Well I guess now we have an official "explanation." This regime had refused to used the term Jihadist, or "Islamic Extremist" over the past 4 terror attacks/attempts (Fort Hood, Arkansas, Christmas Day and Times Square.) Today John Brennan made it official. Brennan also said:
"Nor do we describe our enemy as 'jihadists' or 'Islamists' because jihad is a holy struggle, a legitimate tenet of Islam, meaning to purify oneself or one's community, and there is nothing holy or legitimate or Islamic about murdering innocent men, women and children."