WASHINGTON, Sept. 11 (UPI) -- U.S. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld called Iraq "the linchpin" of the war on terror Monday on the fifth anniversary of the 2001 terrorist attacks.
In an opinion piece published in the Wall Street Journal, the defense secretary repeated the Bush administration's argument that invading Iraq was a critical part of the war on terror.
"Osama bin Laden calls Iraq the 'epicenter' of this war, and he believes that 'America is prepared to wage easy wars but not prepared to fight long and bitter wars." Rumsfeld wrote.
Critics of the war say that it was the U.S. invasion and occupation of Iraq that made the country a terrorist battleground. A report released last week by the Senate Intelligence Committee found no connection between Saddam Hussein and al-Qaida.
The Iraq war has also reduced the resources available for Afghanistan and for the war on terror, critics argue.
