New UN Report Echoes NIE! Says Iraq Occupation Has Caused More Terror

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September 27, 2006

Bush contends with 2 reports refuting Iraq gains

By Steve Holland 2 hours, 5 minutes ago

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - An intelligence report showing an upsurge in Islamic militancy put the White House on the defensive on Wednesday in an election-year debate over whether
President George W. Bush has made America safer.

In a second blow to the president, a new U.N. report said the Iraq war was providing al Qaeda with a training center and fresh recruits, and was inspiring a Taliban resurgence in Afghanistan hundreds of miles away.

The NIE report, prepared in April, also said the Iraq war had become the "cause celebre" for jihadists, breeding a deep resentment of U.S. involvement in the Muslim world and cultivating supporters for the global jihadist movement."

The U.N. report released on Wednesday jibed with the NEI's conclusions.

"New explosive devices are now used in Afghanistan within a month of their first appearing in Iraq," it said. "And while the Taliban have not been found fighting outside Afghanistan/Pakistan, there have been reports of them training in both Iraq and Somalia."

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20060927/pl_nm/security_usa_dc_3

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1. found the report

here's are excerpts: http://www.un.org/Docs/journal/asp/ws.asp?m=s/2006/750

Iraq and Al-Qaida

14. As Iraq continues to slide towards civil war, Al-Qaida may paradoxically see more losses than
gains. It has gained by continuing to play a central role in the fighting and in encouraging the growth
of sectarian violence; and Iraq has provided many recruits and an excellent training ground. Also, the death of Al-Zarqawi, while a significant blow, may not have been totally unwelcome to the Al-Qaida leadership. First, it eliminated an alternative focus to Bin Laden and Zawahiri; second, it removed a particularly bloodthirsty criminal, who undermined the righteous image of Al-Qaida that Bin Laden tried to portray, and third, it removed the most repellent image of terrorism in Iraq, which may have dissuaded many from joining its ranks, and caused divisions among those that did.

In addition, Georgian officials reported having taken action to deport several persons who had received training from Al-Qaida or the Taliban, but were not immediately able to say whether or not
any listed individual had been among them. Jordanian officials noted that persons involved in recent terrorist attacks in the country were not included on the List, but had been trained and armed by Al-Qaida in Iraq.

links to report (click on language for pdf.): http://www.un.org/Docs/journal/asp/ws.asp?m=s/2006/750

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