Militants Widen Reach as Terror Seeps Out of Iraq

US leaders described the war in Iraq as a defensive measure and a way to contain terrorists, and for the past four years, militants from around the world flocked to Iraq to fight US forces. But chaos is plentiful in Iraq, and experts report that organizers have expanded their mission to thwart Americans and any governments that support US goals, by dispatching fighters to other nations, including Saudi Arabia, Lebanon and Jordan. For example, the Lebanon Army recently clashed with the militant group Fatah al Islam, which had at least 50 fighters who had also fought in Iraq. Jordan, which shares a border with Iraq, also reports an increase in militants, as evidenced by a failed plot to explode a bomb amid a crowd of tourists at the Queen Alia Airport in Amman. In Iraq, militants learn bomb-making techniques and the use of safe houses. Sectarian violence spreading beyond Iraqi borders is one of the many consequences of the war, and international security officials warn that no country can presume its borders are safe. – YaleGlobal