US invasion of Iraq (Photo: AP)
Photo: AP
Al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden
Photo: AP
US: Iraq war increased terror threat
Assessment by US intelligence agencies finds that invasion of Iraq exposed US to greater terror threats; report contradicts White House claim that Iraq war improved US security
WASHINGTON - US spy agencies warn that the US-led war in Iraq increased the threat of terror attacks at home, the New York Times reported on Sunday.
The invasion of Iraq spawned a new generation of Islamic fundamentalists, intelligence officials told the Times.
The latest intelligence assessment contradicts White House statements that the war in Iraq improved security at home.
The report on the threat of Islamic terrorism was completed five months ago by the 16 spy agencies.
"The report says that the Iraq war has made the overall terrorism problem worse,” a US intelligence official told the newspaper.
A report issued Wednesday by the House Intelligence Committee warns of a growing Jihad movement and says "al-Qaeda leaders wait patiently for the right opportunity to attack.”
Internet plays a key role
Based on unclassified documents, the report said that the radical Islamic movement has spread from al-Qaeda and its affiliated groups to include “self-generating” terror cells inspired by Osama bin Laden and his deputies, according to the Times.The report says the internet has played a key role in diffusing Jihadist ideology as terror operatives lost their hideouts in countries like Afghanistan.
The US intelligence community has been at odds with the Bush administration which has been blamed for painting a more optimistic picture of the situation in Iraq and the possibility of establishing a stable democratic government there.
