Sunday, July 15, 2007

U.S. Warns Of Stronger Al-Qaeda

I thought the Iraq war was a bad idea. That's mainly because I believe in finishing one job before moving on to the next. Its the easiest way to ensure that you don't end up with two jobs done half assed which is exactly what has happened in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Administration Report Cites Havens in Pakistan

By Spencer S. Hsu and Walter Pincus
Washington Post Staff Writers
Thursday, July 12, 2007; A01

Six years after the Bush administration declared war on al-Qaeda, the terrorist network is gaining strength and has established a safe haven in remote tribal areas of western Pakistan for training and planning attacks, according to a new Bush administration intelligence report to be discussed today at a White House meeting.

The report, a five-page threat assessment compiled by the National Counterterrorism Center, is titled "Al-Qaida Better Positioned to Strike the West," intelligence officials said. It concludes that the group has significantly rebuilt itself despite concerted U.S. attempts to smash the network.

Although the officials declined to discuss the assessment's content because it is classified, the CIA's deputy director for intelligence, John A. Kringen, told a House committee yesterday that al-Qaeda appears "to be fairly well settled into the safe haven in the ungoverned spaces of Pakistan."

"We see more training. We see more money. We see more communications," Kringen said. more

It's become obvious that we didn't truly defeat the Taliban and Al Qaeda, we only evicted them. Now we can't or won't strike at them directly while they can bide their time and strike at their leisure. Now that Pres. Al Maliki has given us his blessing to leave Iraq the Dems have a new tool to use in pushing for a withdrawl (which isn't happening as long as W is in office) my question is what do the Dems plan to do about Afghanistan, The Taliban, Al Qaeda once that has occured. We've heard little from any candidate about what their plans are once are troops are home. Should this prove to be a close race for the DNC nomination having a comprehensive plan may turn out to be the tie breaker.