DAR AL HARB/ISLAM: WESTERN RECRUITS STREAMING INTO AL QAEDA CAMPS

Western recruits bolster al-Qaida, pose new threat

A steady stream of Western recruits to al-Qaida camps on the Pakistani border bolsters the group’s ability to strike the United States, the nation’s top intelligence official told the Senate Intelligence Committee on Tuesday.

Those camps are preparing recruits to launch terror attacks around the world, and are also a staging ground for assaults on neighboring Afghanistan, said National Intelligence Director Michael McConnell.

“Al-Qaida is improving the last key aspect of its ability to attack the U.S.: the identification, training and positioning of operatives for an attack on the homeland,” McConnell testified.

In addition, radical elements are now a threat to the survival of Pakistan, prompting Pakistani military leaders to recognize that more aggressive efforts are needed to get the elements under control, McConnell said.

Meanwhile, Senate Democrats demanded a criminal investigation into waterboarding by government interrogators after the Bush administration acknowledged for the first time that the tactic was used on three terror suspects.

...


Pertinent Links:

1) Western recruits bolster al-Qaida, pose new threat