posted May 25, 2004 03:12 PM            

Al-Qaida is probably working on plans for major attacks on the United States and Europe, and it may be seeking weapons of mass destruction in its desire to inflict as many casualties as possible, the International Institute of Strategic Studies said in its annual survey of world affairs.

Osama bin Laden's network appears to be operating in more than 60 nations, often in concert with local allies, the study by the independent think tank said.

Although about half of al-Qaida's top 30 leaders have been killed or captured, it has an effective leadership, with bin Laden apparently still playing a key role, it said.

''Al-Qaida must be expected to keep trying to develop more promising plans for terrorist operations in North America and Europe, potentially involving weapons of mass destruction,'' IISS director Dr. John Chipman told a press conference releasing ''Strategic Survey 2003/4.''

At the same time it will likely continue attacking ''soft targets encompassing Americans, Europeans and Israelis, and aiding the insurgency in Iraq,'' he added.

The report suggested that the two military centerpieces of the U.S.-led war on terror - the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq - may have boosted al-Qaida.

Driving the terror network out of Afghanistan in late 2001 appears to have benefited the group, which dispersed to many countries, making it almost invisible and hard to combat, the story said.

And the Iraq conflict ''has arguably focused the energies and resources of al-Qaida and its followers while diluting those of the global counterterrorism coalition that appeared so formidable'' after the Afghan intervention, the survey said.

The U.S. occupation of Iraq brought al-Qaida recruits from across Islamic nations, the study said. Up to 1,000 foreign Islamic fighters have infiltrated Iraqi territory, where they are cooperating with Iraqi insurgents, the survey said.

Efforts to defeat al-Qaida will take time and might accelerate only if there are political developments that now seem elusive, such as the democratization of Iraq and the resolution of conflict in Israel, it said.

It could take up to 500,000 U.S. and allied troops to effectively police Iraq and restore political stability, IISS researcher Christopher Langton told the news conference.

Such a figure appeared impossible to meet, given political disquiet in the United States and Britain and the unwillingness of other nations to send troops, he said.

The United States is al-Qaida's prime target in a war it sees as a death struggle between civilizations, the report said. An al-Qaida leader has said 4 million Americans will have to be killed ''as a prerequisite to any Islamic victory,'' the survey said.

''Al-Qaida's complaints have been transformed into religious absolutes and cannot be satisfied through political compromise,'' the study said.

The IISS said its estimate of 18,000 al-Qaida fighters was based on intelligence estimates that the group trained at least 20,000 fighters in its camps in Afghanistan before the United States and its allies ousted the Taliban regime. In the ensuing war on terror, some 2,000 al-Qaida fighters have been killed or captured, the survey said.

Al-Qaida appears to have successfully reconstituted its operations by dispersing its forces into small groups and through working with local allies, such as the Great Eastern Islamic Raiders' Front in Turkey, the report said.

''Al-Qaida is the common ideological and logistical hub for disparate local affiliates, and bin Laden's charisma, presumed survival and elusiveness enhance the organization's iconic drawing power,'' it said.

05/25/04 14:27 ET

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WE NEED TO PULL ALL OF OUR TROOPS AND THOSE THAT ARE INVOLVED OUT OF THE MIDDLE EAST,BRING THEM TO ALL THE CELLS(ALL AROUND THE WORLD)AND BURN THEM OUT (LIKE WASPS IN A NEST TO GASOLINE),SEND OUR SATELLITES ( TO TARGET OUR ENIMIES, FROM WHAT WE CAN POSSIBLY IMAGIN TO BEING IN THIS 'OTHER ELITE' OR WHAT HAVE YOU)GET THE CIA,DIA,HOMELAND SECURITY,ETC,TO START DOING THOROUGH INVESTIGATIONS ON ALL SLEEPER CELLS THROUGHOUT THE WHOLE WORLD AND ATTACK THEM WITHOUT RESISTANCE!

STOP THIS GABAGE OF TRYING TO TURN THIS WHOLE THING INTO THE 60'S AGAIN,BECAUSE THE LAST TIME I CHECKED,THIS WAS 2004 'BROTHERS AND SISTERS' AND WE-A-NOW-A-SUPERPOWER!

IT'S ABOUT TIME WE FLEXED A LITTLE MUSCLE!

IT'S TIME FOR... BROKEN ARROW!

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posted May 26, 2004 04:27 AM            

The intelligence was described Tuesday by a senior counterterrorism official on condition of anonymity as extremely credible and backed by an unusually high level of corroboration.

The intelligence does not include a time, place or method of attack but is among the most disturbing received by the government since the al-Qaida attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, the official said.

''There is clearly a steady drumbeat of information that they are going to attack and hit us hard,'' the official said.

Attorney General John Ashcroft and FBI Director Robert Mueller scheduled a news conference Wednesday to outline an intensive effort by law enforcement, intelligence and homeland security officials to detect and disrupt any potential plots. And the FBI was dispatching a bulletin to some 18,000 state and local law enforcement agencies warning of the threat.

