CNN: Can Iraq still be called the central front in the war on terror?
Al Qaeda in Iraq is currently being described as weakened and even "crippled," to the point where some US generals are preparing to declare victory.
According to the Washington Post, "The U.S. military believes it has dealt devastating and perhaps irreversible blows to al-Qaeda in Iraq in recent months, leading some generals to advocate a declaration of victory over the group, which the Bush administration has long described as the most lethal U.S. adversary in Iraq."
However, other officials still consider the data "insufficient and difficult to measure" and are warning that there are psychological risks in making such a declaration if al Qaeda then mounts a comeback, as happened after the death of al-Zarqawi in 2006.
"I think it's too early to declare victory," military analyst Brig. Gen. (ret.) David Grange told CNN's John Roberts on Monday. "Al Qaeda's dispersed, it's weak, it's a bit desperate, but now's the time to keep up the momentum."
Roberts then made a significant observation: "The president keeps telling us at every opportunity that this is the central front in the war on terror. Is he right in saying that? Is it still the central front in the war on terror?"
"The central front is where you can find al-Qaeda. That's the problem," Grange replied, adding, "I think Iraq is one of the top areas right now."
As Roberts indicated, Bush and other members of his administration have spent years asserting that Iraq is the central front of the war on terror, and declaring victory over al Qaeda in Iraq could make that claim more difficult to maintain.
Below are some typical quotes:
"President George W. Bush called Iraq the 'central front' in the U.S. war on terrorism Sunday and urged United Nations members such as Japan to expand cooperation in the effort."
September 9, 2003
"We suspect that the man with the knife was an al Qaeda associate named Zarqawi. He and other terrorists know that Iraq is now the central front in the war on terror."
George W. Bush, May 24, 2004
"Some wonder whether Iraq is a central front in the war on terror. Among the terrorists, there is no debate."
George W. Bush, June 28, 2005
"Just as terrorists 'regard Iraq as the central front in the war on humanity,' the United States must recognize it as 'the central front in our war on terror,' President Bush said in a speech here today to the National Endowment for Democracy."
October 6, 2005
"'We’re fighting a war against terror,' Cheney told the troops. 'We are here, above all, because the terrorists who have declared war on America and other free nations have made Iraq the central front in that war.'"
Mar 10, 2007
"Iraq is one of several fronts in the war on terror -- but it's the central front -- it's the central front for the enemy that attacked us and wants to attack us again. And it's the central front for the United States and to withdraw without getting the job done would be devastating."
George W. Bush, August 22, 2007
"McCain then asked Petraeus to confirm reports that he said Iraq was the central front in the war on terror.
"Is that a correct quote?" McCain asked.
"That is correct, sir," Petraeus replied
September 11, 2007
The following video is from CNN American Morning, broadcast on October 15, 2007.
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