Rumsfeld says terror threat is greater than ever

By JERUSALEM POST STAFF
The United States has made progress in the war on terror, but the threat today may be greater than ever before because the available weapons are far more dangerous, Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld said Thursday. "The enemy - while weakened and under pressure _ is still capable of global reach, and still possesses the determination to kill more Americans - and to do so with the world's most dangerous weapons," Rumsfeld said in remarks prepared for delivery at the US National Press Club. The US strategy, he said, includes doing everything possible to prevent the enemy from gaining weapons of mass destruction, improving homeland defense and intelligence gathering and helping friendly nations become better able to fight the terrorists in their own countries. "Because they lurk in shadows, without visible armies, and are willing to wait long periods between attacks, there is a tendency to underestimate the threat they pose," said Rumsfeld. He said there are no fewer than 18 organizations, loosely connected with al-Qaida, conducting terrorist attacks.