Dual Policy towards Al-Qaeda and ISIS is Extremely Counterproductive
By Sajjad Shaukat
Everyone knows that Al-Qaeda and Afghan Taliban were created by the American CIA to fight
against the former Soviet Union in Afghanistan.
In this regard, former British Foreign Secretary, Robin Cook stated, “Throughout the 1980s, he
[Bin Laden] was armed by the CIA and funded by the Saudis to wage jihad against the Russian
occupation of Afghanistan.”
As regards terrorism, Machiavelli advises the rulers to have a lion-like image outwardly, and act
upon the traits of goat inwardly. He also suggests them foreign adventures and the use of terror
to obtain their goals. In his sense, a good ruler should be a good opportunist and hypocrite. While
echoing Machiavelli, Morgenthau points out that sometimes, rulers act upon immoral activities
like deceit, fraud, falsehood and even murder to fulfill their selfish aims.
Indicating dual policy, Morgenthau, and Palmer and Perkins opine, “Just as power became the
instrument of ambitious nationalism and state’s leaders, it has now become the tool of ideologies.
The true nature of the policy is concealed by ideological justifications and rationalization.”
Although in the present world of social media and Internet, such a sinister politics has been
replaced by modern trends such as fair-dealings, reconciliation and economic development, yet
by following the old strategies, American President Barack Obama and neoconservatives who
are in collusion with the Zionist Jews and Israel are still acting upon dual policy towards Al-
Qaeda and the Islamic State group (Daesh), also known ISIS or ISIL. Even, America’s western
allies are also pursuing similar ambivalent strategy.
Everyone knows that Al-Qaeda and Afghan Taliban were created by the American CIA to fight
against the former Soviet Union in Afghanistan.
In this regard, former British Foreign Secretary, Robin Cook stated, “Throughout the 1980s, he
[Bin Laden] was armed by the CIA and funded by the Saudis to wage jihad against the Russian
occupation of Afghanistan.”
After fulfilling their interests, Washington had left Afghanistan and Pakistan to face the fallout
of a prolonged conflict—terrorism and instability. These Mujahideen who pulled the Russians
out of Afghanistan, later become the Taliban, Al-Qaeda, the Muslim Brotherhood, etc. They got
the label of terrorists.
After the disintegration of the Soviet Union, American former President Bush (The Senior) in
connivance with his Zionist-advisers took the Islamic fundamentalism as a great threat. Since
then, sometimes, Al-Qaeda have continuously been used by the US and some western countries
as a scapegoat to malign Pakistan for ‘de-nuclearisation,’ as the latter is the only nuclear country
in the Muslim World. Sometimes, they accused Iran of harbouring terrorism, and to propagate
against Tehran’s peaceful nuclear progragmme—sometimes to achieve the goals of external
policy and sometimes to pacify their public including the opposition. In all cases, the purpose
behind has been to safeguard the interests of the Zionists and Israel.
On November 13, 2009, a Reuters report quoting Labeviere’s book “Corridors of Terror”
(Released in November 2003) points to negotiations between Bin Laden and CIA, which took
place two months prior to the September 11, 2001 attacks-at the American Hospital in Dubai,
United Arab Emirates, when Bin Laden was under a kidney dialysis treatment.
Meanwhile, while making Osama and Al-Qaeda as scapegoats, a number of fake video messages
were telecast on various TV channels and websites by some Zionists to obtain Israel’s anti-
Muslim goals. For example, during the November 2004 elections in the US, a fake video tape
helped the ex-president George W. Bush to get lead over John Kerry.
It is well-known that in a tape released on December 27, 2001, the authenticity of which is not in
question, Osama denied any involvement in the September 11 tragedy. However, later, two video
tapes appeared to validate his guilt in relation to 9/11, because the main aims of the Bush
administration were to provoke American public against the Muslims and to justify global war
on terror—the occupation of Afghanistan and Iraq to possess energy resources of Central Asia
and Iraq, including proxy wars in other Middle Eastern countries. Besides other actions of Bush
era such as America’s state-sponsored terrorism in the volatile Islamic countries, persecution of
Muslims through torture, detentions and arrests, CIA and FBI-operated facilities, promotion of
sectarian violence and divide between Sunnis and Shias in the Islamic World—radicalising the
western Christians against the Muslims, while providing a golden chance to Israel and India to
accelerate the systematic genocide of the Palestinians and Kashmiries by equating the wars of
liberation in the controlled territories of Palestine and Kashmir with terrorism.
