Al-Qaeda 'spurred on' by Iraq war.
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| Tue, 05-25-2004 - 10:11am |
When/if the goals are met in Iraq this isn't going to reduce A-Qaeda's actions.
What strategy is there to fight the real war on terror? Is defence the only option?
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/3746205.stm
Al-Qaeda remains a viable and effective "network of networks" and has been galvanised by the war in Iraq, according to the London-based think tank, the International Institute for Strategic Studies.
It says that recent attacks in Spain, Turkey and Saudi Arabia show that the group has fully reconstituted itself after the loss of its base in Afghanistan.
Osama Bin Laden's network has set its sights firmly on the United States and its closest Western allies, the report says.
It would ideally like future operations to make use of weapons of mass destruction.
According to conservative intelligence estimates quoted by the IISS, the group is present in more than 60 countries and has "18,000 potential terrorists at large".
The IISS says the war in Iraq has focused the energies and resources of al-Qaeda and its followers, while diluting those of the global counter-terrorism coalition.
US forces in Iraq present al-Qaeda with what the report calls its most attractive "iconic" target outside the United States itself.
The report also addresses the broader issue of relations between Islam and the West, saying the Bush administration did not fully appreciate that the 11 September attacks were a "violent reaction to America's pre-eminence".
To win hearts and minds, the report says, the appearance of American unilateralism needs to be tempered.


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The fabrication I alluded to was not your "sources."
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"If you don't stand up for something, you'll lie down for anything." -- B
Amen to that!
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"If you don't stand up for something, you'll lie down for anything." -- Bob Day, Marriage Equality Rally, Rochester NY
Help in the fight against a constitutional amendment!
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"If you don't stand up for something, you'll lie down for anything." -- B
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