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Skriven 2007-05-23 23:31:02 av Whitehouse Press (1:3634/12.0)
Ärende: Press Release (070523) for Wed, 2007 May 23
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Fact Sheet: Keeping America Safe From Attack
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For Immediate Release Office of the Press Secretary May 23, 2007

Fact Sheet: Keeping America Safe From Attack President Bush Discusses
Intelligence Showing The Importance Of Defeating Al Qaeda In Iraq

ÿÿWhite House News

ÿÿÿÿÿ President Bush Delivers Commencement Address at United States Coast
Guard Academy

Today, President Bush Delivered The Commencement Address At The U.S. Coast
Guard Academy In New London, Connecticut.ÿThe President congratulated
graduates and their families, praised the Coast Guard_s excellence in times
of disaster and in the War on Terror, and discussed the bold action we have
taken at home and abroad to keep the American people safe. ÿHe also
discussed intelligence regarding the consequences of an al Qaeda victory in
Iraq and detailed examples of al Qaeda_s efforts, including Osama bin
Laden_s attempt to establish a terrorist cell in Iraq that would conduct
attacks against other nations.
  þ After The 9/11 Attacks, The Coast Guard Assumed New And Essential
    Responsibilities To Defend Our Nation Against Terrorist Infiltration
    And To Help Stop New Attacks.ÿAs part of Operation Noble Eagle, the men
    and women of the Coast Guard are protecting more than 360 ports and
    more than 95,000 miles of coastline.ÿ
  þ The Men And Women Of The Coast Guard Are Also Deploying Overseas To
    Confront Terror Before It Reaches Our Shores. ÿThe Coast Guard is
    conducting maritime interception operations in the Persian Gulf and
    patrolling the waters off Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.

Our Security Depends On Helping The Iraqis Succeed And Defeating Al Qaeda
In Iraq

Of The Forces In Iraq Trying To Stop Our Strategy From Succeeding, The Most
Destructive One Is Al Qaeda.ÿ

The Terrorists View The Battle In Iraq As Part Of The War On Terror.ÿOur
intelligence community believes that al Qaeda sees victory in Iraq as a
religious and strategic imperative. ÿThis would allow al Qaeda to follow
through on their stated goals of turning Iraq into a base from which to
overthrow moderate governments in the region, impose their hateful ideology
on millions, and launch new attacks on America and other nations.
  þ Osama bin Laden himself calls the struggle in Iraq a "war of destiny" 
    and has proclaimed "the war is for you or for us to win.ÿ If we win it,
    it means your defeat and disgrace forever."

Osama Bin Laden Attempted To Send A New Commander To Iraq.ÿOsama bin Laden
sent Iraqi-born terrorist Abd Al-Hadi Al-Iraqi ÿto Iraq.ÿ
  þ According to our intelligence community, Abd al-Hadi had been a senior
    advisor to bin Laden and served as his top commander in Afghanistan.
  þ Abd Al-Hadi never made it to Iraq.ÿ He was captured late last year, and
    he was recently transferred to the U.S. Naval Base at Guantanamo Bay.ÿ

To Protect The American People, We Must Fight The Terrorists Where They
Live So We Do Not Have To Fight Them Where We Live

According To Our Intelligence Community, In January 2005, Osama Bin Laden
Tasked The Terrorist Abu Musab al-Zarqawi With Forming A Cell To Conduct
Terrorist Attacks Outside Iraq.
  þ Bin Laden emphasized that America should be Zarqawi_s number one
    priority in terms of foreign attacks, and Zarqawi welcomed this
    direction and claimed that he had already come up with some good
    proposals.ÿ
  þ Our intelligence community reports that bin Laden then tasked one of
    his top terrorist operatives, Hamza Rabia to send Zarqawi a briefing on
    al Qaeda_s external operations, including information about operations
    against the American homeland.ÿ
  þ Our intelligence community reports that a senior al Qaeda leader, Abu
    Faraj al-Libiÿ went further and suggested that bin Laden actually send
    Rabia to Iraq to help plan external operations.ÿ Abu Faraj later
    speculated that if this effort proved successful, al Qaeda might one
    day prepare the majority of its external operations from Iraq.ÿ
  þ In May 2005, Abu Faraj was captured and taken into CIA custody.
    ÿSeveral months later, in December 2005, Rabia was killed in Pakistan.ÿ
    And several months after that, in June of 2006, the terrorist Zarqawi
    was killed by American forces in Iraq.ÿ Successes like these are blows
    to al Qaeda and a testament to steps we have taken to strengthen our
    intelligence, work closely with partners overseas, and keep the
    pressure on the enemy by staying on the offense.

