Canadian Intelligence Eh
Everywhere you look these days terrorism and violent extremism dominate the headlines. Whether you follow what is happening in Afghanistan or Iraq, or in the West writ large, we are inundated with news of attacks by groups and individuals fighting for a 'cause'.In a world of multiple voices and opinions it can be very hard to know where to turn. One choice is to look to those who actually worked in counterterrorism in the national security world. In these half-hour podcasts 30-year Canadian intelligence veteran Phil Gurski is joined by a fascinating array of individuals with something meaningful to say about these issues as they provide insight into what they mean and what we need to do about them.
Canadian Intelligence Eh
Episode 297 - Wait, AQ is still active in Afghanistan?
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Phil Gurski
I cannot recall how many times I have heard a world leader, or a self-styled 'terrorism expert', expound that a given terrorist group has been 'totally defeated' (that is exactly what Donald Trump said about ISIS in Iraq and Syria in 2019 and look where the group is now). The truth is that terrorist groups are more resilient than many say. Take Al Qaeda (AQ) in Afghanistan. Sure, Usama bin Laden is dead (albeit killed in Pakistan, not Afghanistan) and the organisation does not garner the headlines it once did, but is very much alive and well. I speak with a former Afghan intelligence officer on this issue.