The Obvious
Apr 29th, 2006 at 2:49 pm by Susie
At least, it was obvious to those of us who were paying attention:
THREE years after its invasion of Iraq the US Administration acknowledged yesterday that the war has become “a cause†for Islamic extremists worldwide and there is a risk of the country becoming a safe haven for terrorists hoping to launch fresh attacks on America. According to CIA data released yesterday, there were 11,111 terrorist incidents last year, killing more than 14,600 non-combatants, including 8,300 in Iraq. Of the 56 American civilians killed by terrorists in 2005, some 47 of them were in Iraq. [...]
Ambassador Henry Crumpton, the US special co-ordinator for counter-terrorism, came close yesterday to suggesting that the war was exacerbating the terrorist problem, saying that for some international recruits “Iraq is a causeâ€. Whilst arguing that Iraq was “not currently a safe haven†for terrorists, the report stated: “AlQaeda’s senior leaders have fully supported the Iraq terrorist movements and see it both as a means to influence and radicalise Muslim public opinion worldwide and as a magnet to draw in as many recruits as possible.â€
