Iraqi war actually created "momentum" for terrorists- Bush wrong as usual

[reeds]

Think Tank: Iraq War Distracted U.S.


By MARK LAVIE, Associated Press Writer

TEL AVIV, Israel - The war in Iraq (news - web sites) did not damage international terror groups, but instead distracted the United States from confronting other hotbeds of Islamic militancy and actually "created momentum" for many terrorists, a top Israeli security think tank said in a report released Monday.

President Bush (news - web sites) has called the war in Iraq an integral part of the war on terrorism, saying that deposed Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein (news - web sites) hoped to develop unconventional weapons and could have given them to Islamic militants across the world.

But the Jaffee Center for Strategic Studies at Tel Aviv University said that instead of striking a blow against Islamic extremists, the Iraq war "has created momentum for many terrorist elements, but chiefly al-Qaida and its affiliates."

Jaffee Center director Shai Feldman said the vast amount of money and effort the United States has poured into Iraq has deflected attention and assets from other centers of terrorism, such as Afghanistan (news - web sites).

The concentration of U.S. intelligence assets in Iraq "has to be at the expense of being able to follow strategic dangers in other parts of the world," he said.

Shlomo Brom, a retired Israeli army general, said the U.S.-led effort was strategically misdirected. If the goal in the war against terrorism is "not just to kill the mosquitos but to dry the swamp," he said, "now it's quite clear" that Iraq "is not the swamp."

Instead, he said, the Iraq campaign is having the opposite effect, drawing Islamic extremists from other parts of the world to join the battle.

"On a strategic level as well as an operational level," Brom concluded, "the war in Iraq is hurting the war on international terrorism."

In other findings, Jaffee Center experts disagreed with the Israeli government's statements that its four-year struggle against Palestinian militants is part of the world fight against Islamic terrorism.

Yoram Schweitzer, who wrote the chapter about the Iraq war, said the local conflict is a "national struggle," while international Islamic militant groups like al-Qaida target not only Israel but also the entire Western world.

After interviewing Palestinian militants, including some in prison, Schweitzer said they do not consider themselves part of the al-Qaida campaign. "Many of them are critical of Al-Qaida and its methods," he told a news conference.

The Jaffee report found that Israel has succeeded in reducing Palestinian violence against Israelis.

Feldman said the motivation of Palestinian militants to attack the country remained unchanged, but praised the work of military intelligence in preventing many attacks.

"The only reason these (anti-terror) operations succeed is that we have better intelligence," he said.

Feldman said the weekend attacks in the Egyptian Sinai Peninsula aimed at places where Israelis gather did not figure in to the assessment. Thirteen Israelis were among at least 34 people killed in two car bomb attacks Thursday.


"We regard the attacks in the Sinai in a different category," he said, likening it to an attack at a hotel in Mombasa, Kenya, last year that killed 10, including three Israelis.


The report includes statistical breakdowns of the military forces and their capabilities in the Middle East, as well as analyses of regional issues.

[Drbio]

Spin it reeds!

I guess it is too much for anyone on the left to understand that Iraq is a part of the war on terror.

[Epitome22]

Actually it's not. It's just that the infantile case for Iraq being part of the war on terror by the right, which wouldn't even stand up in a teen court, fails to convince the more intelligent political affiliation.

[mavsman55]

You mean Saddam mass-murdering millions of innocent people for virtually no reason doesn't count as terror?

[Fidel]

Originally posted by: Drbio
Spin it reeds!

I guess it is too much for anyone on the left to understand that Iraq is a part of the war on terror.

This has got nothing to do with spin. The Jaffee Center for strategic studies is no partisan liberal organisation. These guys know what they are talking about when it comes to terror in the middle east.

http://www.tau.ac.il/jcss/

[dalmations202]

The Jaffee Center for strategic studies is no partisan liberal organisation. These guys know what they are talking about when it comes to terror in the middle east.

I love this spin. Of course it is hypocritical, and not thought out real well, but I must admit that they are a non-partisan liberal organization.

From their quote:

With the growing phenomenon of suicide bombing, the US presence in Iraq now demands more and more assets that might have otherwise been deployed against various dimensions of the global terrorist threat.

So we shouldn't be in Iraq, so we would have the "assets" to be in other countries where the terrorism is. We shouldn't stop terrorism at the source, we should just send "assets" around to other countries to eliminate cells w/o stopping the funding or liberating people. So make mardyrs out of individuals, don't control the situation, and sit back and "take it" when they bring it to you.

