18000 Al-Qaida Fighters at large

The International Institute of Strategic Studies were also Pro-War

Al-Qaida Has More Than 18,000 Potential Fighters at Large

LONDON (AP) - Despite losses around the world, al-Qaida has more than 18,000 potential terrorists, and its ranks are growing because of the conflict in Iraq, a leading think tank warned Tuesday.
Al-Qaida still has a functioning leadership despite the death or capture of key figures, and estimates suggest al-Qaida operates in more than 60 nations around the world, the International Institute of Strategic Studies said in its Strategic Survey 2003-4.

The terrorist group poses a growing threat to Western interests and attacks are likely to increase, the institute said.

"Al-Qaida must be expected to keep trying to develop more promising plans for terrorist operations in North America and Europe, potentially involving weapons of mass destruction," institute director John Chipman told a news conference to launch the annual survey.

At the same time, it will continue carrying out attacks on "soft targets encompassing Americans, Europeans and Israelis and aiding the insurgency in Iraq," he added.

The estimate of 18,000 fighters was based on intelligence estimates that al-Qaida trained at least 20,000 fighters in its training camps in Afghanistan before the United States and its allies ousted the Taliban regime. In the ensuing war on terror, some 2,000 al-Qaida fighters have been killed or captured, the survey said.

The United States remains al-Qaida's prime target, the report said. An al-Qaida leader has said 4 million Americans will have to be killed "as a prerequisite to any Islamic victory," the survey said.

Iraq has become the new magnet of al-Qaida's war against the United States and up to 1,000 foreign Islamic fighters have infiltrated Iraqi territory, where they are cooperating with Iraqi forces, the survey said.

Al-Qaida appears to have successfully reconstituted its operations in dispersed groups and through local allies since being driven out of Afghanistan, the survey said.

"The Madrid bombings in March 2004 suggested that al-Qaida had fully reconstituted, set its sights firmly on the U.S. and its closest Western allies in Europe, and established a new and effective modus operandi," the survey said.

The U.S.-led war in Iraq has increased the risk to Western interests in Arab countries, the survey said.

The West and its allies must continue to mount a major offensive against al-Qaida and progress will be incremental, the report said. Any security offensive against al-Qaida must be accompanied with political developments, such as the democratization of Iraq and the resolution of conflict in Israel, it said.

Progress against al-Qaida "is likely to accelerate only with currently elusive political developments that would broadly depress recruitment and motivation," the report said.

Sources : http://ap.tbo.com/ap/breaking/MGBQ7VWZNUD.html
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,120938,00.html
http://www.cnn.com/2004/WORLD/europe....ap/index.html
http://news.independent.co.uk/world/...p?story=524939

And there's 6 billion people who hate them and want them dead.

Was reading some opinion article in the paper the other day. The person who wrote it thinks that we should take the family of one of the known terrorists, and execute them on television. His theory was that a lot of terrorists do this so their family's are taken care of, but knowing their family might be murdered might make them think twice. Frightening concept.

Doesn't that then make us terrorists?

18,000 ? is that all?

How many did it take to cause 3000 deaths?

Anyone else find incredible irony in the fact that despite strict government control of the airports, the only people that actually stopped an attack were 3 untrained guys in the air?

I'm betting this new warning of 18,000 Al-Qaida operatives brings calls for even more surveillance and abuses of power. All to keep us safe, mind you. They'll never misuse the new powers they'll acquire, and they'll relinquish them when the crisis has passed.

Adrian

Isn`t this makeing people being scared...

Yes, and I think they should be. They will strike again, I don't doubt it.

We know how many they are.
We know where they are.
We know what they're up to.

What can we do?

Ponrauil