Special to WorldTribune.com

WASHINGTON — The U.S. intelligence community has determined that Al Qaida was at its strongest level in years.

The intelligence community said Al Qaida in Iraq has expanded its
presence throughout the region, particularly in neighboring Syria. Officials
said AQI has exploited lack of government security to increase attacks,
raise funds and recruit operatives.

“Al Qaida in Iraq, also known as the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, is at its strongest point since its peak in 2006, and this year has significantly increased its pace of attacks,” Matthew Olsen, director of the
National Counterterrorism Center, said.

In testimony to the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs on Nov. 14, Olsen portrayed a revived Al Qaida throughout the Middle East. In an assessment that differed from that of President Barack Obama earlier this year, Olsen, who directs an organization assigned to analyze insurgency threats, said AQI was part of Al Qaida’s global network led by Ayman Zawahiri.

“The group is exploiting increasingly permissive security environments
in Iraq and Syria to fund-raise, plan, and train for attacks,” Olsen said.

In neighboring Syria, AQI has recruited numerous foreigners, including
Westerners, Olsen said the Al Qaida effort could be used to direct attacks
against the West.

“AQI’s growing cadre of Westerners in Syria probably bolsters the
group’s pool of external operatives who could be used to target the West,”
Olsen said.

In contrast to White House statements, Olsen, who officials said
represented the intelligence community, said Al Qaida in Afghanistan and
Pakistan maintained control over its global network. He said Al Qaida
networks in the Gulf and North Africa, were deferring to Zawahiri’s
“guidance on critical issues.”

“Since the start of the Arab unrest in North Africa and the Middle East,
Zawahiri and other members of the group’s leadership have directed their
focus to these regions, encouraging cadre and associates to support and take
advantage of the unrest,” Olsen said.

  Ayman Zawahiri, National Counterterrorism Center, Senate Committee on Homeland Security, U.S. intel counters Obama narrative: Al Qaida ‘at its strongest point’ since 2006