It was because of the dual strategy of Bush through war on terror, and on the other side, response
of Al-Qaeda militants by clandestine terror attacks, as shown through a number of the past
suicidal missions such as on Indonesian resort island of Bali, Saudi Arabia, Spain etc., and a
series of bomb attacks on London’s transport network, including those ones in other Afro-Asian
countries have clearly pointed out that Al-Qaeda was organized on world level. But, the outfit
lost control on its affiliated militant groups. Al-Qaeda’s decimated old guard may no longer be
able to mount elaborately detailed plots, executed by other trained terrorists of various new
groups which claim their links with Al-Qaeda, but, are not under its direct command. For
example, in Somalia—splitting away of a hardliner-faction Al-Shabaab is an offshoot of the
Islamic Courts Union, though the US defined Al-Shabaab as Al-Qaida allies.
In this connection, about the two bombs which blew the 18-story headquarters of the British-
owned HSBC bank and the British consulate in Istanbul in November, 2003, Turkish officials
had remarked that these were the work of homegrown extremists.
In March 2004, the former CIA Director, George Tenet said, “Al-Qaeda has become a loose
collection of regional networks working autonomously-[they] pick their own targets, they plan
their own attacks…in this new phase of franchise terrorism, Al-Qaeda has been described as an
idea rather than an organization.”
Notably, President Obama who had stated during his first election, “Bush has made the world the
most dangerous place”, and he would rectify the blunders, committed by his predecessor in the
name of war on terror—continued the same in their worst form. However, Obama-led
Administration went on with various techniques of ruthless terror and extrajudicial killings of the
innocent persons through illegitimate drone attacks—assisting undemocratic forces, toppling the
elected government in Egypt, and like Iraq, creation of more collapsed states such as Libya,
Yemen, Syria etc., and covert assistance to Israel.
If the double game of President Bush (The Senior) and George W. Bush franchised Al-Qaeda on
global level, President Obama’s dual policy franchised both Al-Qaeda and ISIS as part of the
anti-Muslim campaign and left no stone unturned in advancing the agenda of the Zionists, Israeli
lobbies and the neoconservatives in the pretext of global war on terror. Secretly, Obama
authorized CIA to create ISIS. His perennial covert support to the Israeli atrocities on the
Palestinians, silence over the supply (Smuggling) of oil by ISIS to some European countries
whose governments have also not taken action against those companies which are exporting oil
from the ISIS-controlled regions of Iraq, CIA-assisted Al-Qaeda (Al-Nusra Front) and ISIS
militants, continued sectarian violence and prolonged engagement of its troops (NATO) in
Afghanistan might be cited as instance. Moreover, the Middle East was deliberately thrown in
worst form of terrorism and civil wars for achieving the goal of a greater Israel.
The terrorist acts of both Al-Qaeda and ISIS have been utilized by Obama in distorting the image
of Islam and Jihad so as to pacify American public in wake of multiple internal and external
problems like heavy cost of prolonged ‘different war’, financial crisis, demoralization of troops
in Afghanistan etc.
President Obama’s deliberate contradictory approach could also be judged from the fact that on
February 3, this year, during his first visit to a US mosque, he condemned inexcusable political
rhetoric against Muslim-Americans, and said, “So often, Muslim Americans are targeted and
blamed for the acts of a few.”
In the recent past, some developments like Russian successful airstrikes on the ISIS targets in the
northern Syria—its coalition with Iran, Iraq, Syria and Lebanon-based Hezbollah in support of
Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, retreat of the CIA-supported rebels and mercenaries after their
failure to topple his government, proving links of Al-Qaeda and ISIS with America and Israeli,
Russian President Vladimir Putin’s clear-cut statement, indicating the Zionist regime in the US
and Israel for their “fake war on ISIL”, and remarking, “NWO (New World Order) agents and
Satan worshipers simply have no clothes,” including the first Vienna meeting on Syrian crisis,
where the US Secretary of State John Kerry agreed to keep the Syrian president in power
(Contrary to previous demand of regime change), for a unified state of Syria, not to allow ISIL
militant group to reign in Syria, and America’s decision of sending 50 special forces to Syria
to help in taking down ISIS terrorists have clearly exposed hidden aims of the US global war on
terror which is based upon dual policy towards ISIS.
In these circumstances, as part of the Zionist conspiracy against the West, Muslims and the
patriot Americans, Israeli Secret agency Mossad utilized the services of ISIS terrorists in
arranging the November 13 terror attacks in Paris. In the post-Paris attacks, by producing anti-
Muslim phenomena like the propaganda of the so-called threat of Islamophobia, persecution of
the Muslims in the US, Europe and some other western countries, Israel-led America also got the
assistance of its western allies (NATO) against Russia. Now, as part of their ambivalent
approach, American jet fighters and those of its western coalition are targeting the ISIS terrorists
in Iraq and Syria.
Besides, in wake of the presidential election-campaign, ordinary Americans are focusing on
internal problems which are the result of prolonged war on terror. Patriot Americans are openly
criticizing the Zionist-protected policies of the US. Taking cognizance, Obama has asked Turkey
to withdraw its forces from Iraq’s territories. In the recent past, John Kerry gave ultimatum to the
Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu to agree for the two-state solution of the Palestinian dispute.
