Summary An official of US national counterterrorism center says that Al Qaeda in Iraq strongest since 2006.
WASHINGTON (AP) - The head of the national counterterrorism center says the Al Qaeda affiliate in Iraq is the strongest it s been since a peak in 2006.
Matt Olsen says Al Qaeda in Iraq has increased the pace of attacks this year.
Olsen is testifying to a Senate committee on the current terror threat to the U.S.
Olsen did not say that Al Qaeda in Iraq poses a direct threat to the U.S. He says the group continues to operate in Syria as well.
In 2006, the group was at its peak in Iraq when it bombed a Shiite mosque and heightened sectarian killings.
