As the administration’s own 2006 National Intelligence Estimate explains, “[T]he Iraq War has become the `cause celebre’ for jihadists … and is shaping a new generation of terrorist leaders and operatives.”
October 16, 2007 12:55 pm Afghanistan, Iraq War Facilitated Recruitment by Militant Islamic Gr, Bin Laden as perceived in the Muslim world, Al-Qaeda (al-Qa`ida), Iraq, Pakistan, War on Terror as Misguided MetaphorPeter Bergen, How Osama Bin Laden Beat George W. Bush, TNR, October 15, 2007
The removal of Saddam Hussein would prove to be a boon to Al Qaeda–creating a base for the terrorist organization where none had existed before, energizing jihadists around the word, and confirming for many Muslims bin Laden’s contention that the United States was at war with Islam….
As the administration’s own 2006 National Intelligence Estimate explains, “[T]he Iraq War has become the [`]cause celebre’ for jihadists … and is shaping a new generation of terrorist leaders and operatives.”