WAR: World Terror Attacks Tripled in 2004 by U.S. Count

The U.S. count of major terrorist attacks stated that significant international terrorist attacks rose from 175 in 2003 to 650 in 2004. The State Department will no longer release these numbers leaving the task to the newly CIA created 'National Counterterrorism Center' organization.



If the objective of the 'War on Terrorism' was to minimalize terrorist attacks and threats, then we are obviously losing this war. But what's more concerning is that these numbers will be under the control of a newly created organization, the 'National Counterterrorism Center'.

Just how many 'Homeland Security' type divisions do we need before people start realizing that you simply can't defeat an idea? Terrorism is an ideology, not an entity. It's like waging a full scale war on laziness.

...to keep people fearful and therefore not asking the important questions. Sad state of affairs to be sure, and not getting better any time soon. Unfortunate.

If this report was designed by the US government to show an escalation in terrorist attacks, then it's effect is to further America's agiation and promote fear within the people justifying pretty much any war that has the banners 'Terrorism' underneath it. It is a sad, sad state of events.

The goal of the War on Terror is not to reduce or minimize the number of terrorist attacks worldwide in the short term but to eliminate terrorism in the long term. Of course it is to be expected that aggressive moves to eliminate terrorists in the long term will cause violent short term reactions that can actually increase the number of terror attacks in some areas.

Agitation and fear, the 2 key words. Either this states that we're stupid as all getout, or its fearmongering. I think its both.

By the way, they are trying to do "away" with this terrorism "report"- Bush is pushing for it. Why should we know anything? Why should the world be given cause to talk?

Its fearmongering... although i agree that the war on terror will increase Terror atacks, i dont think terrorism was ever a real issue. It has been blown out of proportion so people cower and look up to old bush for protection...

Also fo that number, how many of these 'terror' attacks were actually the Iraqi or Palestinian resistance... My point is terrorism is a matter of opinion... did it include the bombing raids by the US which terrorised Iraq night after night? Does it include the incursion by the Israeli into palestinian lands?

Rice changed terrorism report

Julian Borger
Saturday April 23, 2005
The Guardian

A state department report which showed an increase in terrorism incidents around the world in 2004 was altered to strip it of its pessimistic statistics, it emerged yesterday.
The country-by-country report, Patterns of Global Terrorism, has come out every year since 1986, accompanied by statistical tables.

This year's edition showed a big increase, from 172 significant terrorist attacks in 2003 to 655 in 2004.

Much of the increase took place in Iraq, contradicting recent Pentagon claims that the insurgency there is waning.


Article continues



Condoleezza Rice, the secretary of state, ordered the report to be withdrawn and a new one issued minus the statistics.
A Democratic congressman, Henry Waxman, has written an angry letter about the change to Cameron Hume, the state department's inspector general, arguing that Ms Rice's decision "denies the public access to important information about the incidence of terrorism".

Mr Waxman said: "There appears to be a pattern in the administration's approach to terrorism data: favourable facts are revealed while unfavourable facts are suppressed."

Ms Rice's spokesman, Richard Boucher, denied the change was politically inspired and said Ms Rice had decided the statistics would be better handled by the national counter-terrorism centre.

However, intelligence officials said there were no immediate plans to publish the figures.


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dgtempe, that's what really bothered. The governments (successful) attempt to centralize the organization that puts out these reports in order to have complete control on what information the population needs to know. Information manipulation is the first step in unknowingly accepting government sponsored propaganda.

well obviously when you engage an enemy they increase attacks against you and anyways most attacks come in iraq so really counting attacks on military targets is a bit iffy, guerilla warfare is not terrorism.

namehere
These arent small insurgent attacks contained within Iraqi but world terrorist attacks that are taken into consideration by the U.S. Count of Terrorism (is that even an organization?)

how can you be sure? you read any report stating which attacks were counted?

As with all 'official' information, I'm merely 'assuming' that these reports are accurate in the sense that if they claim that "significant" international terrorist attacks, then they are implying attacks that would turn up on the 'radar', anything that would distinguish themselves from normal middle eastern violence (not to say that all terrorist attacks are rooted from the middle east).

[edit on 4/26/2005 by Simulacra]

the article says 300 came from india, pakistan and kashmir alone, so if you assume the rest it tells you its not all related to the US actions, so i'd estimate 100 being due to our actions, a bit deceptive saying all 650 is our fault, count indonesia, israel, chechnya, mylasia, russia, georgia and you see only about 10%(well more but im bad with numbers) is due to our actions.

if anything islam is responsible for most terrorism not our invasion of iraq, blame islam and their little islamic revolutions gong on if you want to be realistic.


[edit on 26-4-2005 by namehere]

namehere
Regardless of whether these attacks stem from the middle east or not, Bush has taken on the responsibility to fight a global war on terrorism. If this is his admitted purpose regarding the war, then he is ultimately failing.

I am almost positive that this is counting the majority of attacks in Iraq and Afghanistan, which lets not forget are currently warzones. I mean hey we seem to be doing fine here and I believe the only siginificant attack so far in Europe was Madrid. Of course you can count the stuff that happened in Indonesia and Africa but I dont think the world was any less safe now than it has been in the past. We'll see. If me or someone I know dies or is injured critically this year in the U.S. due to a terrorist attack I may be slightly convinced. It would be my own fault for not seeing it coming though.

Originally posted by Simulacra
terrorist attacks that are taken into consideration by the U.S. Count of Terrorism (is that even an organization?)

Perhaps this guy got a promotion:



[edit on 4/27/2005 by djohnsto77]

Another report just surfaced claiming that the attacks on Iraq have soared in a years time.

Data shows record number of terror attacks in Iraq in 2004

WASHINGTON - Terrorists staged nearly 200 significant attacks in Iraq in 2004, exceeding the record number of strikes worldwide the year before, according to data the Bush administration gave to Congress but has been withholding from the public.


The total didn't include some Iraqi insurgent attacks and more than 100 operations by foreign terrorists in Iraq because they didn't fit the State Department's strict criteria of what constitutes an international terrorist attack.


The data raised questions about President Bush's claim that the United States and its allies are winning the war on terrorism and came as the Pentagon acknowledged that violence in Iraq remains as high as last year.
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