Iraq Disaster Rebuilt al-Qaeda

After four years of fighting Saddam Hussein’s inner circle and a whole slew of insurgents, what could we expect? So on July 12 a top CIA analyst anonymously states in an official document that al-Qaeda is at it’s strongest since 9/11 and significantly stronger than a year ago. The five-page brief even has a familiar title: “al-Qaeda better positioned to strike the West�

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Last week there were news reports that the world’s number one terrorist organization al-Qaeda, was back to pre-9/11 strength.

After four years of fighting Saddam Hussein’s inner circle and a whole slew of insurgents, what could we expect? So on July 12 a top CIA analyst anonymously states in an official document that al-Qaeda is at it’s strongest since 9/11 and significantly stronger than a year ago. The five-page brief—part of a much longer document that took two years to compile—even has a familiar title: “al-Qaeda better positioned to strike the West”—much like the August 6, 2001 Presidential Daily Brief (PDB) that was produced by former counterterrorism expert Richard Clarke called “bin Laden Determined to Strike inside the US.”

Recently I received some email from MoveOn.org and they gave some brief possibilities of a Bush 3rd term in office and what a mess the world would become. Of course US presidents don’t get a third term, but some of Bush’s destructive agenda would continue on within the various persona’s of other republican candidates, depending on who you vote for: “President Giuliani would support a 2nd escalation of the war on Iraq. President Romney would double the size of the Guantanamo Bay prison. President McCain would bomb, bomb, bomb, Iran. President Fred Thompson would have offered Scooter Libby a full pardon.”

With all due respect to MoveOn.org I’ll add one more possible future president scenario; President Condoleezza Rice would blow off all intelligence warnings of an impending domestic attack—yes the possibility still remains she’ll announce a run, it’s still early yet. If you think just because Bush can’t get re-Selected means all of this white-male-testosterone war mongering will end, then think again. 

This is not the 1st update on al-Qaeda capability. Back on September 9, 2003, Paul Rogers, a Professor of Peace Studies at the University of Bradford in England was quoted by News24 saying that US efforts in Afghanistan and Iraq had “failed to crush al-Qaeda’s structure or stem its recruitment.” Rogers added that ousting the Taliban from Afghanistan and Saddam from Iraq were hollow victories and that al-Qaeda “and it’s associates have managed to plan and often undertake a remarkable range of activities with these collectively showing a capability that exceeds that existing before the 9/11 attacks.”

Rogers’ words were part of a report to an arms control think tank (Oxford Research Group).  As recently as this past May US intelligence has Osama bin Laden and other al-Qaeda leaders hiding out in Pakistan. While you and I judge war victories on military strength, these analysts say you can only fight terrorists with intelligence. At least the July 12 report warns us ahead of time; just think of Bush, Rice and Co., and remember we weren’t informed of the August 6, 2001 PDB until after 9/11; make that on May 6, 2004.

Black Star News contributor Stevenson is a columnist for the Buffalo Criterion, Email comments to Stevenson at [email protected]


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