Saturday, April 26, 2003
Telegraph | News | The proof that Saddam worked with bin Laden
The Telegraph scores another coup pawing through the rubble.
Iraqi intelligence documents discovered in Baghdad by The Telegraph have provided the first evidence of a direct link between Osama bin Laden's al-Qa'eda terrorist network and Saddam Hussein's regime.
Papers found yesterday in the bombed headquarters of the Mukhabarat, Iraq's intelligence service, reveal that an al-Qa'eda envoy was invited clandestinely to Baghdad in March 1998.
The documents show that the purpose of the meeting was to establish a relationship between Baghdad and al-Qa'eda based on their mutual hatred of America and Saudi Arabia. The meeting apparently went so well that it was extended by a week and ended with arrangements being discussed for bin Laden to visit Baghdad.
[...]
Papers found yesterday in the bombed headquarters of the Mukhabarat, Iraq's intelligence service, reveal that an al-Qa'eda envoy was invited clandestinely to Baghdad in March 1998.
The documents show that the purpose of the meeting was to establish a relationship between Baghdad and al-Qa'eda based on their mutual hatred of America and Saudi Arabia. The meeting apparently went so well that it was extended by a week and ended with arrangements being discussed for bin Laden to visit Baghdad.
[...]
Hey there... Just thought these articles would go good with your post.
according to the 9/11 commission, there was no connection.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A47812-2004Jun16.html
"The Sept. 11 commission reported yesterday that it has found no "collaborative relationship" between Iraq and al Qaeda, challenging one of the Bush administration's main justifications for the war in Iraq."
Also there was a recent senate report that claimed the same.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/5328592.stm
"There is no evidence of formal links between Iraqi ex-leader Saddam Hussein and al-Qaeda leaders prior to the 2003 war, a US Senate report says."
Thanks for letting me post.
peace.
I'm sorry, but this smacks of wishful thinking.
Maybe these documents are newly found, but what they purport to show is not news. I heard awhile back that Al Qaeda representatives had met a couple of times with Saddam Hussein or with people from his government. So what? Nothing came of the meetings. And ideologically Al Qaeda is very far apart from the Baathists, so such an alliance would've probably been tenuous.
I also heard that the Bush administration had planned an attack on Iraq well before 9/11. The arguments linking Iraq with terrorism still sound feeble, and they frankly smack of pretext. It seems to me that the Bush administration (and Tony Blair's government) lied about their reasons for going to war. I don't necessarily believe that it was for oil. I suspect that we went to war for strategic or ideological reasons that the Bush administration feared wouldn't be accepted by the public.
But there were certainly no WMD and no working relationship between Hussein and Osama bin Laden. Hell, if links with Islamic fundamentalism were a criterion for invasion, we should've attacked Saudi Arabia and Pakistan (our "allies") a long time ago.
One more thing: I've also read stories about the WMD being hidden in Syria. I guess people WANT to believe that the weapons existed and that the invasion of Iraq was necessary to stem terrorism. I want to believe it, too. But I remain unconvinced.
I am glad that Saddam Hussein is gone from power, but I think that the invasion was a big mistake.