Report: 18,000 al Qaeda fighters

CNN ^ | May 25th, 2004 | CNN

[Gdzine]

LONDON, England (AP) -- Despite losses around the world, al Qaeda has more than 18,000 potential terrorists, and its ranks are growing because of the conflict in Iraq, a leading think tank warned Tuesday.

Al Qaeda still has a functioning leadership despite the death or capture of key figures, and estimates suggest al Qaeda operates in more than 60 nations around the world, the International Institute of Strategic Studies said in its Strategic Survey 2003-4.

The terrorist group poses a growing threat to Western interests and attacks are likely to increase, the institute said.

"Al Qaeda 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," institute director John Chipman told a news conference to launch the annual survey.......

[Gdzine]

The media is trying to make it seem as though our fighting in Iraqi has caused 18,000 new Middle Eastern men to join the ranks of al Qaeda. This is CNN's lead paragraph "Despite losses around the world, al Qaeda has more than 18,000 potential terrorists, and its ranks are growing because of the conflict in Iraq, a leading think tank warned Tuesday."

Now where do does this "objective" think tank gets its actually number of 18,000 from. Well we can find this out by reading further in the article.

"The estimate of 18,000 fighters was based on intelligence estimates that al Qaeda trained at least 20,000 fighters in its training camps in Afghanistan before the United States and its allies ousted the Taliban regime. In the ensuing war on terror, some 2,000 al Qaeda fighters have been killed or captured, the survey said."

So the 18,000 number is all from people who were trained in Afghanistan before the Iraqi war!

The 18,000 number is in no way associated with Iraqi, but yet it is totally spun that way.

[sinkspur]

You changed the headline. The original says nothing about 18,000 fighters "in Iraq."

Since you're new here, you get a pass, this time.

For archival purposes, it is never a good thing to change original headlines. It also violates posting guidelines.

[Blue Highway]

Don't forget to add some Bounce to that "Spin Cycle"

[Gdzine]

I didnt mean to do that, I was typing more than thinking

[Numbers Guy]

Even more ridiculous, the same people who will crow about "18,000 Al Qaeda" on the loose are the ones upset that we're being too mean to those poor little kids at Guantanamo.

[okie01]

The 18,000 number is in no way associated with Iraqi, but yet it is totally spun that way.

Now we know that, no matter how journalistically challenged CNN might be, they can at least handle basic math.

Well, subtraction, anyway...

[Law is not justice but process]

How about an estimate of how many more "fighters" there would be if the training camps in Afghanistan were still operating?

I suspect the only ranks of Al Quaeda that are swelling are the rotting corpses of the "fighters" who were unfortunate enough to face the USMC in Iraq. Yeah, they're probably pretty swollen by now - until the maggots eat through their skin. Then they will deflate in a hurry!

[Logophile]

Oh no…18,000 al Qaeda fighters, and less than 300 million Americans to oppose them. We're doomed.

[Gdzine]

That is a really good point, how many more fighters would be trained if we didnt hadnt shut the Taliban down.
In reality most of the 18000 fighters joined Al Qaeda during the Clinton Administration

[Jeff Gordon]

Kill them all.

[piasa]

Leave it to CNN to inflate, exaggerate and otherwise refabricate what was already a think-tank's pile of Barbara Streisand to begin with:

Here's an AP version of the same spin :

Report- al-Qaida Ranks Swelling Worldwide

[DefCon]

"...2,000 al Qaeda fighters have been killed or captured..."
- - -
I think that number is a bit on the low side.

[familyop]

The "report" did not say "18,000 al Qaeda fighters in Iraqi."
The International Institute for Strategic Studies claims that
there are up to approximately 18,000 in the whole world.

But someone in another thread provided info on The International Institute for Strategic Studies ("Does the IISS have a political agenda?") that you should all have a look at.

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/1142187/posts?page=9#9

[familyop]

And 18,000 enemy in the context of American History and character is not many at all to kill.

[reagan_fanatic]

Yet another example of the psychological warfare being deployed against us specifically to demoralize the West and hasten an end to the war on terror.

[Numbers Guy]

al-Qaida Ranks Swelling Worldwide

Hmm. 20,000 trained prior to 2001, camps get shut down, 2,000 Jihadis captured or killed, leaves 18,000 from 2001 and earlier. This is "swelling"?

[jackbill]

This crap comes from the "International Institute of Strategic Studies".

Checking out their web site, I find no name that is recognizable except for Dr Fareed Zakaria. Remember him? He is the anti-Bush creep who appears on George Stephanopolous' Sunday morning program.

That alone is enough to make me suspicious of anything that they say.

[Law is not justice but process]

Any training camps Al Quaeda is operating now are clandestine and small. If the ranks of Al Quaeda are increasing, they are increasing at a much lower rate than before the fall of the Taliban.

We eventually would have had to deal with the Taliban Era trainees, even if 9-11 never happened, even if we never destroyed the Taliban, and even if we never deposed Saddam. The good news is we have 2000 fewer to deal with now than before the WOT. 2000 in Hell or in jail, 18,000 to go.

[Teplukin]

I really doubt this number. Al Queda is on the ropes. Yes, it might still be able to muster attacks, but those SOBs are demoralized.

[piasa]

I think so, too- I last heard that figure in January of 2002 in reference just to Afghanistan.