Is Iraq the central front on terrorism?

Question

If not, why are we there?

I seem to remember army generals claiming that Iraq was NOT the centrl front on terrorism, that other countries hold more terrorists than Iraq

Answer 1

SOURCE
http://www.state.gov/documents/organization/45313.pdf US Department of State Office of the Coordinator for Counterterrorism Country Reports on Terrorism 2004 April 2005 Department of State Publication 11248 Office of the Coordinator for Counterterrorism Printed in Multi-Media Services Released April 2005
DEFINITION
Title 22 of the US Code, Section 2656f, which requires the Department of State to provide an annual report to Congress on terrorism, requires the report to include, inter alia, information on terrorist groups and umbrella groups under which any terrorist group falls, known to be responsible for the kidnapping or death of any US citizen during the preceding five years; groups known to be financed by state sponsors of terrorism about which Congress was notified during the past year in accordance with Section 6(j) of the Export Administration Act; and any other known international terrorist group that the Secretary of State determined should be the subject of the report. The list of designated Foreign Terrorist Organizations (FTOs) below is followed by a list of other selected terrorist groups also deemed of relevance in the global war on terrorism. Does not include US domestic groups.
Terrorism Statistics > Number of Known Terrorist Organizations Present by country
Rank Countries Amount (top to bottom)
#1 Afghanistan: 13
#2 Pakistan: 12
#3 Lebanon: 10
#4 India: 9
#5 Ireland: 8
#6 United Kingdom: 7
#7 Iraq: 6
#8 Israel: 6
#9 Turkey: 5
#10 Philippines: 5
#11 Syria: 4
#12 Russia: 4
#13 Colombia: 3
#14 Italy: 3
#15 Yemen: 3
#16 Peru: 3

Answer 2

I don't think it is at all.

We're there because of Iraq's geographical location, nothing more than that. There is a fantasy of creating a stable democracy in the middle of all this Third World savagery. If that fantasy were possible, then the theory is that democracy would spread to the countries that border Iraq and suddenly the Middle East would be the Garden of Eden again.

It's crap, but that's what they think.

In order to accomplish all this, though, Bush had to make it sound like Iraq was an important vehicle in the battle against al Qaida - which is the SMALLEST of the fourteen known terrorist factions in Iraq.

Answer 3

Right now yes it is...they are flooding into Iraq to Jihad...think of it this way...where would you rather fight these terrorists, the mountainous areas of Afghanistan or the relatively flat dessert of Iraq? Liberals need to realize that these Generals who made up this war plain are a heck of a lot smarter than them or any of the Democratic politicians...if we had just stayed in Afghanistan the death toll would be a lot higher, seeing that there are more places to hide and to hide IEDS...so there are several reasons why we are in Iraq...but 99.9999% of the people here on Yahoo! Answers do not have the Security Clearance to know the reasons....

Answer 4

Usually it's known as the Front Line (Meaning that's where the bulk of the fighting is located) and when you look at it that way, yes Iraq is the front line on the War against Terrorism.

Answer 5

No our borders are the central front of ending terrorism because of the lack of security concerning our borders, we went to war. War is seen as the offense. If politicians would have reconstructed the FAA and other federal agencies to cooperate better with the local and State governments then war would have been prevented. The FBI should be granted an extension of their right to investigate potential threat areas in accord with the local government of those areas. The Patriot Act is too broad and vague, which allows corruption of power, http://www.voteprimous.com

Answer 6

Terrorism does not originate from a single nation-state. There are members of extremists groups everywhere. Probably even in our own backyards.

Answer 7

we are in Iraq to control their oil ( the one thing they have going for them at this point) and rebuild to make already rich people even richer by giving them all the contracts

Answer 8

We are there because America hates to lose.

We view it as a "deafeat" if we don't accomplish our goals.

It's just like sports on your TV. We want our team to "win".

Answer 9

No, there is no central front for terrorism, it is world wide. We are there based on faulty intelligence that the president presented to congress. We are there based on his lies, we stay there based on his stupidity. He is not listening to the people.

Answer 10

because of the idiots in Washington voted for the war