Al-Qaida could use Iraq contacts to attack US

Al-Qaida will likely use its contacts and capabilities in Iraq to mount an attack on US soil, according to a new National Intelligence Estimate on threats to the American homeland.

The declassified key findings, to be released publicly on today, were obtained in advance by The Associated Press.

The report lays out a range of dangers – from al-Qaida to Lebanese Hezbollah to non-Muslim radical groups – that pose a “persistent and evolving threat” to the country over the next three years.

As expected, however, the findings focus most of their attention on the gravest terror problem: Osama bin Laden’s al-Qaida network.

The report makes clear that al-Qaida in Iraq, which has not yet posed a direct threat to US soil, could become a problem.

“Of note,” the analysts said, “we assess that al-Qaida will probably seek to leverage the contacts and capabilities of al Qaida in Iraq (AQI), its most visible and capable affiliate and the only one known to have expressed a desire to attack the homeland”.

Analysts also found that al-Qaida’s association with its Iraqi affiliate helped the group to energise the broader Sunni Muslim extremist community, raise resources and recruit and indoctrinate operatives – “including for homeland attacks”.