National Intelligence Estimate (Declass)

[Snaquebite]

WASHINGTON — The United States faces a "persistent and evolving terrorist threat" within America's borders in the next three years, reads the latest National Intelligence Estimate released Tuesday.

The document, a product of three years of work among the nation's 16 intelligence agencies, says Islamic terrorist groups, especially Usama bin Laden's Al Qaeda terror network as well as Iranian-backed Hezbollah and even some smaller non-Muslim groups, are driven by a desire to attack the United States and continue to adapt and improve their capabilities.

The intelligence assessment says increased counterterrorism efforts worldwide over the past five years have curtailed Al Qaeda's ability to attack the United States, but have increased the terror group's desire to hit the homeland.

The focus of terrorist groups remains on high-impact, high-casualty attacks in the U.S. rather than smaller actions, which the NIE suggests means the terror groups are just biding their time.

20070717_release.pdf

[brandonm]

In my opinion, this is why we need to keep hitting them square in the nose. So they don't get a chance to attack the homeland.

[Surf n Turf]

Originally Posted by Snaquebite

WASHINGTON — The United States faces a "persistent and evolving terrorist threat" within America's borders in the next three years, reads the latest National Intelligence Estimate released Tuesday.

On a Related note ----

FBI: Iraqis Being Smuggled Across the Rio Grande
July 17, 2007 3:11 PM
Brian Ross Reports:

The FBI is investigating an alleged human smuggling operation based in Chaparral, N.M., that agents say is bringing "Iraqis and other Middle Eastern" individuals across the Rio Grande from Mexico. An FBI intelligence report distributed by the Washington, D.C. Joint Terrorism Task Force, obtained by the Blotter on ABCNews.com, says the illegal ring has been bringing Iraqis across the border illegally for more than a year.
Border Patrol officials in the area said they were unaware of the specifics of the FBI's report, and federal prosecutors in New Mexico told ABCNews.com they had no current cases involving the illegal smuggling of Iraqis. The FBI report, issued last week, says the smuggling organization "used to smuggle Mexicans, but decided to smuggle Iraqi or other Middle Eastern individuals because it was more lucrative." Each individual would be charged a fee of $20,000 to $25,000, according to the report.
The people to be smuggled would "gather at a house on the Mexican side of the border" and then cross the Rio Grande into the U.S., the report says.
"Unidentified individuals would then transport them to train stations in El Paso, Texas or Belen, New Mexico," according to the FBI document.
The FBI in New Mexico had no immediate comment.
Until recently, the United States has kept its doors all but shut to the estimated two million refugees fleeing the violence in Iraq. Until this year, the country had taken in fewer than 800 Iraqi refugees, according to the State Department. This May, the Bush administration pledged to resettle 7,000 Iraqi refugees here by the end of the year.
http://blogs.abcnews.com/theblotter/...aqis-bein.html

SnT

[echoes]

Originally Posted by Snaquebite

The United States faces a "persistent and evolving terrorist threat" within America's borders in the next three years, reads the latest National Intelligence Estimate released Tuesday.

The document, a product of three years of work among the nation's 16 intelligence agencies

Greetings Sir.

My question may seem a little simplisitc, but what about ten, twenty, even thirty years ago? Did we have this "type" of knowledge then, or is it attributed to today's "information age?" that We are able to calculate the threat? ( Big Smile Here)

Am just curious of any thoughts?

Holly

[Gypsy]

Originally Posted by Surf n Turf

On a Related note ----

FBI: Iraqis Being Smuggled Across the Rio Grande
July 17, 2007 3:11 PM
Brian Ross Reports:

The FBI is investigating an alleged human smuggling operation based in Chaparral, N.M., that agents say is bringing "Iraqis and other Middle Eastern" individuals across the Rio Grande from Mexico.

No one should be surprised by this...bet it's been happening longer than "for more than a year."