnan el-Shukrijumah, who was named head of the organisation’s operation last year, may emerge as leader of the group—a situation that could attract US attention here given his links to Guyana, says AFC leader Raphael Trotman.
El-Shukrijumah’s father was born in Guyana and it is believed that he has been in Guyana in recent years. US officials have also said he is the holder of a Guyanese passport. Trotman yesterday told Stabroek News that there might be some belief that he may have some contacts in Guyana and the interest in him may result in some scrutiny being placed on Guyana.
The death of the al-Qaeda leader, who was killed on Sunday in a firefight with US forces in Pakistan, was dubbed a major blow to international terrorism by the ruling PPP/C yesterday.
Trotman agreed, while PNCR presidential candidate and former national security adviser David Granger was more circumspect, saying bin Laden’s death was likely to have little impact on global terrorism, since the world’s largest terrorist organisation has become so fragmented that there is no need for a central figure to direct its activities. Granger also played down the possibility of the el-Shukrijumah link having any impact on Guyana, while reiterating that the al-Qaeda organisation does not need a leader to function.
But the ruling PPP/C party said in a statement that bin Laden’s death is a great blow to international terrorism. “bin Laden and the al-Qaeda network which he headed admitted responsibility for the brutal attack in the US on September 11, 2001 in which some three thousand perished, including many Guyanese and Muslims,” the party said.
It added that now that he is gone, it hopes that the conditions which gave rise to such people and organisations would be removed. “The fight against oppression, poverty and recognising the cultural plurality/diversity around the world is important to ensure that the breeding grounds of terrorism are eliminated,” it said.
It further stated that the death of bin Laden is another example to the world that terrorism is not a mechanism that can bring about any positive changes in society and should never be used as a means of struggle.
10 years after
Granger, who served as national security advisor under the PNC administration, pointed out that bin Laden’s death came 10 years after his deadly attack on US soil and during this period international security was transformed as never seen before. He noted that the security changes that have been implemented at international airports following the attacks were largely because of bin Laden. He also noted that the US invasions of Iraq and Afghanistan were all in pursuit of the now dead terrorist. “But, in my perception, the killing of Osama bin Laden will have little impact on global terrorism, because the al-Qaeda movement founded by bin Laden is already fragmented. It has groups around the world, and they do not need a centrally directed organisatioon to [allow] the terrorism that was attributed to al-Qaeda to function,” Granger said. “I don’t think they need a central director anymore, maybe he was a mastermind ten years ago but they don’t need a mastermind now,” he said.
He pointed out that the “badly fragmented” organisation has a presence in various countries, such as Indonesia and Afghanistan, and attacks can be launched from each of these countries.
“So, I don’t think his death will be significant in that regard,” Granger said, adding that while there is some euphoria and celebration over bin Laden’s death, it would mean nothing in the real world of terrorism.
‘Spotlight’
Meanwhile, Trotman said while he has no doubt that bin Laden was killed, it is still premature to do any “kind of celebration or declaration that the war on terrorism has ended.”
Like Granger, he noted that al-Qaeda is decentralised and is able to operate without a central figure, but he added that there is “no doubt that this [the death of bin Laden] is a major blow to the organisation.
“But it is a significant dent on the war of terror, maybe long overdue.”
However, he warned that there is always the possibility of revenge action, and there will unlikely be any slackening up of the strict security measures that were implemented. He pointed out that after 9/11 there were transformational and watershed days in the world of security, which was of such that it is unlikely to “see that return to that kind of life where there was a large degree of freedom and a lack of tension.”
He added, “It is a time of celebration but it is a time for reckoning but there are many persons who would be relieved and some no doubt happy that he was killed….”
Trotman also noted that bin Laden’s death is a major success for President Barack Obama’s administration, as he was able to achieve what his predecessors were unable to do. “Politically, the Obama administration would see a boost in its rating [and] also the US supremacy in general will also be restored psychologically,” he said.
He added that in terms of this region, he believes that not much else will change as Obama has been seen to be a little more strident in his criticism of regimes such as the one in Guyana, which he opined has shown some dictatorship tendency. “We are likely to see a stiffer White House on countries like Guyana instead of foot dragging on drug trafficking or other issues such as extradition to the US,” Trotman said.
Speaking on el-Shukrijumah, he said that since being named the leader of the operational command of al-Qaeda he has yet to demonstrate any capacity as the new man. This means that the pressure is more on him now to demonstrate the ability to strike back. “Something is likely to happen, and one of the things the terrorist used to recruit is the ability to prove they can do something to bring the masses,” he noted, while adding that bin Laden’s disciples will be looking for something.
He said that Guyana has been in the spotlight for a number of years, not only because of el-Shukrijumah but also because of the plot to blow up fuel pipes at JFK airport, for which three Guyanese have been convicted, as well as drug baron Roger Khan, who is serving time in the US.
He pointed out that at one time the US government believed el Shukrijumah was in Guyana and as a result he had no doubt that Guyana would be put under more scrutiny.
El-Shukrijumah was indicted in the Eastern District of New York in July of last year, for his alleged role in a terrorist plot to attack targets in the United States and the United Kingdom. The charges reveal that the plot against New York City’s subway system, uncovered in September of 2009, was directed by senior Al-Qaeda leadership in Pakistan, and was also directly related to a scheme by al-Qaeda plotters in Pakistan to use Western operatives to attack a target in the United States. El-Shukrijumah is thought to have served as one of the leaders of al-Qaeda’s external operations programme. The indictment marked the first criminal charges against el-Shukrijumah, who previously had been sought only as a witness.