Meanwhile, some recent developments have further exposed the dual strategy of the US-led
west. The Russia-led coalition which have successfully been achieving its objectives have
broken the backbone of the ISIS terrorists, Al-Qaeda’s Al-Nusra Front and the rebels who have
vacated most of the areas of Syria and Iraq. On February 3, this year, Syrian troops backed by
Russian warplanes cut the last supply route, linking rebels and ISIS militants in Aleppo city.
Aleppo is near the Turkish border from where with the backing of the US-led west (Especially,
UK and France), Turkey has also been supporting the rebels and ISIS terrorists, while Saudi
Arabia and some other Gulf countries like Qatar are funding them to oust the Assad’s regime.
It is of particular attention that the representatives of the rebels had refused to participate in the
recently-held Geneva peace talks (Held on February 1) by demanding that first Russia should
stop airstrikes. When John Kerry insisted them to “seize the opportunity” to participate in UN-
backed peace talks on Syria, they agreed to participate. It has clearly exposed America’s dual
Taking note of the weak position of the ISIS militants and rebels who received a greater blow,
their representatives in Geneva who first time participated in talks, demanded that Russia-led
coalition should stop siege of Aleppo city for the success of negotiations. The UN has suspended
peace talks, and now would resume on February 25.
As part of the double game, America and its allies, particularly France have held Russia and
Syrian President Assad responsible for the suspension of Geneva peace talks.
It is worth-mentioning that CIA-Mossad-backed ISIS commanders who are fleeing Iraq and
Syria are taking shelter in Libya. In this context, on February 3, 2016, BBC pointed out, “Senior
commanders from so-called Islamic State (IS) have moved to Libya from Iraq and Syria
On the one side, on February 4, this year, a donor conference held in London where the world’s
rich countries, particularly Germany, Britain, the US and EU pledged billions of dollars to help
Syrian refugees, scattered around the world, and especially those who have taken shelter in
Europe, while on the other, they are still backing the rebels and ISIS terrorists, and are also
targeting them through areal strikes.
Now, taking cognizance of the weak leverage of bargaining of the US-led western countries on
Syrian question, some countries like Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Israeli are encouraging the ISIS
militants to continue terror attacks on the Shias and in Syria. Besides previous similar assaults in
Syria, ISIS claimed responsibility for a triple bombing which killed 45 people near a Shia shrine
in Damascus, on January 31, 2015.
As regards manipulation of the Syrian crisis, notably, on February 1, this year, the Russian
Defense Ministry has presented video evidence which shows Turkish military shelling on the
Syrian territory.
While, in case of Afghanistan, there are several groups of Al-Qaeda, ISIS and Taliban like the
Afghan-based Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP). Some of them are being used by secret
agencies like CIA, Israeli Mossad and Indian RAW to obtain the collective and individual
designs of their countries against Pakistan and Middle Eastern countries. India and Israel which
want to prolong the stay of the US-led NATO troops in Afghanistan which have become the
center of covert activities, are exploiting their dual policy, particularly of America against
Pakistan, China and Iran. Terrorists of TTP and ISIS which are strategic assets of the CIA have
claimed responsibility for several terror attacks inside Pakistan, including at Charsadda’s
university of Pakistan and recent ones in Afghanistan.
By utilizing the vicious circle of terrorism and the dual policy of America, some western
countries, Israel and India, Al-Qaeda, ISIS and TTP also employ double game. Besides working
for CIA, Mossad and RAW, these militant outfits also motivate the common Muslims for suicide
attacks and terror-related activities as part of Jihad. Otherwise, Jihad does not permit suicide
attacks. Like other religions, Islam is a religion of peace and prohibits any sort of terrorism.
Iraq-based ISIS which itself broke away from Al-Qaeda, proclaimed a worldwide caliphate by its
leader Abu Baker al-Baghdadi, on 29 June 2014. ISIS’s criminal actions had widely been
criticized in the world, with many Islamic communities judging the group to be unrepresentative
of Islam. One of ISIS’s goals has been to establish a radical Sunni Islamic state in Iraq, Syria,
Jordan, Palestine etc. (Levant region). It has been used by the US and Israel for distorting the
image of Islam and for inciting the feelings of western Christians and Kurds against Muslims.
For the purpose, like Al-Qaeda, it is widely known for its violent acts and propaganda which
includes Internet videos of beheadings etc. However, besides some Islamic countries, a majority
of the religious extremists (Muslims) from the western world joined the ISIS. In this context,
oblivion on the part of the west about ISIS recruits from their countries is questionable.
