Al-Qaeda’s Learning Curve: the Fall of the Roman Empire
Former FBI agent Ali Soufan says its goal is to unite ‘the savage regions’ like the barbarians who took down Rome
Celebrated former FBI special agent and counter-terror expert Ali Soufan says the Taliban’s shocking conquest of Kabul is giving heart to Muslim militants the world over that they can bring down the remaining U.S.-backed autocratic regimes in the region and eventually take back Jerusalem.
The Taliban’s terrorist partner Al Qaeda likens the triumph in Afghanistan to the victory of the barbarian tribes that ate away at far flung Roman provinces until they were able to advance on the capital, which fell like a rotten plum in 410 AD. (The Eastern Roman Empire lasted another thousand years.)
From Yemen to Lebanon to the Palestinian territories of Israel, to Tehran and across North Africa, both Sunni and Iran-backed Shiite Muslim militants are congratulating the Taliban and celebrating its victory “over what they call the American occupation” of Afghanistan, Soufan said during a SpyTalk podcast interview that aired Tuesday evening.
“The lesson to…