Where I Stand — Mike O’Callaghan: Killing one at a time

Friday, Oct. 19, 2001 | 9:25 a.m.

Mike O'Callaghan is the Las Vegas Sun executive editor.

THE UNITED STATES has a job to do destroying as many terrorist cells as possible. Therefore, it's too early for me to look backward and recall some mistakes that got us to where we are today. Let's get on with the work we have started in Afghanistan and follow the al-Qaida terrorist web around the earth destroying its many cells. Then we can look back to learn some of our history to keep future generations from making the same errors.

Today we should look forward and make plans for what we will do when Osama bin Laden's al-Qaida have been put to rest. Our nation's silence was deafening when Syria won a seat on the U.N. Security Council and earlier when we lost our seat on the U.N. Human Rights Commission to Sudan.

The rest of the world must be wondering about our announced all-out war against terrorism when we include Syria and some other nations among our partners. Without getting involved with Sudan's abuse of Christians and slave trading, allow me to take a close look at our new "partner" on the Security Council.

Remember when Syria joined us as coalition partners in the Gulf War? They sent some troops but refused to allow them to enter Iraq. Also during that war the Syrians refused to allow our military aircraft to over fly their country. When it was all over, good ol' Uncle Sam pressured Saudi Arabia to give Syria $500 million, which they used to buy sophisticated weapons from Russia and North Korea.

At the same time we asked Israel not to strike back at the scuds being fired at them from Iraq and they honored our request. We really wanted to hold that Arab coalition together at any cost. The Israelis had the capability to find and destroy the scuds long before they were launched. Remember all of the whining we had done, 10 years before the Gulf War, about Israel destroying Saddam Hussein's nuclear reactor. Our troops were thankful that Hussein didn't have nukes to throw at them.

Since the Gulf War, Syria has become the launching pad for the Hezbollah terrorists in Lebanon. Their Katyusha rockets fired from Lebanon into Israel are shipped into Syria from Iran and supplied to the Hezbollah. Of course, all of us should remember the Hezbollah's part in killing more than 200 U.S. Marines in Beirut and the kidnapping of other U.S. citizens.

Last year Israel withdrew from the small security zone it held in Lebanon. The terrorists followed them home. In the meantime, the Lebanese continue to cry for help to have Syria leave their country. Syria insists on maintaining its 25,000 troops in Lebanon despite the cries of Lebanese Christians and many Druze and moderate Muslims.

Christians who speak up are killed, disappear or are jailed. As the Los Angeles Times points out, little will change as long as "the elite of Syria's military and ruling Baath Party profit handsomely from illicit cross border trade with Lebanon."

So now we have a mission to first find and destroy those responsible for the September 11, 2001, attack on our country. When that is completed we shouldn't forget those terrorists supported by Syria. Those terrorist groups operating from that country include Hezbollah, Islamic Jihad, Palestine Liberation Front (PLF) and Popular Front for Liberation of Palestine (PFLP). No group of terrorists, other than al-Qaida, have more blood on their hands.

Personally, I've seen the blood shed by these groups and can't imagine that they will be given a free pass because of our coalition of convenience. One step at a time, and right now our president has his eyes on the nearest and biggest target, Osama bin Laden's al-Qaida. When this execution is completed it won't mean the job is done or our mission has been completed. President George W. Bush has promised that "this nation will defeat terror wherever we find it." His search for cells of terrorists can begin in Syria.