IVAW Requests Declassification of Intelligence Reports on Taliban-Al Qaeda Relationship

On 8 March 2011, IVAW requested that Senator Diane Feinstein, Chairwoman of the Senate Select Intelligence Committee, request declassification of intelligence reports on the Taliban and Al Qaeda. To date there has been insufficient public debate within Congress on whether the defeat of the Taliban is vital to the protection of the American people from terrorist attacks and numerous prominent national security commentators have made compelling arguments that this is not the case or at the very least that this assumption should be re-examined.  

Declassification of intelligence reports could potentially help the public to develop a clearer understanding of the relationship between the Taliban and Al Qaeda, their ideological distinctions and differences in their objectives, and whether the former could potentially be convinced to separate themselves from the latter. Presumably the U.S. intelligence community is working to provide ongoing analysis of these questions. In either case, the American public has a right to know.  

The letter can be read here:Letter_to_Senator_Feinstein_on_Declassification_of_Intelligence_Reports_on_Taliban-AQ.pdf