Root Causes In Their Esteemable Estimates

ClimbOutOfThatStovepipe
AntiDelusionVille


The latest in the war to create terra......

WASHINGTON Sept 24, 2006 (AP) - The Iraq war has contributed to an increased threat of terrorism, according to an intelligence assessment that has not lessened the Senate majority leader's defense of the U.S.-led invasion three years ago and occupation.

The classified assessment of the war's impact on terrorism came in a National Intelligence Estimate that represents a consensus view of the 16 disparate spy services inside government, an intelligence official said Sunday. The official, confirming accounts first published in Sunday's New York Times and Washington Post, spoke on condition of anonymity because the report is classified.

The report found that the war has helped create a new generation of Islamic radicalism and that the overall terrorist threat has grown since the Sept. 11 attacks.

Sen. Bill Frist, R-Tenn. said he had not seen the classified report, which was completed in April, but said Americans understand the United States must continue to fight terrorists in Iraq and elsewhere.

``Either we are going to be fighting this battle, this war overseas, or it's going to be right here in this country,'' Frist said on ABC's ``This Week,'' echoing an argument that President Bush frequently makes.

Two things.

First, that National Intelligence Estimate is an American document from 16 American 'spy service' entities. Clearly some among them have decided scale the walls of their stovepipes built by the likes of Mr. Cheney and uber-spy master Mr. Negroponte.

Second, it has already been demonstrated that graphic images from foreign terror honeytraps have indeed been used as propaganda tools to help recruit and radicalize 'homegrown' (ie. Western-based) terrorists:

Mohammad Sidique Khan blew himself up on 7 July (2005) while travelling on the London Underground near to Edgware Road. He killed himself and six other people.

As the oldest of the four bombers, investigators assume he was the ringleader.

Earlier this week, new footage of him denouncing the West and criticising Muslim leaders emerged on the internet.

While Khan's path into terrorism has been blamed on radical mosques and a lack of integration into British society, the BBC investigation reveals that neither of these appeared to be factors in his radicalisation.

BBC reporter Nasreen Suleaman has uncovered close friends who say that his radicalisation happened in backrooms in Yorkshire, rather than in religious institutions or foreign trips.

In the documentary "Khalid", a former member of Khan's inner circle, says that Khan became part of a tight-knit group of young, radicalised Muslim men from Dewsbury, Leeds and Huddersfield.

The men used to spend time paintballing, trips that would take place immediately after watching extremely violent videos depicting Muslim suffering around the world.

Another of the bombers, Germaine (or Jamal) Lindsay was also involved in this group, according to Khalid.

"Before we would leave the house, there would sometimes be a video reflecting what's happening in Palestine or Chechnya or other places where Muslims were affected," Khalid tells the documentary.

"Looking back on it now I do find it a bit weird that we had such a viewing. I can see why some youth would be affected by this - they get fired up, they get stirred up - and having the airing of that video might not have been in the best interests of certain people.

"Mohammad Sidique Khan was there but someone else was introducing the videos."

Now, with respect to root causes that is all scary enough.

But here's something about Mr. Khan that is even scarier, and more chilling, especially if you are even slightly inclined to give some credence to the Bush doctrine clap-trap about how it's important to make war to ensure that we are "fightin' 'em over there so we don't have to fight 'em over here."

The documentary also reveals for the first time details of Khan's earlier life, including his apparent dream to become an American.

Khan as a teenager shook off his Pakistani-Muslim identity, claim friends, and chose to present himself as an exclusively westernised young man going by the nickname "Sid".

"He seemed to have more white friends than Asian friends," said one of his closest friends from school days, Rob Cardiss.

"He used to hang around with white lads playing football. And he was very English. Some of the other Pakistani guys used to talk about Muslim suffering around the world but with Sidique you'd never really know what religion he was from."

OK?

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For interest's sake I decided to go see what Mr. Negroponte is up to these days. Seems he's looking for new honeypots in......ummmm.........Lebanon.
Finally, to my knowledge, but I'd be happy to be corrected if I'm wrong, there have been no terrorist reprisals, either internally or externally launched, against any country due to their legitimate and goodfaithed 'peacekeeping' (ie. as opposed to their 'warmaking') efforts.

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