We were attacked by OBL and terrorists based in Afghanistan. Because of our invasion, OBL is no longer being hosted by a country and being allowed to use that country as a terrorist training ground. He's hiding in a cave or dead or living in a hole in the ground (like Saddam did).
The war on terror will probably never end, but we made great strides by wiping out the base responsible for 911.
what about places like iran, syria, chechnya...even saudi arabia...where most of the 19 hijackers came from...ok, i'll give you afghanistan..but what did iraq have to do with 9/11....see what i'm saying here..you can go on and on but you can't wage a military war forever---and you can't invade everyone...and if there are still countries like those just mentioned you better be willing to wipe them completely off the fucking planet and stop pussy-footing around with them. i don't see the great strides when i see stuff like this....
U.S. intelligence analysts have concluded that al-Qaeda has rebuilt its operating capability to a level not seen since just before the Sept. 11 attacks, the Associated Press has learned.
The conclusion suggests that the group that launched the most devastating terror attack on the United States has been able to regroup along the Afghan-Pakistani border despite nearly six years of bombings, war, and other tactics aimed at crippling it.
Still, numerous government officials say they know of no specific, credible threat of a new attack on U.S. soil.
A counterterrorism official familiar with a five-page summary of the new government threat assessment called it a stark appraisal to be discussed at the White House today as part of a broader meeting on a forthcoming National Intelligence Estimate.
The official and others spoke on condition of anonymity because the secret report remains classified.
The document, produced by counterterrorism analysts, focuses on the terror group's haven in Pakistan and makes a range of observations about the threat posed to the United States and allies, officials said.
Al-Qaeda is "considerably operationally stronger than a year ago" and has "regrouped to an extent not seen since 2001," the official said, paraphrasing the report's conclusions. "They are showing greater and greater ability to plan attacks in Europe and the United States."
The group also has created "the most robust training program since 2001, with an interest in using European operatives," the official quoted the report as saying.
At the same time, the official said, the report speaks of "significant gaps in intelligence" so U.S. authorities might be ignorant of potential or planned attacks.
John Kringen, who heads the CIA's analysis directorate, echoed the concerns about al-Qaeda's resurgence during testimony and conversations with reporters at a House Armed Services Committee hearing yesterday.
"They seem to be fairly well settled into the safe haven and the ungoverned spaces of Pakistan," Kringen testified. "We see more training. We see more money. We see more communications. We see that activity rising."
The threat assessment comes as the 16 U.S. intelligence agencies prepare a National Intelligence Estimate focusing on threats to the United States. Kringen and aides to National Intelligence Director Mike McConnell would not comment on the details of that analysis.
"Preparation of the estimate is not a response to any specific threat," McConnell's spokesman, Ross Feinstein, said, adding that it would be ready for distribution this summer.
Counterterrorism officials have been increasingly concerned about al-Qaeda's recent operations. This week, Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff said he had a "gut feeling" that the United States faced a heightened risk of attack this summer.
The Bush administration has repeatedly cited al-Qaeda as a key justification for continuing the fight in Iraq.
The findings come as Capitol Hill support for the war is eroding and the administration is struggling to defend its decision for a military buildup in Iraq.
The threat assessment says that al-Qaeda stepped up efforts to "improve its core operational capability" in late 2004 but did not succeed until December 2006 after the Pakistani government signed a peace agreement with tribal leaders that effectively removed government military presence from the northwest frontier with Afghanistan.
The agreement allows Taliban and al-Qaeda operatives to move across the border with impunity and establish and run training centers, the report says, according to the counterterrorism official.
It also says that al-Qaeda was particularly interested in building up the numbers in its middle ranks, or operational positions, so there is not as great a lag in attacks when such people are killed.
The counterterrorism official said the
