Where does the Americans draw the line between terrorist and freedom fighters?
Throughout history, freedom fighters have been the ones who won. John Walker Lindh got caught up in the political flip flop; he was fighting with the Taliban, and while he was over there, suddenly the Taliban were declared enemies of the US and he’s accused of being a terrorist and a traitor. Add: Contrary to what Maurog says, a terrorist is not defined as “a military unit hitting civilian targets to convey a political message.” The UN defines it as “criminal acts intended or calculated to provoke a state of terror in the general public, a group of persons or particular persons for political purposes.” Note it says nothing about the military exclusively.
Official CIA dictionary Freedom fighter: a group or person receiving US financial & logistical support (covert or overt) in conflicts with their own governments or other nations, acting in the political &/or economic interests of the United States of America, who are not officially members of a recognised Armed Forces unit. Terrorist: See above. Financial & logistical support withdrawn, either as a result of, or resulting from US agents “loss of situational control” & producing an ( all too often justified) “adverse attitude” against the USA & its citizens.
Whether any insurgent fighter is a “Terrorist” or a “Freedom Fighter” depends on one’s political perspective.They really are the same, the only difference is one is fighting FOR you and the other is fighting AGAINST you. There is no real difference between the two terms except as a poltical and propaganda device. The perception.of the Mujaheddin in Afghanistan was that since they were fighting the Soviet invaders and occupiers, they were “Freedom Fighters” ; yet these same Mujaheddin are now “terrorists” because they are fighting the American invaders and occupiers in Iraq. Israel is also subject to the same labeling, due only to the political perspective of those who self-servingly attach either one label or the other to them.
