Colombia offers hope against terrorism

We live in an era in which terrorism scores many triumphs.

Day after day, it seems, we read or hear of yet another deadly suicide bombing in some troubled part of the world, of hostages kidnapped and held for ransom, of disproportionate prisoner exchanges.

We listen, wearily and with a grimace, as terrorists utter boasts, issue threats and make demands, all as if they were legitimate institutions instead of what they really are, which is — let’s be honest — criminal gangs composed of homicidal, psychopathic, fanatical or opportunistic thugs.

As was made abundantly clear in the remote jungles of Colombia two weeks ago, it is wonderful when the thugs are defeated.

There’s no truly sufficient way to thank the Colombian security forces which, with impressive skill and courage, hoodwinked hardened members of the FARC terrorist organization to free 15 hostages, including three Americans and former Colombian presidential candidate Ingrid Betancourt.

On its own terms, the mission — Operation Jaque — was a masterpiece of precision and deception, with no greater testimonial to its effectiveness than the fact that not a single shot was fired in the course of the entire operation.

On considerably broader terms, however, the actions of Colombia in combating the persistent and demonstrably lethal threat of FARC have implications for much of the rest of the world.

Operation Jaque, much like the legendary Israeli rescue at Entebbe in 1976, demonstrates that with courage and determination — as well as great care and intelligent planning — the civilized world can effectively and successfully counter the violence and coercion practiced by terrorists.

It is not realistic to hope or expect that future rescue operations, wherever conducted or by whom, will be perfectly bloodless, as was Colombia’s last week. Chances are the lives of some innocents will have to be sacrificed to save the lives of many — such are the unfortunate consequences of terrorism.

Even within those limitations, however, the success of the Colombians offers the hope, and actually provides a blueprint, that a well planned and well executed operation can effectively reduce the ultimate price of rescue, if not eliminate it altogether.

Finally, the recent actions of Colombian forces demonstrate an alternative to terrorism which seems to have been largely forgotten in recent years.

It shows, on one hand, that the civilized world doesn’t necessarily have to resort to capitulation when terrorists threaten or kidnap or blackmail.

On the other hand — and quite conversely — it shows that a civilized nation doesn’t necessarily have to resort to war to respond to terrorism.

Last week’s operation in the remote jungles of Colombia demonstrates that terrorists can be countered and defeated with precise, specific, limited and intelligent force. Such a response, if properly carried out, is neither too little nor too much.

We hope that the civilized world — the US and Israel included — which has so much to gain by defeating terrorism and so much to lose by the opposite, is paying close attention.