Letter to the editor: Remove U.S. from Middle East | Centre Daily Times

We sent troops to Afghanistan, and we lost; al-Qaida is stronger than ever.

We killed Osama bin Laden, performed many drone strikes to take out leaders, assisted in getting rid of Libya’s Moammar Gadafi, and totally destroyed Iraqis’ daily lives while our bombings killed an estimated 25,000 innocent civilians.

Dick Cheney’s “shock and awe” did not work. The Islamic State is not afraid of our bombs and troops; they want more.

The crusades, the European subjugation of Arab countries and now the American presence only create more hatred from average Arab citizens and more recruits for ISIS.

ISIS commanders have done a masterful job of sending videos of their atrocities, hoping to lure the U.S. into sending more troops and bombing more.

By sending our troops, we become the aggressor, and ISIS can more easily recruit the millions of young Arabs and others to join their cause.

To win this struggle, we must win over the general populace. We should assist the countries that wish to fight ISIS. But, Arabs need to fight Arabs. Arabs and most Muslims need to convince the populace that ISIS and Boko Haram are evil.

American bombing and troops on the ground only help ISIS propaganda. Our military presence for the past 10 years in the Middle East has created more terrorists. Use our resources to prevent terrorism here at home. Let’s figure out how to hurt, rather than help, ISIS recruiting propaganda. Some recommended reading would be “History, Faith, and Politics” by Paul Grieve.

James Serene

State College