fffWhile the last US combat Stryker brigade ceremoniously leaves Iraq, al Qaeda renews its battle cry with resurgence and more terror attacks.  After nine years of the war, which started with the al Qaeda attacks on September 11, the militant Islamist group still calls for global jihad and poses a very real and immediate threat to the US, her allies, and her interests. The President has made little comment about the pull back despite the obvious political motives and questionable wisdom of withdrawal. This may be to avoid unnecessary provocation for another al Qaeda attack. The terrorist organization, though severely weakened and perhaps unstructured, remains resilient. Consider these current events.

Al Qaeda recently claimed responsibility for a supposed terrorist attack on a Japanese ship, which if it was an attack was an amateur attempt and unsuccessful in comparison to al Qaeda's attack on the USS Cole a decade ago. Still, a ship attacked in the narrow waterway between Oman and Iran would be a worrying development for merchant shipping and important to the US and worldwide economies because 40% of the world's crude oil is exported through this straight. Al Qaeda also claimed an attack on several police officers in Yemen, the most recent in a slew of attacks over the past couple of months. Meanwhile, despite US humanitarian aid efforts for the flooding in Pakistan, al Qaeda is still favored by natives above the US and the country remains the top national security threat. The 2010 US report on global terrorism stated that the al Qaeda cell in Pakistan "remained the most formidable terrorist organization targeting the US homeland."

Doubtless the most tragic report is the dozens of army recruits killed in Iraq by a suicide bomber, right on the heels of the announcement to withdraw US combat troops. Coupled with the terrorist targeting of the Iraqi police force, the assaults underscored uncertainty about the readiness of Iraq's security forces only two weeks before US troop levels were scheduled to drop. Furthermore, former Guantanamo detainee and current al Qaeda deputy commander of the Arabian Peninsula Sa'id Al-Shihri released an audio clip this past week instructing sympathizers in the Saudi armed forces to essentially attempt a coup d'état by assassinating King Abdullah, his family, and Western citizens, while seeking "martyrdom in the skies of Palestine." Shihri also prophesied an Iran-Israel war in the near future.

Meanwhile, Spain is reportedly close to concluding negotiations with al Qaeda to the tune of 13 million dollars for the return of two Spanish citizens. Nevertheless, the fight against al Qaeda is certainly not without success-their structure is practically gone, and recently operatives have turned themselves in to authorities, not to mention the regular operations where NATO troops take out terrorist leaders. Nevertheless, periodic good news is not a reason to give up the fight against these Islamic radicals. As grateful as Americans are and should be towards our heroic troops as some of them return home, we cannot take our eye off the ball. Al Qaeda operatives and sympathizers, along with the rest of radical Islam, still pose a significant threat.

As America slowly removes herself from the predominantly Muslim and newly democratic nation of Iraq, we can disagree on the wisdom of time lines; especially since al Qaeda has no such qualms or time lines. However, the bigger issues is that, while the US leaves a potential power vacuum, some Islamic radicals are all too willing to attempt to fill it with a global caliphate and are religiously motivated to do so. The West cannot afford to allow such a catastrophe. Let us pray that the sacrifice and blood of American and Iraqi troops is sustained on its march toward freedom and that wisdom and "conditions on the ground" overcome political expediency to produce a long-term partner in the Middle East.