Title: Terrorism: Why They Want to Kill Us | HuffPost
Headings: Terrorism: Why They Want to Kill Us
Terrorism: Why They Want to Kill Us
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Content: In Iraq both invasion and occupation have fomented terrorism. Daniel Benjamin, now the State Department’s counter-terrorism coordinator, observed while at the Brookings Institution that “the invasion of Iraq gave the jihadists an unmistakable boost. Terrorism is about advancing a narrative and persuading a targeted audience to believe it.” London’s Chatham House reported that Iraq “gave a boost to the al-Qaeda network’s propaganda, recruitment and fundraising, caused a major split in the coalition, provided an ideal targeting and training area for al-Qaeda-linked terrorists.” Britain’s Intelligence and Security Committee studied the July 2005 London attacks and concluded: “ Iraq continues to act as a motivation and focus for terrorist activity.” Many Islamists say the same thing. For instance, Ayman al-Zawahiri, al-Qaeda’s deputy leader, spoke of “aggression against Iraq.” Lebanese Grand Ayatollah Mohammed Hussein Fadlallah stated that “the occupation of Iraq has increased acts of terrorism against the U.S. and everyone going along with it, including the Iraqis themselves.” U.S. military operations in Afghanistan and Pakistan appear to be having a similar effect.