Iraq now a training ground for European extremists

Mission accomplished: while Iraq was not involved in any major terrorist activity before the war (except for some support to Palestinian groups and providing a home for a few retired terrorists), it has now become a breeding ground for fresh jehadis. That's what Gijs de Vries, EU counter-terrorism coordinator, says in this article.

A few important quotes from the article:

Young Muslims from Europe are going to Iraq to train with militant Islamic insurgents, the European Union's top terrorism official says.

The trend worrying counter-terrorism officials, both because of the potential for increased violence in Iraq, and because they fear militants who gain experience there will return to pose a threat in Europe.

Yes, the Iraq war has stirred up things, and has proven to be a good recruiting incentive. Yay.

De Vries' comments highlighted the risk that Iraq was becoming a new Afghanistan, to which Arab and Muslim volunteers flocked in the 1980s to fight Soviet occupation, returning to fuel insurgencies in countries such as Algeria and Egypt.

Well, no shit. A war that was started for the wrong reasons and that was poorly planned has made the world a more dangerous place. At the cost of the lives of possibly hundreds of thousands of civilians, and thousands of soldiers.

And still Bush got reelected, because at least some people got a $300 tax cut, and gays can't marry, right?