Just on Fox.....here's the article
3:12pm (UK)
Al Qaida 'Has 18,000 Terrorists Waiting to Attack'
By Helen William, PA News
Al Qaida has more than 18,000 terrorists waiting for the order to attack targets in Europe and the US, preferably with weapons of mass destruction, a leading think-tank said today.
The war in Iraq has “focused the energies and resources of al Qaida and its followers while diluting those of the global counter-terrorism coalition”, the International Institute for Strategic Studies argued.
Despite the killing or capture of around 2,000 al Qaida fighters, including some key figures, the group remains a powerhouse for Islamic terrorists operating in more than 60 countries, the IISS annual Strategic Survey warned.
And western targets are firmly in the firing line.
“The Madrid bombings in March 2004 suggested that al Qaida had fully reconstituted, set its sights firmly on the US and its closest western allies in Europe, and established a new and effective modus operandi that increasingly exploited local affiliates,” IISS director John Chipman told a central London press conference.
“Al Qaida must be expected to keep trying to develop more promising plans for terrorist operations in North America and Europe, potentially involving weapons of mass destruction.
“Meanwhile, soft targets encompassing Americans, Europeans and Israelis, and aiding the insurgency in Iraq, will suffice.”
The IISS’s 18,000 figure is based on intelligence estimates that al Qaida trained at least 20,000 fighters in its camps in Afghanistan before the United States and its allies ousted the Taliban regime.
http://news.scotsman.com/latest.cfm?id=2974796
I, and I'm sure many others, would like to know the source of their info.
They seem pretty informed as to finance and structure of AQ.
Where did this intel come from?
Enquiring minds want to know.
good morning
Hmmmm...makes me wonder how many we have arrested and let go. For example the men taking pictures of refineries back in January, and many other incidents that have been posted here over the last eight threads. Will this story even make it to the evening news? I doubt it...more stories on alleged prision abuse, unimportant drivel...etc.
Report: Al-Qaida has 18,000 ready to strike...Think tank says network boosted by U.S. conflict in Iraq (AP) http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/5057703/
Gertz: The Pentagon is investigating reports that Iraqi weapons are being sent covertly to Syria and that they are fueling anti-U.S. insurgents training there, The Washington Times has learned. http://www.washingtontimes.com/national/20040525-121749-1468r.htm
A hooded Statue of Liberty, meant to remind viewers of Iraqis abused by American soldiers at Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq, dominates a TV ad that an anti-Bush organization will begin airing nationally next week (USA Today) http://www.usatoday.com/news/politicselections/nation/2004-05-21-liberty_x.htm?POE=NEWISVA