'Al-Qaeda chief has well-stocked teams in place'

[ECH1969]

BRITISH intelligence and security services are on high alert in preparation for terror attacks in major UK cities following the double assault on London. Emergency planners are keyed up for terror strikes in cities such as Glasgow and Birmingham. The net has also widened across the world in the hunt for those who planned and helped prepare the July 7 and July 21 attacks in London.

Intelligence and security analysts believe that Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, an al-Qaeda chief in Iraq, has built up such a well-stocked team of fighters that he has been able to send a number of trained terrorists back to their countries of origin in recent months.

Prior to the London bombings, Zarqawi threatened Britain, Italy, France, Denmark and Russia. The UK and Italy were top of the hit list. Also under threat were the nations of Egypt – which was hit early yesterday morning with devastating car bombs – Syria, Jordan and Saudi Arabia. Zarqawi also warned Israel that the state was “in his sights – and very soon”.

Some intelligence analysts estimate up to 1000 foreign fighters in Iraq may have been ordered back to their homelands in countries as disparate as Egypt and Britain to prepare for assaults in their own states.

http://www.sundayherald.com/50952

[merwin]

1. So Bush's plan of fighting them everywhere but the USA is working.

[daleo]

2. For now it is.

I wonder if he mentioned to Blair that he considered London to be flypaper too?

[OneBlueSky]

3. the terrifying equation that keeps running through my head . . .

Al-Qaeda = BushCo . . .

can't seem to shake it . . .

[CJCRANE]

4. But Blair

told us Iraq had nothing to do with the latest attacks...

[leesa]

5. Pure Fantasy. Where's Goldstein?

[ECH1969]

7. Pure Fantasy that the Iraq War has helped al-Qaeda?

And made the world less safe? I understand the desire to want to pretend that al-Qaeda isn't in Iraq. Zarqawi doesn't help Bush's ratings on Iraq, I have looked back quite a bit about that and even when Bush had five days of straight postive coverage about Zarqawi being seriously wounded or killed it didn't bring up Bush's poll numbers one bit and his numbers dropped in that period anyway. The best attack is that the war has made the world less safe and Zarqawi is a very good example of that and that is what the public feels, that the war has empowered al-Qaeda and Zarqawi.

[bassman79]

9. Zarqawi is the fantasy

Does this dude even exist? I seriously doubt it.

[Maple]

10. Iraqis never heard of him

before. And he's certainly become some mythical creature like Robin Hood or the Scarlet Pimpernel.

He was dying from a sucking chest wound just a few weeks ago.

He's risen from the dead more often than Jesus.

And he's regrown his amputated leg as well.

Quite a character.

[ECH1969]

12. A bit of background

That was a rumor in Iraq that was picked up by the media that he had a sucking chest wound. But, that was false as he released a long audio tape a few days later.

And, the story about him losing a leg came from a wire tape in 2002 where a Ansar member said to someone else that he heard from someone else that Zarqawi had his leg amputated.

We go through with these same stories with Bin Laden, that he is on a dialasis machine and being near death or dead. All these stories we are getting is second and third hand rumors that end up in the hands of some reporter.

Maybe, neither Zarqawi and Bin Laden are real and all we hear is rumors of rumors made up by the terrorists so they can have symbols to follow, but I doubt it.

[bassman79]

8. 1984

"In some ways she was far more acute than Winston, and
far less susceptible to Party propaganda. Once when he
had happened in some connection to mention the war
against Eurasia, she startled him by saying casually
that in her opinion the war was not happening. The
rocket bombs which fell daily on London were probably
fired by the Government of Oceania itself, 'just to
keep the people frightened.'" - 1984

[bassman79]

6. Just waiting for Bush's signal

[Prisoner_Number_Six]

11. Still confident, poodle boy?

Have you looked into your soul mate's eyes lately, Mister Blair? Still sure you did the right thing?

http://www.campchaos.com/show.php?iID=647