Iraq - Al-Qaeda - Terror Links (for dummies)

[obby]

Common Senses People

You have to come up with lies to advance your beliefs. Let me tell you, this whole existence of the Democratic Party right now is tenuously linked to this silly notion that there was no reason to go to Iraq, that there was no Al-Qaeda there and there was no terrorism there. Al-Qaeda was everywhere. They were in Afghanistan, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, Iran, Syria, Egypt, Jordan, England, Germany, France, Spain, Indonesia, Philippines, Russia, USA,,,,,,,,,,,,,,They were even in south Florida! BUT SOMEHOW, THEY JUST SO HAPPENED TO MISS IRAQ??? HUH?? That's the big stretch that you guys are asking us all to believe. The president of Iraq today is prominently saying, "There were connections." Everybody knows there were connections all through the 90s. It boggles the mind. The real stretch seems to me is with you guys. But the notion that, you know, lies and falsehoods are spread here out of desperation to persuade people is incorrect because there's no gain to that. It doesn't get us anywhere, and it certainly harms any cause to build it on lies -- and that's what the left is doing, especially in this war on terror, and particularly war in Iraq.

IRAQ- TERROR LINKS... ENJOY

Those who try to whitewash Saddam's record don't dispute this evidence; they just ignore it. So let's review the evidence, all of it on the public record for months or years:

* Abdul Rahman Yasin was the only member of the al Qaeda cell that detonated the 1993 World Trade Center bomb to remain at large in the Clinton years. He fled to Iraq. U.S. forces recently discovered a cache of documents in Tikrit, Saddam's hometown, that show that Iraq gave Mr. