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Al-Qaida Said To Be Stronger Along Border

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The Washington Post

Published: August 13, 2008

WASHINGTON - Al-Qaida has exploited recent political turmoil in Pakistan to strengthen its foothold along the country's border with Afghanistan, a top U.S. counterterrorism official said Tuesday in an assessment that also warned of a heightened risk of attack during the upcoming U.S. election season.

Despite the loss of key leaders to U.S. strikes, Osama bin Laden continues to enjoy a haven in the border region and has managed to deepen alliances with a wide range of Islamist groups from South Asia to the Middle East, said Ted Gistaro, the national intelligence officer for transnational threats and an al-Qaida expert.

With the help of such allies, al-Qaida is seeking to position terrorist operatives in the United States and other Western countries, Gistaro said.

"We assess that al-Qaida's intent to attack the U.S. homeland remains undiminished," Gistaro said in a speech at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy.

Gistaro was the principal author of a "National Intelligence Estimate" report last August that described a resurgent al-Qaida rebuilding its network inside the autonomous tribal lands in Pakistan's northwestern frontier. Such estimates represent the consensus view of U.S. intelligence agencies.

In the year since the report's release, bin Laden has been dealt numerous setbacks, particularly in Iraq, where al-Qaida's local affiliates suffered repeated military losses as well as declining popular support.

In Pakistan, though, al-Qaida's position is stronger than ever, as its Taliban allies have undermined local government forces to extend its control over the region, Gistaro said.

Bin Laden appears particularly interested, Gistaro added, in finding recruits of Western origin who possess travel documents and language skills that allow them easy access to Europe and the United States.

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