U.S. President George W. Bush denied on Thursday that the al Qaida terrorist organization is as strong today as it was before the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks.
"There is a perception in the coverage that al Qaida may be as strong today as they were prior to September 11th. That's simply not the case," Bush said at a press conference over the release of an assessment report on the situation in Iraq.
The Washington Post, citing a new administration intelligence report, reported Thursday that six years after the Bush administration declared war on al Qaida, the network is gaining strength and has established a safe haven in remote tribal areas of western Pakistan for training and planning attacks.
The five-page report, complied by the National Counterterrorism Center and to be discussed Thursday at a White House meeting, said the group has significantly rebuilt itself despite concerted U.S. attempts to smash the network, the Post reported.
Bush insisted that al Qaida "is weaker today than they would have been" because of the war on terrorism.
"They are still a threat. They are still dangerous and that is why it is important that we succeed in Afghanistan and Iraq and anywhere else we find them," Bush said.
Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff said on Tuesday that his "gut feeling" was that the United States faced an increased risk of attack this summer.
"I believe we are entering a period this summer of increased risk," Chertoff said.
But the White House said there was no specific and credible threat of an imminent terrorist attack on the United States.
"There continues to be no credible specific intelligence to suggest that there's an imminent threat to the homeland," White House spokesman Tony Fratto said Wednesday.
Source: Xinhua
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