There should be no surprise over resurgent al-Qaeda network: US official

US Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff has made a good point that no one who follows the news should have been surprised by the conclusion of US intelligence agencies that the al-Qaeda is growing stronger, and would stage another major attack against the US.

Washington, July 19 : US Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff has made a good point that no one who follows the news should have been surprised by the conclusion of US intelligence agencies that the al-Qaeda is growing stronger, and would stage another major attack against the US.

The al-Qaeda has established a sanctuary in Pakistan's tribal areas -- cited as among "key elements" in the regeneration of "its homeland attack ability" by the new National Intelligence Estimate (NIE), Chertoff said.

Al-Qaeda will continue to enhance its capabilities to attack the homeland through greater co-operation with regional terrorist groups. Of note, we assess that the organisation will probably seek to leverage the contacts and capabilities of al Qaeda in Iraq (AQI)," the report said.

The al-Qaeda's association with its network in Iraq helps it to energise the broader Sunni extremist community, raise resources, and to recruit and indoctrinate operatives, including for attacks on the US, the report said.

The "leverage" provided by a thriving affiliate organisation in Iraq is all too obvious, and what's missing in Washington is not information about the al-Qaeda, but a readiness to make hard decisions about how to protect the country, Chertoff said.

"The Bush Administration has been trying to avoid this problem for too long, despite the clear lesson of Afghanistan. The September 11 commission concluded that tolerance of al-Qaeda's network there was of "direct and indirect value . . . to al-Qaeda in preparing the 9/11 attack," said The Washington Post in its editorial

The commission asked the US Government to destroy such bases in the future "using all elements of national power."

Senior Bush Administration officials have publicly acknowledged since early this year that the al-Qaeda sanctuary exists in Pakistan, and have depended on Pakistan's President Pervez Musharraf to act against the terrorist organisation, the paper writes

The paper also said that over dependence on Musharraf is not good for the future because he had pursued a contrary policy of appeasing the Pakistani tribesmen who are harboring the Taliban and the al-Qaeda.

Senior Bush Administration officials believe that Musharraf will resume military operations in the tribal areas after a 10-month suspension, but failed to note that earlier operations by the Pakistani Army has failed, and the government forces may be too weak to break up the Al-Qaeda sanctuary, the editorial said.

If Pakistani forces fail to eliminate the terrorist sanctuary, President Bush must order targeted strikes or covert actions by American forces, as he has done several times in recent years.

The paper concludes that the US action has the risk of further destabilising Pakistan, but those risks must be weighed against the consequences of another large-scale attack on the US soil.

ANI