Washington, Feb 18 : Warning that terrorists in Pakistan remained committed to attacking US targets, a top American intelligence official has said it may be only a matter of time before the Al Qaeda or any other group attempts to use chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear weapons.
"In Pakistan, terrorist elements remain committed to attacking US targets," CIA Director Porter J Goss told the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence here in his maiden public appearance after assuming the top post in Septemeber.
Asserting that defeating terrorism must remain one of the core objectives of US intelligence community, he said the terrorist threat to the US endures.
Al Qaeda is intent on finding ways to circumvent US security enhancements to strike Americans and the country. It may be only a matter of time before al Qaeda or another group attempts to use chemical biological, radiologocal and nuclear weapons Goss said while elborating on the worldwide threat perception to US.
Al Qaeda is only one facet of the threat from a broader Sunni jihadi movement, he said.
"Our pursuit of al Qaeda and its most senior leaders, including bin Ladin and his deputy, Ayman al Zawahiri," said Goss, "is intense. "However, their capture alone would not be enough to eliminate the terrorist threat to the US Homeland or US interests overseas.
On the issue of nuclear proliferation, Goss referred to the disgraced Pakistani scientists A Q Khan's illegal network. "We believe North Korea continues to pursue a uranium enrichment capability drawing on the assistance it received from A Q Khan before his network was shut down
http://in.rediff.com/news/2005/mar/18us.htm
"In Pakistan, terrorist elements remain committed to attacking US targets," CIA Director Porter J Goss told the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence here in his maiden public appearance after assuming the top post in Septemeber.
Asserting that defeating terrorism must remain one of the core objectives of US intelligence community, he said the terrorist threat to the US endures.
Al Qaeda is intent on finding ways to circumvent US security enhancements to strike Americans and the country. It may be only a matter of time before al Qaeda or another group attempts to use chemical biological, radiologocal and nuclear weapons Goss said while elborating on the worldwide threat perception to US.
Al Qaeda is only one facet of the threat from a broader Sunni jihadi movement, he said.
"Our pursuit of al Qaeda and its most senior leaders, including bin Ladin and his deputy, Ayman al Zawahiri," said Goss, "is intense. "However, their capture alone would not be enough to eliminate the terrorist threat to the US Homeland or US interests overseas.
On the issue of nuclear proliferation, Goss referred to the disgraced Pakistani scientists A Q Khan's illegal network. "We believe North Korea continues to pursue a uranium enrichment capability drawing on the assistance it received from A Q Khan before his network was shut down
http://in.rediff.com/news/2005/mar/18us.htm