TA-ANALYSIS: Al-Qaeda has at least 18,000 Fighters At Large

The International Institute of Strategic Studies said in its Strategic Survey for 2003-4, that Al-Qaeda has more than 18,000 potential terrorists in it's ranks around the world, which is growing due to the war in Iraq. The Institute believes that Al-Qaeda operates in more than 60 countries around the world and that attacks on Western interet is likely to increase.



It is my personal opinion that events are be choreographed and we are being prepared for an attack in the imminent future. I implore everyone to be on the alert and not be shocked when something does happen. We have been given enough warnings from a variety of sources to show that anything can and most likely will happen between now and the elections and even up to the inauguartion next year. Be prepared but not scared.




[Edited on 5-25-2004 by worldwatcher]

[Edited on 26-5-2004 by Banshee]

Iraq has become the new magnet of al-Qaida's war against the United States and up to 1,000 foreign Islamic fighters have infiltrated Iraqi territory, where they are cooperating with Iraqi forces, the survey said.

Al Qaeda has never be so rooted in Irak than now...
thanks Mr B*** !

So, how many suicide bombers would it take to open the border in one shot? 1000 detonating at the same time? 500? From where, Mexico? Canada? Any plausiblity to this happening? Then what? Advancing terror cells? Infiltrate and wait? Any thoughts?

18,000? Damn!

They're all sitting there, lying in wait and plotting against us.

Kinda makes you feel loved in a weird way

18000... sounds like a lot, but isn't really. But at the same time.. their.. tactics make up for their relativey small numbers.

Originally posted by parrhesia
18000... sounds like a lot, but isn't really. But at the same time.. their.. tactics make up for their relativey small numbers.

Precisely 18000 people can do a lot of damage. Hey when you think about 1 guy with a nuke could kill millions.

I question the 18,000 number. What happened to the 70% casualties that we supposedly inflicted on al Qaeda?

Regardless, whatever the real number is, it brings up another question: where are they getting their financing from? Afghanistan poppy is one possibility, despite religious prohibitions. What about Saudi Arabia or Syria?

There's no doubt that cells operate here in the US and in Canada. I have to believe that they are nestled in among heavily islamic neighborhoods, such as Detroit. Are those neighborhoods doing everything possible to expose these cells?

it's important to keep in mind that this number was based on the number of men who were trained in Afghanistan BEFORE the camps there were destroyed in 2001. It's more accurate to say that al quida has a lot of leftover men from before the WoT began in earnest..

Bush considers the war on Iraq part of the 'War on Terror', and it's pretty obvious to all even without this report that all this war has done for the war on terror is increase the amount, threat, and public support for terrorists in the Middle East and other countries.

So is it the case that this war actually has nothing to do with the war on terror, or has it just been a monumental miscalculation in the context of the war on terror, or maybe a mixture of both? I know my answer.

In spite of what some may think Al-Qaeda believes they changed the outcome of the election in Spain as a result of their Madrid train bombings.

I have every reason to believe that they are at this moment working to pull off a series of massive terror attacks in the U.S.A. hoping to have the same outcome on our elections.

But I am sure there are those who will say these threats are made up by the Bush Administration and that if their are any attacks it will be a part of a secret plan of the Bush Administration.

But hey thats what keeps this site fun!

Gazz

They did not sway the Spanish election. Anzar claimed the bombing was by ETA; so that the people would vote him back in because he had a hard stance on terrorism. He was found out, and that resulted in thousands protesting against his politicisation of the bombing. Add to that the fact that his party was for the war in Iraq, and repeated polls before and during the war showed that over 90% of Spaniards were against it. And add to that the fact that the last poll taken before the bombing and the election showed Anzar�s party leading by 42-38, when they finally went on to lose just 43-38 and you get a clearer picture. The only press that went hell for leather with the �Spaniards give into terrorism' angle was the American. I wonder why.

Anyway this isn�t the thread to argue about Spain again. Just had to point that out.

by UM_Gazz
I have every reason to believe that they are at this moment working to pull off a series of massive terror attacks in the U.S.A. hoping to have the same outcome on our elections.

Do you really think a terrorist attack before the election would see the balance swung away from Bush? I think all indications show that would only reinforce his chances, not least because Americans wouldn�t, of course, want to be seen as giving into terrorism; A view cleverly reinforced by the coverage of the Spanish election.



[Edited on 25-5-2004 by kegs]

I just read the thread about" don't be scared just be prepared".
Will someone tell me what I may be preparing for and how I should prepare.
MagicaRose

From MagicaRose:

Will someone tell me what I may be preparing for and how I should prepare.

Don't ask. Just cover your back. Becasue if the gov't told you that a bomb was gonna go off under a maple tree in Central Park at 11:43, and it happened to go off under the oak tree next to it at 11:41, you'd hear screams of intel failures and Skull & Bones conspiracies. So don't expect anything more than a vague warning at best.:shk:

I have several hundred rounds and lots of clips for my SKS. God please let me see some terrorist training in the desert while I am out prospecting.

magicarose, when i said be prepared and not scared. I don't mean go run out and buy supplies. If a terrorist is gonna attack your city, more than likely you wouldn't have a clue until it happens. Being Prepared, means being in a state of mind, to accept anything and have a plan of sorts of where to go, who to contact, etc. I wouldn't be stocking up on extra supplies or anything unless your normal emergency supplies are low. There is really no other way to prepare for a terrorist attack other than in your head. Don't freak out, just know how to evacuate your city if you have, what you would take if you had to go. That sort of stuff. Hope that's clear...btw it's only my opinion.

Originally posted by groingrinder
I have several hundred rounds and lots of clips for my SKS. God please let me see some terrorist training in the desert while I am out prospecting.

Make sure to kick some sand over them so the buzzards don't give away their location.

What a joke.

"The estimate of 18,000 fighters was based on intelligence estimates that al-Qaida trained at least 20,000 fighters in its training camps in Afghanistan before the United States and its allies ousted the Taliban regime. In the ensuing war on terror, some 2,000 al-Qaida fighters have been killed or captured, the survey said. "

This article is so full of "estimates", "appears", "apparently", etc. No actual hard data.

How the heck do they calculate this? 20,000 were trained in Afghanistan and 2,000 were killed so there's now 18,000? What about the results of the Iraqi invasion? I'd say that swelled Al Qaeda's numbers pretty significantly.

Thanks for your reply. I live in a very large city in Florida.
I've thought about this alot. The only way out would be to go North but what if the attack involved the Crystal River nuclear power plant?
I live south of it. I guess the only logical answer would be to go south, depending on the direction the wind is blowing.
Why are they saying that this is just as critical as before 911 and not raising the threat level? This is so weird that I think I'm becoming numb to all of it.
Should anybody take this serious at all?
MagicaRose

I wouldn't believe anything the "authorities" say.
Terror is big business, especially for the "powers that be".
The only people terrorizing us is the government.

a few good christian men will take out the al queda pigs.

dont be worried we will prevail as jesus is with us