Iraq war may help al-Qaida, MPs report

[papau]

http://politics.guardian.co.uk/iraq/story/0,12956,1009806,00.html

Iraq war may help al-Qaida, MPs report

The overthrow of Saddam Hussein has not lessened the security threat to Britain from weapons of mass destruction and international terrorism, MPs warned today. The Commons foreign affairs committee said that the war in Iraq may actually have "impeded" efforts to combat Osama bin Laden and his al-Qaida terror network. In a report on the foreign policy aspects of the war against terrorism, the committee said it was essential to rebuild relations with allies such as France, following the disagreements over Iraq, in order to tackle terrorism effectively. At the same time, the committee urged the government to ensure that its support for America during the war with Iraq was rewarded with real benefits to Britain and its citizens. The report warned that although some senior al-Qaida leaders had been captured, those still at large - including Bin Laden himself - still had the capacity to "lead and guide the organisation towards further atrocities". Al-Qaida still had "dangerously large numbers of 'foot soldiers'", while the war against Iraq may have enhanced the organisation's appeal to Muslims - particularly in the Gulf region. "The war in Iraq might in fact have impeded the war against al-Qaida," the report said. "In spite of some notable progress, al-Qaida continues to pose a substantial threat to British citizens in the United Kingdom and abroad." At the same time, the report said the government still had to confront the dangers to international peace and stability from the spread of weapons of mass destruction elsewhere in the world. "We cannot conclude that these threats have diminished significantly, in spite of 'regime change' in Iraq and progress in capturing some of the leaders of al-Qaida," it said. <snip>

The report acknowledged that a breakdown of law and order in Iraq following the fall of Saddam had always been "highly probable", but said it was "deeply regrettable" that it had taken so long to restore order. <snip>

"In a number of areas - including ensuring the fair trial of prisoners detained at Guantanamo Bay - the government must ensure that its close relationship with the US administration brings substantive benefits to the United Kingdom and its citizens," it said.

http://ap.tbo.com/ap/breaking/MGAKEEPRSID.html

British Report Finds Iraq War May Have Drawn Recruits to Al-Qaida
By Michael McDonough Associated Press Writer

LONDON (AP) - The war in Iraq failed to reduce security threats against Britain and may have harmed efforts to tackle the al-Qaida terror network, a parliamentary committee said Thursday. …..noted government concerns about the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, among other security threats to Britain.
"We cannot conclude that these threats have diminished significantly, in spite of 'regime change' in Iraq and progress in capturing some of the leaders of al-Qaida," the report said. It added that a second U.N. resolution authorizing the war would have been "highly desirable." It also found that weapons inspectors did not provide the U.N. Security Council with "compelling evidence" of Iraq's development of weapons of mass destruction. <snip>

http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200203/cmselect/cmfaff/405/405.pdf