Negroponte Says U.S. Not at Higher Risk
John Negroponte Rejects Claim That U.S. Is at Greater Risk of Terrorist Attack
http://www.abcnews.go.com/Politics/wireStory?id=2490389By KATHERINE SHRADER
WASHINGTON Sep 25, 2006 (AP)— National Intelligence Director John Negroponte said Monday the jihad in Iraq is shaping a new generation of terrorist operatives, but rejected assertions, stemming from a leaked intelligence estimate, that the United States is at a greater risk of attack than it was in 2001.
"We are certainly more vigilant. We are better prepared," Negroponte said. "We are safer."
Negroponte's words came at a dinner at Washington's Woodrow Wilson Center after the weekend disclosure of a high-level National Intelligence Estimate. The document gave new fervor to an election-year debate about how the Iraq war has affected national security threats.
The report, Negroponte said, broadly addressed the global terrorist threat, not just the impact of Iraq. He told the audience that radicalism is being fueled by entrenched grievances in the Arab world, the slow pace of social and political reforms there and anti-U.S. sentiment. In addition, he said, "The Iraq jihad is shaping a new generation of terrorist leaders and operatives."