[Washington Post ] Editorial - As the U.S. mourns and commemorates the worst act of terrorism ever carried out on U.S. soil, and reflects thankfully on the fact that it has not been repeated, there are ominous signs that al-Qaeda is back as a coherent, global force capable of inflicting damage. Al-Qaeda is once again able to operate from a consistent haven. According to the National Intelligence Estimate, the organization "has protected or regenerated key elements of its homeland attack capability" inside Pakistan. The recently disrupted bomb plot in Germany illustrates what this means. The three men arrested, along with at least two others still at large, had traveled recently to the lawless Pakistani region of Waziristan, where they received explosives training from Uzbek Islamist terrorists allied with al-Qaeda, according to the New York Times. They were allegedly planning to attack U.S. sites in Germany. The organizer of the London massacre, which claimed 52 lives, also trained in Waziristan. From the standpoint of U.S. national security, this situation is intolerable.
2007-09-12 01:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive