W2- Counterterrorism Discussion
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American Military University *
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450
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Information Systems
Date
Dec 6, 2023
Type
docx
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For this week’s topic we were asked to analyze one of the historical attacks on U.S. military
members and to identify if the attack should be labeled as a terrorist attack. I chose the
October 12, 2000, attack on the USS Cole during their time in port in Aden, Yemen. This
attack was carried out by two Al-Qaida suicide bombers who manned a small skiff packed
with explosives which blew a hole in the ship’s hull and killed 17 U.S. sailors and injured
38 others. (Isikoff, 2010)
An FBI investigation assessed that Al-Qaida planned their attack on the USS Cole after a
previous attempt to bomb another U.S. Navy ship which was unsuccessful due to their boat
sinking before they could detonate the explosives. (FBI, 2023) Despite public demand and
demand from their counterterrorism advisors, both Clinton and Bush administrations failed
to provide any type of retaliation to the bombing of the USS Cole. The lack of retaliation
only helped to stimulate Al-Qaida’s recruitment efforts and encouraged Bin Laden to
continue with his attacks which led to 9/11. (Isikoff, 2010)
After reviewing the definition international terrorism from the FBI, identified as “violent,
criminal acts committed by individuals and/or groups who are inspired by, or associated
with, designated foreign terrorist organizations or nations (state-sponsored)”, I would
categorize the attack on USS Cole as an act of international terrorism. (FBI, n.d.)
Additionally, the blatant actions taken by Osama Bin Laden after the attack by reading
poetry and publicly taking credit for the bombing solidifies my assessment that this was a
terrorist attack. (Isikoff, 2010)
Citations
Federal Bureau of Investigation. 2023. “USS Cole Bombing.” FBI. FBI. 2023.
https://www.fbi.gov/history/famous-cases/uss-cole-bombing
.
Federal Bureau of Investigation, n.d. "Terrorism." Federal Bureau of
Investigation.
https://www.fbi.gov/investigate/terrorism
Isikoff, Michael, "U.S. failure to retaliate for USS Cole attack rankled then — and now." October
12, 2010. nbc.com.
https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna39622062#.WlDOBf5y4ic
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