We did this during the Clinton years. That is why it was brought to the US on 911. The battle is started, not by the US, we just now need to stay the course. If we don't, then it will be brought more and more often to the US.

Study a little history, and you will see that history will repeat itself, if we don't stay the current course we are on, and eliminate the terrorism.

[Drbio]

dalm beat me to it. Sorry Fidel, but that is pure spin in it's finest flavor.

[reeds]

nothing was spun and you know it..Invading Iraq and spending all that money, all that effort...what has it done? It has deflected attention and assets from other centers of terrorism, such as Afghanistan- where Al QAIDA lives and thrives...You take care of business before you move on....its simple really...for some of us its simple...

[capitalcity]

Originally posted by: Epitome22
Actually it's not. It's just that the infantile case for Iraq being part of the war on terror by the right, which wouldn't even stand up in a teen court, fails to convince the more intelligent political affiliation.

The epitome of foolishness is the belief that Iraq was not harboring terrorists prior to invasion.

Why people like you can't grasp the concept of --A GLOBAL CAMPAIGN AGAINST TERROR AND THE NATIONS WHICH SPONSOR TERROR-- is beyond me. To stabilize the situation in the persian gulf is central to the objectives in the terror war. Iraq is located in the heart of the Arab world - defeat of islamic extremism there will GREATLY determine the outcome of this fight.

Whether Saddam posessed WMD at the time of attack (he lusted for the weapons and had the money and means to acquire AND USE them), whether or not Saddam cooperated with Bin Laden on sept. 11th (the enemy of my enemy is my friend - there was an impending alliance between the new breed of Islamofacist Terrorists and the Hussein government) - Saddam was a threat and a terrorist himself.

>>>>REGIME CHANGE alone validates Operation Iraqi Freedom - because IRAQ SPONSORED TERROR<<<<<

1.) Saddam had knowledge of and sponsored attacks by Abu Nidal (regarded as the most dangerous terrorist organization of the 1980s/ 300+ dead in more than 20 separate attacks).

2.) Lets not forget the utter contempt for the state of Israel - Iraq has a history of sponsoring terrorist attacks against jewish interests. The families of Hamas murder-bombers were rewarded with gifts of up to $25,000 per attack.

3.) Training camps for Hamas, PKK (anti-Turkish/ based in Kurdistan), Mujahadeen-e-Khalq (anti-Iranian/ based in NE Iraq) had long operated under the permission of Husseins govt.

.......and the Al-Quida linked groups harbored under Saddam's rule -

4.) Ansar al-Islam, formed in December 2001, fled Afganistan to re-establish a cell in northern Iraq between Kurdistan and Iran. The group waged attacks on Iraqi Kurds prior to the invasion and now focuses its attacks on US forces in theater.

5.) Everybody's favorite Jordanian - Abu Musab al-Zarqawi - was displaced from Afganistan during the fall of the Taliban in December of 2001. Where was he given assylum? - You guessed it IRAQ. Zarqawi was in country LONG BEFORE President Bush went to the UN requesting security council intervention.

SADDAM HUSSEIN SPONSORED TERRORISM!!!

[jacktruth]

The question that came to mind to me was terrorism toward israel, or terrorism toward the US?

If these guys are experts, but no doubt in my mind that these studies are based on the question of terror threats to Israel. Yes, we are allies to Israel and want to stand with them, but the goal of the Iraq war was to reduce the terror threat to the United States, particularly long range missles and WMDs.

Before you spout off about how there were none, remember that the entire world thought that he had them, including John Kerry and John Edwards and the report that came out saying that there were none also said that he was likely planning to start producing them again (and had the capablility to) as soon as sanctions were lifted and the UN was off of his back.

[Drbio]

That reeds thinks is wasn't spin confirms it to all who have the ability to think rationally. Spin it is.


What the matter reeds? Did we expose the libs again with facts and hurt your feelings?

[Linde]

Originally posted by: jacktruth


Before you spout off about how there were none, remember that the entire world thought that he had them, including John Kerry and John Edwards and the report that came out saying that there were none also said that he was likely planning to start producing them again (and had the capablility to) as soon as sanctions were lifted and the UN was off of his back.

just look at the old threads here
not the entire world thought that he had them
and those who thought so just believed the "facts" and "evidances" presented by your administration

... was likely planning to start producing them again (and had the capablility to) ...

that's a spin right ?