Killing bin Laden isn’t the end of terror fight

Osama bin Laden is dead. Hats off to the special force that got the job done and to the intelligence people who made it possible.

However, some time ago, bin Laden sort of “franchised” his operation, so that now there are small cells in many countries including Canada, the United States, England, Spain, France, Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Pakistan, part of Africa, part of Central and South America, Indonesia and part of Mexico. Each cell has its own leadership and operates independently most of the time. This is not to mention various terror groups with no ties to al-Qaida. Then we have the inspired “home grown” individuals who want to strike a blow for Allah.

The danger is that too many people in the West will regard “getting bin Laden” means our fight against terrorism is all over but the cheering. The West has a long, hard road to travel, including some policy decisions, if we are to live in a world relatively free of terror.

Gary Sargent

Cedar Rapids