Saudi Arabian rulers who have already been funding the ISIS against Iran and Syria, have been
fighting for survival of their kingship. In accordance with Israel-led American secret strategy,
Saudi Arabia has chosen the path of leading unrest in the Middle East by promoting sectarian
violence. Notably, the US decided to revive the phony war on terror through Saudi Arabia.
American President Obama knew that much resentment is found in the Muslim countries against
the US and Israel. Therefore, he directed Saudi Arabia to form an alliance of the Sunni countries
to wage a war against the ISIS. On December 15, 2015, Riyadh which also wanted to protect its
monarchy in the pretext of fighting the ISIS terrorists, announced a 34-state Sunni-based military
alliance. Washington immediately welcomed the alliance.
It is noteworthy that like the drastic aftermath of 9/11 tragedy, rulers and politicians of the US-
led western countries, especially of Europe are again misguiding their general public by creating
chauvinism against the Muslim World by exploiting the critical situation, after the Paris disaster
and the shooting at San Bernardino, California. In fact, fault cannot be laid on the ordinary
citizens who are swayed by stereotypes and prejudices created by the political leaders who keep
on manipulating any crisis for their own self-interests with the sole aim of getting their
sympathies to increase their vote bank. There are equal strong pressures from religious and
nationalist forces in wake of global war on terror which are dividing the world on religious lines.
As regards the anti-Muslim policy, on January 18, 2015, British Prime Minister David Cameron
announced that Muslim women who fail to learn English to a high enough standard could face
deportation from Britain. He also suggested that poor English skills can leave people “more
susceptible to the messages of groups like Islamic State (IS).”
Cameroon was quickly criticized by Andy Burnham, the shadow home secretary, Sayeeda Warsi,
the Tory peer and former party co-chairman for singling out Muslim women as the main group.
They said, “His clumsy approach to challenging extremism is unfairly stigmatising a whole
community…evidence suggests [Racial] gang culture, Islamophobia, [and] responses to foreign
policy are greater drivers of radicalisation” than failure to learn English.”
Earlier, Donald Trump, the leading contender to become the Republican Party’s nominee
for US presidential candidate had called for a ban on Muslims, entering the United States in
response to the San Bernardino shooting.
In the past few days, tensions over Europe’s migrant crisis led to violence in Sweden and the
UK, with a masked mob calling for attacks on foreigners in Stockholm, and nearly 100 men
gathered on January 29, resulted into clashes between pro-and anti-migrant demonstrators in the
British town of Dover.
And under the threat of ISIS, especially European governments and EU have been expelling the
immigrants from their countries, while discouraging more Syrian refugees. On the other side,
they are also trying to resolve the Syrian crisis. However, it shows contradictory policy.
On January 25, 2016, The EU’s law enforcement agency Europol revealed that ISIS have set up
special forces style training camps in Europe, as they plot mass casualty civilian strikes on the
Nevertheless, it is due to the dual policy of the US-led western world that ISIS which is most
dangerous terrorist group than Al-Qaeda is rapidly spreading its tentacles to all over the world.
On January 14, 2015, multiple blasts and gunfire killed seven people and jolted the Indonesian
capital Jakarta. The ISIS claimed responsibility. The Indonesian investigative agency disclosed
that the ISIS carried out the attacks with the help of home-grown terrorists. On October 4, 2015,
ISIS-affiliated militant outfit Boko Haram claims responsibility for Nigeria’s deadly suicide
bombings which killed 18 people on October 4.
Despite widespread protests across the country in recent days, the French government confirmed
on February 3 that it would seek a three-month extension of the state of emergency it declared
after the Paris attacks. It indicates that if ISIS conducts more terror attacks in France and other
European countries, they would move towards autocracy.
Nonetheless, either Muslims are being massacred by terrorist groups in Syria, Iraq and Pakistan
or Christians in Nigeria or anywhere—or they are targeted by racialists, all these acts are
strongly condemnable, as they are all human beings. Hence, instead of pursuing dual strategy
about ISIS which is proving extremely counterproductive, the US and its allies must better agree
for an international coalition to fight this militant outfit and Al-Qaeda.
In this regard, President Putin has said on January 11, 2015, “The West of exacerbating
international crises that had contributed to it…we are faced with common threats, and we still
want all countries, both in Europe and the whole world, to join their efforts to combat these
If dual policy towards Al-Qaeda and especially ISIS continues by the US-led western countries,
it will create chaos in the Middle East, enveloping the entire world, and may culminate into
“Clash of Civilizations.” Any major war or such a clash will take the US and Europe to the
era—from 1511 to 1648 when Europe witnessed a prolonged arena of barbarism, religious
bigotry and intolerance, resulting into beastly violence.
Sajjad Shaukat writes on international affairs and is author of the book: US vs Islamic Militants,
Invisible Balance of Power: Dangerous Shift in International Relations
Courtesy: The Veterans Today
