US reports: worldwide terrorist attacks – 651 for the last year

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.