And this has WHAT to do with the point?
Ansar Al Islam was never known to operate outside of Iraq... before our invasion, that is...
Originally based in an enclave wedged between Iraqi Kurdistan and Iran, it has been active throughout northern Iraq. While Ansar is not known to have previously operated outside Iraq, it is suspected of involvement in a plot to attack a NATO summit meeting in Istanbul in June 2004. Some analysts say Ansar has received logistical support from Iran and Syria and recruited members in Italy. Iran, especially, is thought to assist the organization, harboring Ansar militants within its borders and providing a route for foreign fighters to enter Iraq and join Ansar’s ranks. “It’s very clear that there are fighters streaming in over the Iranian border tied to this group,†says Jonathan Schanzer, an expert on militant Islam at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy.
Sounds like we actually helped ansar al islam in recruiting...
Having replenished its ranks with new recruits and foreign fighters, Ansar is believed to have between 700 and 1,000 members, according to the U.S. State Department.
Sounds like their activities were greatly increased AFTER the invasion...
Ansar is believed to be responsible for at least 30 suicide bombings in Iraq. More than 800 people have been killed in attacks that include:
the August 7, 2003, bombing of the Jordanian Embassy in Baghdad, which killed 19;
the August 19, 2003, bombing of United Nations headquarters in Baghdad, which killed 22;
the August 29, 2003, car bombing at a Najaf mosque, which killed 85;
four car bomb attacks in Baghdad on October 27, 2003, which killed 35;
the November 12, 2003, truck bombing of Italian military headquarters in southern Iraq, which killed 33;
two suicide bombings in Irbil at offices of the two main Kurdish political parties on February 1, 2004, which killed 109 Kurds;
two car bombings in Baghdad on February 10 and 11, 2004, which killed more than 100 Iraqis;
the suicide bombings of Shiite shrines in Baghdad and Karbala on March 2, 2004, which killed 181 and wounded more than 500;
the bombing of the Mount Lebanon Hotel in Baghdad on March 17, 2004, which killed 7 and wounded more than 30;
the April 21, 2004, Basra car bombings that killed 74.
http://cfrterrorism.org/groups/ansar.html
Before the invasion it looks like Ansar al Islam wasnt much of a threat to americans... and now they are killing americans- Was any western nation worried about Zarqawi BEFORE we invaded?
You know, our invasion INCREASED the terrorists in Iraq, and increased recruitment world wide... and if there is civil war then we have created a haven for terrorists that makes Afghanistan look like a sunday school picnic...
Yeah, this war on terror is going WONDERFULLY....