Leave your feedback Share Copy URL https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/al-qaida-regrouping-to-pre-sept-11-strength-report-says Email Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Pinterest Tumblr Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Transcript A classified report from U.S. intelligence analysts outlines the growing power of al-Qaida. Counterterrorism expert Daniel Benjamin and Lawrence Wright, a reporter who covered the terrorist organization following the Sept. 11 attacks, talk about the global threat. Read the Full Transcript Notice: Transcripts are machine and human generated and lightly edited for accuracy. They may contain errors. RAY SUAREZ: From Algeria to Pakistan, through deadly bombings and video propaganda, al-Qaida and suspected affiliates are showing their renewed strength and reach throughout the Muslim world and into Western Europe.In Algeria, a recent series of attacks included one that killed eight army soldiers. A similar attack occurred last week in Yemen. And in the U.S. today, press accounts of classified U.S. intelligence assessments said that al-Qaida has returned to pre-9/11 strength.President Bush denied the network was as potent as it once was.GEORGE W. BUSH, President of the United States: There is a perception in the coverage that al-Qaida may be as strong today as they were prior to September 11th. That's just simply not the case: al-Qaida is weaker today than they would have been. They are still a threat; they are still dangerous. RAY SUAREZ: The A.P. and the Washington Post quoted the intelligence report as confirming al-Qaida's leaders now have a safe haven in Pakistan's northwest tribal lands bordering Afghanistan. Despite this sanctuary in Pakistan, the country's president, Pervez Musharraf, used force this week to gain control of an Islamabad mosque seized by Islamic militants, a move condemned by Osama bin Laden's deputy, the Egyptian physician Ayman al-Zawahiri.Al-Qaida released another recording earlier this week that said the continued British troop presence in Iraq and Afghanistan would bring new attacks to the U.K., much like the foiled car bomb plot last month in London and the failed attack on the Glasgow airport. British investigators are exploring links to al-Qaida.Today, President Bush reiterated that any removal of U.S. troops from Iraq would create a new haven for al-Qaida and its affiliates. Mr. Bush also explicitly tied the ongoing violence in Iraq, led in part by a group called al-Qaida in Iraq, to the attacks of 9/11. GEORGE W. BUSH: The same folks that are bombing innocent people in Iraq were the ones who attacked us in America on September the 11th, and that's why what happens in Iraq matters to the security here at home. RAY SUAREZ: Pressed by reporters for evidence of that link, Mr. Bush insisted it was explicit. GEORGE W. BUSH: Is it al-Qaida in Iraq? Yes, it is al-Qaida, just like it's al-Qaida in parts of Pakistan. And I'm working with President Musharraf to be able to — I mean, he doesn't want them in his country. He doesn't want foreign fighters in the outposts of his country, and so we're working to make sure that we continue to keep the pressure on al-Qaida. But no question, al-Qaida is dangerous for the American people.