Rumsfeld warns of Islamic superstate if U.S. leaves Iraq too soon (al-Qaeda wants caliphate)

Knight Ridder Newspapers (excerpt) ^ | Drew Brown

[HAL9000]

Excerpt -

WASHINGTON - If U.S. forces leave too soon, Iraq will become a haven for terrorists and the base of a spreading Islamic superstate that would threaten the rest of the world, Secretary of Defense Donald H. Rumsfeld said Monday.

Speaking at Johns Hopkins University's Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies, Rumsfeld warned that al-Qaida leaders such as Abu Musab al-Zarqawi and Osama bin Laden would seize power in the wake of an American withdrawal and turn Iraq into the kind of terrorist safe haven that Afghanistan was before the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks.

Moreover, Rumsfeld said: "Iraq would serve as the base of a new Islamic caliphate to extend throughout the Middle East, and which would threaten legitimate governments in Europe, Africa and Asia. This is their plan. They have said so. We make a terrible mistake if we fail to listen and learn."

"The message that retreat would send to the free people of Iraq and to moderate Muslim reformers throughout the region and the world would be that they cannot count on America," Rumsfeld said. "The message it would send to our enemies would be that America will not defend itself against terrorists in Iraq, and it will not defend itself against terrorists anywhere."

The Bush administration has been warning of the dangers of a new caliphate - an Islamic superstate based on Islamic laws with religious and political authority over much of the Muslim world - to bolster waning support for its policy in Iraq.

[snip]

[rbg81]

I hate to state the obvious, but Iran already fits many of the criteria for an Islamic superstate.

1. It is ruled by radical clerics
2. They are committed to spreading Islamic extremism
3. They harbor terrorists.
3. They have oil revenue to finance their ambitions
4. They are actively working on nukes (and may have 'em soon).
5. They have the delivery systems for nukes.
6. They even have a nascient space program
7. They have a large population

Oh yeah, and they hate America (even more than France).

So far we don't seem to be doing much about Iran, except making a lot of loud, diplomatic noise.

[Dr. Luv]

And they hate Jews with every fibre of their being...

Find out about the true nature of the "religion of peace" at The Flanstein:

http://flanstein.blogspot.com

[A. Pole]

Rumsfeld warned that al-Qaida leaders such as Abu Musab al-Zarqawi and Osama bin Laden would seize power in the wake of an American withdrawal and turn Iraq into the kind of terrorist safe haven that Afghanistan was before the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks.

Would it be worse that Saddam regime?

[Darksheare]

Hello idiot troll.
I responded to your first post, and you didn't come back.
I see you got the zot.
Goodbye, and don't come back.

[Realism]

"We make a terrible mistake if we fail to listen and learn"

Bosnia, Egypt, Iraq, Iran, Palestinian terrortories, Kashmir, Lebanon, Yemen, Kashmir, Chechnya, Georgia, Algeria, Burundi, Indonesia, Myanmar, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Israel, Turkey, *istan, Sudan, Philippines, etc.

Some people seem to be trying very hard not to notice the reality of the situation.

[Tolerance Sucks Rocks]

Here's another take on what will happen if the U.S. leaves Iraq:

If U.S. Leaves, Al-Qaeda Will Not Inherit Iraq