| Submit your comments on this article |
| Iraq |
| Iraqi jihadis looking to the future, Iran supporting Ansar al-Islam |
| 2006-04-30 |
| U.S. intelligence officials say they are seeing early signs that jihadist fighters who came to Iraq to contest the U.S.-led coalition are looking beyond Iraq's borders to spread a radical, violent agenda. American analysts are trying to understand a web of complex political, cultural and economic issues contributing to the instability in Iraq, said the senior officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity Friday because of the sensitive positions they occupy. When asked about the extent to which Sunni Muslim jihadists in Iraq are feeding other groups in the region, one official said the primary link between the global jihadist movement and the Iraq insurgency was believed to be rhetorical. But the official said authorities cannot rule out that some of the foreign fighters -- who came to fight for al-Qaida's leader there, Abu Musab al-Zarqawi -- will adopt a more regional focus. "We are seeing indications," said the official, who declined to elaborate and cautioned that the signs are on a small scale now. U.S. intelligence is trying to understand how local Muslim groups become more radical and plot attacks with little or no contact with a central al-Qaida organization in Iraq or Afghanistan. That appears to have been the case with this week's resort attacks in Dahab, Egypt, as well as the 2004 Madrid train bombings and last year's London transit attacks. By a number of measures, the region has become more violent since the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq in 2003. A State Department report on terrorism Friday tallied a dramatic increase in terror attacks in Iraq last year, where about 3,500 of the world's more than 11,000 attacks took place. A wider focus for al-Zarqawi, who is intent on overthrowing the government in his home country of Jordan, comes as no surprise. But his organization has launched only limited attacks beyond Iraq, claiming responsibility for three outside Iraq's borders last year -- most notably, the suicide attacks on three Jordanian hotels that killed 60 in the country's worst-ever terror bombings. The decision to use Iraqi bombers in that assault was no accident, said one of the senior officials. U.S. intelligence is changing its focus given the ever-evolving situation in Iraq. In the past four to five months, intelligence agencies have looked more at the growing sectarian strife rather than considering the insurgency the primary problem. Speaking at Washington's National Press Club last week, National Intelligence Director John Negroponte said Iraqis urgently need to form their new government under the constitution to address the serious challenges posed by sectarian violence. He said the military and police forces must continue to improve. "There's no denying that it's an extremely challenging situation," he said. Experts in and out of government note that sectarian militias have become increasingly powerful, at the expense of the Iraqi military and police, and populations of Sunnis and Shiites have been displaced by the violence. U.S. intelligence is also paying close attention to Iraq's neighbor, Iran and its Shiite government. Officials including Bush have alleged that Tehran has provided increasingly deadly roadside bombs to insurgents and meddled in other ways. One of the senior officials said as part of Iran's effort to disrupt the U.S. mission, it has given limited help to the religiously minded Sunni insurgents, such as the group Ansar al-Islam. He declined to elaborate. |
| Posted by:Dan Darling |
| #2 Agree, this really ain't "news" pre or post Saddam |
| Posted by: Captain America 2006-04-30 12:10 |
| #1 Iraqi jihadis looking to the future, Iran supporting Ansar al-Islam thats not news, its olds, an questionable relevant today, according to the Kurds and Yon. Halabja U.S. intelligence officials say they are seeing early signs that jihadist fighters who came to Iraq to contest the U.S.-led coalition are looking beyond Iraq's borders to spread a radical, violent agenda. ho'kay ['cause they got their asses handed to them] American analysts are trying to understand a web of complex political, cultural and economic issues contributing to the instability in Iraq, said the senior officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity Friday because of the sensitive positions they occupy. wooo0ooo When asked about the extent to which Sunni Muslim jihadists in Iraq are feeding other groups in the region, one official said the primary link between the global jihadist movement and the Iraq insurgency was believed to be rhetorical. m'kay..[sic the underlying theory..shhh] But the official said authorities cannot rule out that some of the foreign fighters -- who came to fight for al-Qaida's leader there, Abu Musab al-Zarqawi -- will adopt a more regional focus heavy "We are seeing indications," said the official, who declined to elaborate and cautioned that the signs are on a small scale now. keep thatun under ur hat! U.S. intelligence is trying to understand how local Muslim groups become more radical and plot attacks with little or no contact with a central al-Qaida organization in Iraq or Afghanistan. jeeze 'nuff, i quitum.. Do articles like this seem to be written for the sole purpose of a reporter's deadline, or whaaat? |
| Posted by: RD 2006-04-30 02:51 |
