State Dept.: Al Qaeda could use WMD in next two years
By Wolf Blitzer
CNN
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WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Since September 11, 2001, we have all been on a rollercoaster ride of fear followed by relief. Because there have been so many warnings of additional terror attacks against the United States without any actual attack taking place on U.S. soil, we understandably start to almost take the warnings for granted. Moving from the mid-range yellow, or elevated, threat level to orange, or high level, and back down again tends to reinforce that tendency to relax.
But I can't tell you how many top counter-terrorism experts both in and out the government keep warning me that any relaxation would be a huge blunder. They say there are still plenty of terrorists out there who hate the United States and who are actively plotting against us. Yes, the war against terror, including the combat in Afghanistan and more recently in Iraq, has no doubt weakened the international terror alliance against the United States. But make no mistake about it -- there are still terrorists out there ready to launch another operation.
This was underlined this week with word of a report the Bush administration submitted to the United Nations. The report, prepared by the State Department, said there was "a high probability" that al Qaeda will attempt a terror operation using weapons of mass destruction during the next two years. That means a weapon using chemical, biological or even nuclear or radiological components. The report, which was submitted to the U.N. on April 17, is only now being made public. "U.S. government investigations have revealed a widespread militant Islamic presence in the United States," the report says. "We strongly suspect that several hundred of these extremists are linked to al Qaeda."
As you probably know, there has been a significant debate underway in the U.S. Senate on U.S. preparedness for this terror threat. Democratic Senator Bob Graham of Florida, a former chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, says the Bush administration has "essentially abandoned the war on terror for the last 14 months." But the current Chairman, Republican Senator Pat Roberts of Kansas, totally disagrees. "I see intelligence reports every day," Roberts tells me. "We have actually improved our situation in the war against terrorism."
This debate is only just beginning, in part because of the presidential political campaign season is only just beginning.
