Special
report: Tension escalates in Iraq
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U.S. soldiers inspect the site where a
car bomb exploded in Baghdad. US spy agencies have dropped a political
bombshell six weeks before national elections, with the leak of a
classified report concluding that the war in Iraq has spawned a new wave
of Islamic radicalism and increased the global threat of terrorism (Photo:
AFP)
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WASHINGTON, Sept. 24 (Xinhua) -- U.S. spy agencies
have concluded in a new report that the Iraq war has amplified overall terror
threat by giving rise to a new wave of extremism, U.S. mainstream media reported
Sunday.
The report said rather than contributing to eventual
victory in the war on terror, the situation in Iraq has worsened the U.S.
position, both The Washington Post and The New York Times reported, quoting
government sources.
Completed in April, the 30-page National Intelligence
Estimate (NIE) titled "Trends in Global Terrorism: Implications for the United
States," is the first formal assessment of global terrorism by U.S. intelligence
community since the Iraq war began in 2003 and represents a consensus view of
the 16 different spy services.
The report believed that the "centrality" of the U.S.
invasion of Iraq and the insurgency that followed, have become the leading
inspiration for new extremist groups and cells that are united by little more
than anti-Western agenda.
The conclusions of the NIE appeared to contradict
starkly with repeated claims by U.S. President George W. Bush that Iraq holds
the key to the final victory of war on terror.
The report did not make specific predictions, like
when will be the next attack on U.S. soil, but said the overall terror threat
has increased since the 9/11 attacks.
However, White House spokesman Peter Watkins rejected
the tone of media reports about the NIE, saying they are not "representative of
the complete document," though he did not mention any content of the classified
report. Enditem
Related stories:
Newspaper: Iraq war fuels terror
LOS ANGELES, Sept. 24 (Xinhua) -- The Iraq war "has
made global terrorism worse by fanning Islamic radicalism," a newspaper report
quoted U.S. intelligence agencies as saying on Sunday.
The war has also provided "a training ground for
lethal methods that are increasingly being exported to other countries," the Los
Angeles Times said, quoted assessments by U.S. intelligence agencies.
The paper cited the "bleak analysis" by 16 U.S.
intelligence units which said the conflict has spread extremism and serves as a
laboratory for deadly tactics. Full story>>
Death toll in car bombing in central Baghdad rises to
4
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U.S. military helicopters hover above
the site where a car bomb exploded in Baghdad. Iraq 's fractious
parliament resolved a three week standoff by agreeing to a debate on
federalism urged by Shiites and a review of the constitution demanded by
Sunnis. (Photo: Xinhua/AFP)
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