US Kills al-Qaeda in Iraq's No. 2

Attempt to start Al-Qaeda cell in Iraq dates to 2005

(NEWSER) - Osama bin Laden attempted to launch a terrorist cell in Iraq through which Al-Qaeda could attack the US, President Bush said today. The newly declassified information fleshed out a 2005 Homeland Security alert that Bin Laden directed Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, then his top man in Iraq, to organize the unit as part of what he called a "war of destiny." More»

Fighters wary of Iraq are groomed for terror ops on Afghan border

(NEWSER) - Renewed Al-Qaeda strength on the Pakistan-Afghan border is wooing European militants to train in Pakistan, the Los Angeles Times reports. Fighters who are wary of Iraq—where they may have to strap on a bomb on short notice—can enjoy being groomed for missions in Pakistan. “Pakistan worries me more than Iraq,” says a Belgian official, because militants “have time to be trained as operatives.” More»

Bin Laden search finds money trail leading from various sources

(NEWSER) - A stepped-up CIA effort to hunt down Osama Bin Laden in Pakistan hasn't succeeded in locating the terrorist, the LA Times reports, but it has uncovered evidence that cash is being funneled from Iraq to keep Al Qaeda alive and well. "Iraq is a big moneymaker for them," a senior U.S. counter-terrorism official told the Times. More»

Attacks rise 25% percent, driven by

(NEWSER) - Terrorist attacks rose 25 percent in 2006, with much of the rise attributable to Iraq, according to a State Department report released today. Terrorism claimed over 20,000 lives in 2006—two-thirds of those in Iraq—up sharply from 2005, raising doubts about the short-term success of the continued War on Terror. More»

(NEWSER) - Pakistan’s president suggested today that Osama bin Laden could be dead, an assertion the US strenuously objects to, the New York Daily News reports. “He may be dead. But that’s been said before,” Asif Ali Zardari said. “It’s still between fiction and fact.” Zardari offered no proof for his claim. More»