Posted on 07/12/2007 3:18:50 PM PDT by NormsRevenge
WASHINGTON - Al-Qaida is stepping up its efforts to sneak terror operatives into the United States and has acquired most of the capabilities it needs to strike here, according to a new U.S. intelligence assessment, The Associated Press has learned.
The draft National Intelligence Estimate is expected to paint an ever-more-worrisome portrait of al-Qaida's ability to use its base along the Pakistan-Afghan border to launch and inspire attacks, even as Bush administration officials say the U.S. is safer nearly six years into the war on terror.
Among the key findings of the classified estimate, which is still in draft form and must be approved by all 16 U.S. spy agencies:
• Al-Qaida is probably still pursuing chemical, biological or nuclear weapons and would use them if its operatives developed sufficient capability.
• The terror group has been able to restore three of the four key tools it would need to launch an attack on U.S. soil: a safe haven in Pakistan's tribal areas, operational lieutenants and senior leaders. It could not immediately be learned what the missing fourth element is.
• The group will bolster its efforts to position operatives inside U.S. borders. In public statements, U.S. officials have expressed concern about the ease with which people can enter the United States through Europe because of a program that allows most Europeans to enter without visas.
The document also discusses increasing concern about individuals already inside the United States who are adopting an extremist brand of Islam.
National Intelligence Estimates are the most authoritative written judgments that reflect the consensus long-term thinking of senior intelligence analysts.
Government officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity because the report has not been finalized, described it as an expansive look at potential threats within the United States and said it required the cooperation of a number of national security agencies, including the CIA, FBI, Homeland Security Department and National Counterterrorism Center.
National security officials met at the White House on Thursday about the intelligence estimate and related counterterrorism issues. The tentative plan is to release a declassified version of the report and brief Congress on Tuesday, one government official said.
Ross Feinstein, spokesman for National Intelligence Director Mike McConnell, declined to discuss the document's specific contents. But he said it would be consistent with statements made by senior government officials at congressional hearings and elsewhere.
The estimate echoes the findings of another analysis prepared by the National Counterterrorism Center earlier this year and disclosed publicly on Wednesday. That report — titled "Al-Qaida better positioned to strike the West" — found the terrorist group is "considerably operationally stronger than a year ago" and has "regrouped to an extent not seen since 2001," a counterterrorism official familiar with the reports findings told The Associated Press.
On Thursday, news of the counterterrorism center's threat assessment renewed the political debate about the nature of the al-Qaida threat and whether U.S. actions — in Iraq in particular — have made the U.S. safer from terrorism.
At a news conference Thursday, President Bush acknowledged al-Qaida's continuing threat to the United States and used the new report as evidence his administration's policies are on the right course.
"The same folks that are bombing innocent people in Iraq were the ones who attacked us in America on Sept. 11," he said. "That's why what happens in Iraq matters to security here at home."
Yet Senate Intelligence Committee Chairman Jay Rockefeller, D-W.Va., said Iraq has distracted the United States. He said the U.S. should have finished off al-Qaida in 2002 and 2003 along the Afghan-Pakistan border.
Instead, "President Bush chose to invade Iraq, thereby diverting our military and intelligence resources away from the real war on terrorism," Rockefeller said. "Threats to the United States homeland are not emanating from Iraq. They are coming from al-Qaida leadership."
He called for the U.S. to end its involvement in what he called the Iraqi civil war.
In recent weeks, senior national security officials have been increasingly worried about an al-Qaida attack in the United States.
Appearing on a half-dozen morning TV shows Thursday, Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff laid out a list of factors contributing to his "gut feeling" that the nation faces a higher risk of attack this summer: al-Qaida's increased freedom to train in South Asia, a flurry of public statements from the network's leadership, a history of summertime attacks, a broader range of attacks in North Africa and Europe, and homegrown terrorism increasing in Europe.
"Europe could become a platform for an attack against this country," Chertoff told CNN, although he and others continue to say they know of no specific, credible information pointing to an attack here.