Al Qaeda Leaders Intend To Strike Our Country Again

The Danger To Our Country Is Real And Continuing. ÿWhile it is tempting to
believe that the calm here at home since 9/11 means that the danger to our
country has passed.

Last August, British Authorities Broke Up A Plot To Blow Up Passenger
Airplanes Flying To America.ÿOur intelligence community believes this plot
was just two to three weeks away from execution and could have rivaled 9/11
in the death and destruction caused.ÿ

In December 2001 We Captured An Al Qaeda Operative Named Ali Salih Al-Mari
Who Was Planning Attacks In The U.S. ÿOur intelligence community believes
Ali Salih al-Mari had training in poisons at an al Qaeda camp in
Afghanistan and had been sent by 9/11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammad
(_KSM_) to the United States before 9/11 to serve as a sleeper agent ready
for follow-on attacks.ÿ Our intelligence community believes KSM brought Ali
Salih to meet Osama bin Laden, to whom he pledged loyalty.ÿ Our
intelligence community also believes he and KSM discussed potential attacks
on water reservoirs, the New York Stock Exchange, and U.S. military
academies.

We Also Broke Up Other Post-9/11 Aviation Plots.ÿ
  þ In 2002, we broke up a plot by KSM to hijack an airplane and fly it
    into the tallest building on the West Coast.ÿ During a hearing at
    Guantanamo Bay two months ago, KSM stated that the intended target was
    the Library Tower in Los Angeles.ÿ
  þ In 2003, we uncovered and stopped a plot led by another suspected
    senior al Qaeda operative named Abu Bakr al-Azdi.ÿ Our intelligence
    community believes this plot was to be another East Coast aviation
    attack  hijacking multiple airplanes and then crashing them into
    targets in the United States.ÿ

We Have Taken Bold Action At Home And Abroad To Keep Our People Safe

Terrorist Plots Against The U.S. Have Thus Far Not Succeeded In Part
Because We Have Taken Bold Action At Home And Abroad To Keep Our People
Safe.ÿWe are determined to stop the world_s most dangerous people from
striking America with the world_s most dangerous weapons.ÿTo help stop new
attacks on our country, we have:
  þ Reorganized the federal government by merging 22 different government
    organizations into a single Department of Homeland Security (DHS) with
    a clear mission to protect America from future attacks.ÿ
  þ Strengthened our Nation_s intelligence community by creating the
    position of the Director of National Intelligence to ensure our
    intelligence agencies operate as a single, unified enterprise.ÿ
  þ Created the National Counterterrorism Center where the FBI, the CIA,
    and other agencies work side-by-side to track terrorist threats across
    the world.
  þ Directed the National Security Agency to monitor international
    terrorist communications.ÿ
  þ Established a program run by the CIA to detain and question key
    terrorist leaders and operatives captured in the war on terror.ÿ
  þ Passed the USA PATRIOT Act, which broke down the walls that had
    prevented Federal law enforcement and intelligence communities from
    sharing information about potential terrorist activities.ÿ
  þ Transformed the FBI into an agency whose primary focus is stopping
    terrorist attacks.ÿ
  þ Expanded the number of FBI Joint Terrorism Task Forces from 35 before
    9/11 to more than 100 today.ÿ We saw their effectiveness recently when
    one of these teams helped disrupt a plot by a group of al
    Qaeda-inspired extremists to kill American soldiers at Fort Dix, New
    Jersey.
  þ Launched the BioWatch program, which placed state-of-the-art equipment
    in major U.S. cities to detect biological agents.ÿ
  þ Placing radiation detectors in all major U.S. ports.ÿ
  þ Placed advanced equipment and DHS personnel at foreign ports so we can
    pre-screen cargo headed for America.ÿ
  þ Strengthened international cooperation in the fight against terror.ÿ A
    coalition of more than 90 nations is working together to dry up
    terrorist financing and bring terrorist leaders to justice.ÿ
  þ Launched the Proliferation Security Initiative  a vast coalition of
    nations that are working to stop shipments of weapons of mass
    destruction on land, at sea, and in the air.ÿ

The Best Way To Protect Our People Is To Take The Fight To The Enemy.ÿIn
Afghanistan, a regime that gave sanctuary and support to al Qaeda as they
planned the 9/11 attacks has come to an end.ÿ And in Iraq, we removed a
cruel dictator who harbored terrorists, paid the families of Palestinian
suicide bombers, invaded his neighbors, defied the UN Security Council, and
pursued and used weapons of mass destruction.ÿ

ÿ

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