Beginning with Saturday's dedication of the new World War II Memorial in Washington, the summer presents a number of high-profile targets in the United States. They include the G-8 summit in Georgia next month that will attract top officials from some of America's closest allies, plus the Democratic National Convention in Boston in July and the Republican National Convention in August in New York City.

The FBI and Homeland Security Department also are concerned about so-called soft targets such as shopping malls anywhere in the United States that offer a far less protected environment than a political convention hall.

Of special concern, the counterterrorism official said, is the possibility that terrorists may possess and use a chemical, biological or radiological weapon that could cause much more damage and casualties than a conventional bomb.

Despite that, the official said there was no immediate plan to raise the nation's terrorism threat level from yellow, or elevated, to orange, or high. The threat level has been at yellow - midpoint on the five-color scale - since January.

Los Angeles police held a news conference Tuesday to reassure the public.

''We would be foolhardy to ignore those statements, but I think it would be irresponsible to panic,'' said John Miller, head of the LAPD counterterrorism bureau.

New York Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly said city officials had not been advised that terrorists were plotting an attack there.

''We are receiving highly sensitive intelligence information on a regular basis, including today, and there is nothing in that reporting to indicate a specific threat or looming attack against New York City,'' Kelly said in a statement late Tuesday.

The FBI already has created a special task force that is focused solely on dealing with this summer's threat. The task force, whose existence until recently was classified, is intended to ensure that no valuable bits of information or intelligence fall through the cracks, as happened before the Sept. 11 attacks.

Other actions to be taken include new FBI interviews with people who may have provided valuable information in the past, distribution of photos of individuals sought for questioning and a fresh examination of older investigative leads to determine whether they might point to elements of the summer plot.

U.S. authorities have said repeatedly that al-Qaida is determined to mount an attack on U.S. soil, in part to announce to the world that it remains capable of doing so despite the money and effort that has gone into homeland security since the Sept. 11 attacks.

There also is concern terrorists might try to mount an attack to coincide with the November election. The political fallout from the March 11 train bombings in Spain taught al-Qaida that an attack timed to an election can have a major impact. Spain's former ruling party was ousted in the voting that followed the bombing, which killed 191 and injured more than 2,000.

The official did not say how many suspected al-Qaida or other terrorist operatives are believed in the country, whether they made their way into the United States recently or have been here for some time. The FBI has warned in the past that Islamic extremist groups may attempt to recruit non-Middle Easterners or women for attacks because they would be less likely to arouse suspicion.

Special security attention already is being focused to the nation's rail, subway and bus lines. The FBI last week sent out an intelligence bulletin to law enforcement agencies urging vigilance against suicide bombers, who have been used by terror groups worldwide to devastating effect but not so far in the United States.

AP-NY-05-26-04 0219EDT

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MAN! Everytime I go on the PC nowadays,I get the crap scared out of me more and more!

posted May 26, 2004 11:30 AM              

Notice how they ONLY go for civilian targets? Yet, the outrage expressed by some about civilians being caught in the cross fire in Iraq...You don't hear a peep from them about civilians being TARGETED by terrorist groups on a regular basis. Your own civilians are being targeted right now.

Funny how bleeding hearts only bleed for their own pet causes.

posted May 26, 2004 12:35 PM            

''I can confirm that we have seen for the past several weeks a continuous stream of reporting that talks about the possibility of attacks on the United States,'' Ridge said.

Appearing on morning television news shows in advance of a news conference later Wednesday by Attorney General John Ashcroft and FBI Director Robert Mueller, Ridge said of potential terrorists on U.S. soil: ''It's our job, obviously, to try to identify who they are and apprehend them.''

Ashcroft and Mueller were expected to draw new attention to photos of several suspected al-Qaida operatives the FBI has been pursuing for months. They include Adnan G. El Shukrijumah, a Saudi native who once lived in Florida, and Aafia Siddiqui, a woman from Pakistan who studied at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Summer Terror Warning

Broadband Only
Ridge Calls Threats 'Unspecific'


A federal law enforcement official, speaking Wednesday on condition of anonymity, said there was no new information indicating those individuals were in the United States. But ratcheting up publicity about them could lead investigators to some of their associates who remain in the country, the official said.

U.S. counterterrorism and law enforcement officials said Tuesday that new intelligence indicates a group of terrorists already deployed inside the United States is preparing to launch a major attack this summer. This information was described by a senior counterterrorism official on condition of anonymity as extremely credible and backed by an unusually high level of corroboration.

But Ridge, interviewed on NBC's ''Today'' show, said there are no current plans to lift the national alert status from yellow, where it has stood since January. That's the midlevel alert level on a five-step warning program.

''First of all, every day we take a look at the overall threat reporting that we receive,'' Ridge said. ''There's not a consensus within the administration that we need to raise the threat level. ... We do not need to raise the threat level to increase security. Right now, there's no need to put the entire country on a (elevated) national alert.''

Potential Terror Targets



Captions sources: AP, CNN


The intelligence does not include a time, place or method of attack but is among the most disturbing received by the government since the al-Qaida attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, the senior counterterrorism official said.

''There is clearly a steady drumbeat of information that they are going to attack and hit us hard,'' the official said.