National security officials are frustrated by an agreement last year between Pakistani President Gen. Pervez Musharraf and tribal leaders in western Pakistan, which gave tribes near the Afghan border greater autonomy and has led to increased al-Qaida activity in the region.
Nevertheless, Bush administration officials still view Musharraf as a partner.
Speaking to a congressional hearing, Assistant Secretary of State Richard Boucher said that Pakistan under Musharraf has captured more al-Qaida operatives than any other country and that several major Taliban leaders were captured or killed this year.
"There is a considerable al-Qaida presence at the border, but they are under pressure," Boucher told a House national security subcommittee.
Rep. Jim Cooper, D-Tenn., was skeptical, saying Osama bin-Laden and other terrorist leaders apparently feel safe there. "Is this a Motel 6 for terrorists?" he asked.
___
Associated Press writers Matthew Lee, Lara Jakes Jordan, Barry Schweid and Deb Riechmann contributed to this report.
Glad we have secure borders and a tough immigration policy...
Without journalists to tell me things like this, where would I be?
What if they gave a Jihad and nobody came?
Chairman Jay Rockefeller, D-W.Va.
Sen Chairman Jay Rockefeller claimed that Iraq was an imminent threat.
“He said the U.S. should have finished off al-Qaida in 2002 and 2003 along the Afghan-Pakistan border.”
It’s not too late - how about a MOAB party along the Pakistan/Afghan border and wipe out all those tribal areas up in the north western region that we KNOW are harboring AL-Quaida?
"Sneaking through," just like 24 million illegals have....press 2 for Spanish.
I only have one question....is AQ ordering hot sauce to go with their tacos???
Now are these the peaceful Muslims that cover themselves head to foot or the evil Muslims that cover themselves head to foot? Because Chertoff has that gut feeling thing going you know..along with “the Muslim people are good” thing going.. And lordknows I don’t want to offend anyone with plastic sheeting and duct tape. Another thing: where has our “Threat Level Alert” color chart been lately??
Maybe if we talked to them, we could get them to see how silly they are being. We just want to be friends. :)
They actually pay people to figure this out?
Chertoff has that gut feeling thing going you know
—
probably just a bad head of cabbage. I’m sure it’ll pass soon.. ;-)
If a veritable battalion of Al-Quaida operatives snuck across our porous Southern border and unleashed mayhem, their method of entrance into the U.S. would never be mentioned in an AP story.
OK, then surely we can increase our surveillance programs to monitor the terrorist’s communications. Wait, what am I saying. Silly me, that is “wiretapping” and is expressly verboten by the dems.
Not to worry, we will institute a no fly list for suspected terrorists. Oh yeah, scratch that.
Still, we can rely on the tools given in the Patriot Act to assure that we can tap cell phones and other things. Oh wait, forgot, the Patriot Act is just a vehicle to pump up a bumper sticker whereby George Bush can institute fascism on the citizens of the U.S. and those innocents who practice the religion of peace.
Well, there is always profiling. . what? Oh, sorry, yes, none of that. I mean anyone can be a terrorist, especially white haired grannies.
How about requiring visas or passports? Nyet on that.
Increasing security at airports? Increasing security anywhere? Why should we tolerate such invasions of our privacy!?!
Damn, when you think about it, that stinking George Bush is really failing to protect us. I mean, if he was not so distracted by that War in Iraq where sure, we are fighting Al Queda but not really, he could be using all the numerous tools at his disposal to ensure the safety of this country. /sarcasm
(Disclaimer, none of the above excuses the POTUS failure to secure the borders)
Boy our intel guys are right on top of things aren’t they? I guess all those hundreds of thousands of manhours are really paying off. I feel safer already.
Yep an unannounced surprise party!
Hit every Border camp
Hit every stronghold inside Iraq ..Mosque Included!
Hit Mouqtada Al Sadr with the fist of god!..then display whatever is left.
Do it all simultaneously inside Iraq, on the borders of Iraq, iran and syria, pakistan and Afghanistan...Be Every Where at Once!.
It's never shock and awe unless its a surprise.
Al-Qaeda targeting America? Now there's a shock.
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