WAR IN IRAQ FUELS ISLAMIC RADICALISM, REPORT SAYS

[ck4829]

A stark assessment of terrorism trends by U.S. intelligence agencies has found that the U.S. invasion and occupation of Iraq has helped spawn a new generation of Islamic radicalism and that the overall terrorist threat has grown since the Sept. 11 attacks.

The classified National Intelligence Estimate attributes a more direct role to the Iraq war in fueling radicalism than that presented either in recent White House documents or in a report released Wednesday by the House Intelligence Committee, according to several officials in Washington who were involved in preparing the assessment or have read the final document.

The intelligence estimate, completed in April, is the first formal appraisal of global terrorism by U.S. intelligence agencies since the Iraq war began, and it represents a consensus view of the 16 disparate spy services inside government. Titled "Trends in Global Terrorism: Implications for the United States," it asserts that Islamic radicalism, rather than being in retreat, has metastasized and spread across the globe.

An opening section of the report, "Indicators of the Spread of the Global Jihadist Movement," cites the Iraq war as a reason for the diffusion of radical Islamic ideology.

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2006/09/24/MNGNSLBRUI1.DTL

[nancyr]

1. Well, DUH.

Is anyone surprised by this? Most rational people sort of knew this would be the result of the brainless foray into Iraq. A pity the people that run our country were clueless.

[HysteryDiagnosis]

2. This is what you deserve when you refuse to serve..... I spose

had they had any real world experience other than hoarding money for their cronies they might have seen the logical series of events. Then again, this may be exactly what they hoped for.