War on Iraq 'has helped' Bin Laden

[kskiska]

The Sunni triangle in Iraq has become a base from which Islamic jihadists can train and test their cadre, senior officials at the CIA and the US state department have conceded.

Speaking to the Washington Post, officials also admitted that the war on Iraq had widened the constituency for Osama bin Laden's brand of anti-Americanism among Islamic militants.

The insurgency in Iraq had, the sources said, created "a new Rolodex of fellow jihadists and people with whom they can work in the Gulf in the future".

While the attacks in Afghanistan have made the al-Qaida network less effective, Islamic organisations in areas such as north Africa and south-east Asia, which previously focused on changing their national leadership, have redirected their ire towards the US, sources told the newspaper.

It quoted what it called a senior intelligence source saying the jihadists "have been caught by bin Laden's vision, and poisoned by it ... they will now look at the US, Israel and the Saudis as targets".

more…
http://www.guardian.co.uk/alqaida/story/0,12469,1185863,00.html

[kalian]

1. Of course it has....

it has brought chaos and mayhem that will eventually spread out
throughout the entire ME. Governments that are pro-US but oppress
their people will topple and civil wars will ensue. US troops in
the meantime will be defending oil wells...

We need to get out now before this whole thing gets really ugly.

[Webster Green]

2. Isn't it time to trot out the "Mission Accomplished" photo op?

Or the video of the war chimp's challenge to "Bring it on".

[truthisfreedom]

12. kinda makes me think his codpiece was filled with sand.

[Fenris]

3. Hindsight's a funny thing

See, in hindsight, the U.S. might have done itself a favor by listening to critics, domestic and foreign, who argued this same point. In hindsight, it would have been a good idea to think about the impact an unprovoked attack against a Muslim country would have on international terrorism. In hindsight, it would have been useful to listen to the non-ideologues working for the government who said that a war against Iraq would only cause anti-U.S. sentiment to rise and swell the ranks of terrorist organizations. In hindsight, a better course of actions would have been to work on building international coalitions and create a worldwide network for combating terrorism, and avoided an invasion of a hostile country altogether.

In hindsight, we might as well have bombed ourselves as the overall effect of the Iraq war will be negative.

[yardwork]

5. Of course, most of us knew this in foresight.

The only people who seem to be surprised by this are monkeyboy's dimwit supporters, and many of them are predictably unaware that things are not going well in Iraq. (Doh! I thought we declared victory, dude? You mean we're still fighting?)

I sincerely doubt that monkeyboy and his pals are surprised. I think that they just don't care. They have a final goal in mind, and it doesn't matter to them how many people die on the road to world domination.

[Fenris]

6. Anyone who bothered to look into the situation beforehand

knew all of this in foresight. Unfortunately, the majority of Americans are not the "reading/researching" type.

[The_Casual_Observer]

4. Even the CIA, a complete useless bunch of nit wits

knew this would happen, years ago. However, it didn't matter to bush & friends. They could care less about it. For them it is all about contracts for campaign contributers, keeping Israel happy, and being reselected so that they can continue the REAL WAR --- against social programs - Social Security and Medicare.

[lazarus]

7. The scariest bit:

"Al-Qaida had always consisted of a loose coalition of independently operating, like-minded cells. But whereas in the past they went to groups to offer them training and financing, those groups were now coming to them."

Great. Thanks, George.

[daleo]

8. If these nuts "level Fallujah", like the crazy talk suggests they want to

I think that might really bring the bombings and retribution to North America

[sniffa]

9. by accepting truth

you guys are onLy giving comfort and aid to the terrorists! :eyes:

[0007]

10. No doubt about!

But try and convice these idiots running the show

[dbt]

11. GE does the Happy Dance.

More terrists = more War On Terra. More war = more jet engines sold by GE. More engine sales = more pro-bu$h coverage on NBC.

:freak:
dbt

[The Stranger]

13. Exactly as according to the PNAC plan.

One war to perpetuate years and years of war, necessitating the creation of a police state in what was once the U.S.

[Briar]

14. Link?

The link you have listed leads to this story (about Lugar's remarks):

http://www.guardian.co.uk/alqaida/story/0,12469,1185863,00.html

"Deadline may slip for Iraq home rule"

While I read your story in the Guardian's print edition this morning, I now can't find it on the Guardian Unlimited site!