I'm not saying that they needed the excuse to attack Britain.
I'm saying that with this particular excuse, they'll get a lot more mileage from it in donations and further volunteers.
Iraq has become a recruiting ground and a cause felt through the Muslim world. That is the connection that is there now, which wasn't when we just kept the place poor and bottled up. Afghanistan could be both those things as well, but not on the same scale.
Cheers,
Ben