2006-09-23 Spy Agencies Say Iraq War Worsens Terrorism Threat

2006-09-23 New York Times Mark Mazzetti \torture\US-Iraq War\terrorism\War on Terror\National Intelligence Estimate\War on the internet http://www.nytimes.com/2006/09/24/world/middleeast/24terror.html Spy Agencies Say Iraq War Worsens Terrorism Threat &ldquo;A stark assessment of terrorism trends by American intelligence agencies has found that the American invasion and occupation of Iraq has helped spawn a new generation of Islamic radicalism and that the overall terrorist threat has grown since the Sept. 11 attacks.&rdquo; ... &ldquo;It also examines how the Internet has helped spread jihadist ideology, and how cyberspace has become a haven for terrorist operatives who no longer have geographical refuges in countries like Afghanistan.&rdquo;  A stark assessment of terrorism trends by American intelligence agencies has found that the American invasion and occupation of Iraq has helped spawn a new generation of Islamic radicalism and that the overall terrorist threat has grown since the Sept. 11 attacks. ... The estimate concludes that the radical Islamic movement has expanded from a core of Qaeda operatives and affiliated groups to include a new class of "self-generating" cells inspired by Al Qaeda's leadership but without any direct connection to Osama bin Laden or his top lieutenants.

It also examines how the Internet has helped spread jihadist ideology, and how cyberspace has become a haven for terrorist operatives who no longer have geographical refuges in countries like Afghanistan. What, like they can hide out on the Internet and be safe from American missiles? If I look inside my computer chassis, will I find terrorists cooking breakfast with the heat from my CPU? (I suspect "haven" was a poorly-chosen word; perhaps "venue" or "meeting place".)   