Reyes warns U.S. in Iraq may bolster terror threat

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http://www.elpasotimes.com/breakingnews/ci_6455535

Reyes The United States presence in Iraq could backfire when it comes to protecting the homeland against attack because al-Qaida -- painting coalition troops as "occupiers of the Holy Land" -- is able to raise money, recruit fighters and train against specific U.S. tactics and equipment, said U.S. Rep. Silvestre Reyes, D-Texas. snip

"This is something we want to fully look at and understand from the intelligence side and the threat we'll have to deal with militarily," Reyes said Tuesday in a telephone interview from Washington, D.C. "It underscores that Iraq has become a central focal point, but not the one (Bush) wanted."

Both Reyes and Bush drew on the latest National Intelligence Estimate, or NIE, which is a summary of the best information gathered by all the nation's intelligence agencies. But they came to different conclusions.

"We have, in essence, created our own problems there," Reyes said. "We have given them a cause they can use for recruiting. We have given them a cause they can use for financing. É And the third point is we are giving them real-world experience in terms of combat, in looking at what's effective and how it's effective.