Iraq Is Jihadi University

At least someone recognizes that Iraq is the training ground for the worldwide jihad.

Problem is, it isn't anyone in our own government.

Alarm at Iraq terrorism exports

IRAQ is emerging as the new "university" for jihadis, including Westerners who have joined the insurgency, acquired deadly skills and will one day return home, the state's top counter-terrorism officer warned yesterday.

The chilling observation from the head of NSW Police's counter-terrorism command, Assistant Commissioner Nick Kaldas, came as the Federal Government and the Opposition continued to brawl over the merits of withdrawing from the conflict. In a speech to the Security 2007 conference, Mr Kaldas said Iraq would likely be a breeding ground for terrorists for the rest of the decade.

"There are almost certainly people from Western backgrounds involved in this insurgency on the ground in Iraq," he said. "My concern would be what happens to those people when they either bow out of the conflict or the conflict concludes in some way and they return to their normal habitat.

"Unfortunately, they would probably come back with networks they couldn't have developed sitting in a coffee shop in their capital cities, with some experience and certainly more knowledge than they had before in relation to some of the tactics that are used by insurgents and terrorists generally."

Of course, when our own government issues warnings about possible terror attacks, the usual kneejerk litany of stupidity ensues and the timing is questioned.

Yet when the inevitable does occur, we'll hear all about why we didn't "connect the dots" in time.