Under pressure from Congress, the Bush administration reversed gears Wednesday and released a report showing an upsurge in &to=http:// english.pravda.ru/world/2002/10/16/38258.html ' target=_blank>terrorist attacks worldwide in 2004 after first withholding the statistics from the public.
The number of "significant attacks" grew to about 651 last year, from 208 in 2003, according to statistics released by the &to=http:// english.pravda.ru/columnists/2002/07/26/33238.html ' target=_blank>National Counterterrorism Center. The 2004 total includes 201 attacks in Iraq.
The totals raised questions about the administration's claims that it is winning the war on terrorism. A counterterrorism official, however, said new reporting methods made year-to-year comparisons meaningless.
The annual report on global terrorism, compiled by the State Department, warned that while &to=http:// english.pravda.ru/main/2002/07/26/33240.html ' target=_blank>al-Qaida leaders have been hurt by military operations, local groups inspired by the terror network were able to launch deadly attacks in Spain, Indonesia and elsewhere, reports the Kansas City Star.
The State Department report said "international terrorism continued to pose a significant threat to the United States and its partners in 2004."
And the preliminary NCTC report said there were 651 terrorist attacks in 2004 classified as "significant," with 1,907 people killed.
Data released last year by the State Department for 2003 said 208 attacks killed 625 people worldwide. Of those attacks, 175 were deemed "significant," which at the time marked a 21-year high.
However, the NCTC's acting director, John Brennan, stressed Wednesday that the newest data cannot be compared accurately to previous numbers, saying a more comprehensive review was conducted for the 2004 figures, informs CNN News.
No terrorist attacks against the U.S. homeland were reported in 2004, but about 10 percent of the attacks worldwide targeted U.S. interests, Brennan said.
NR
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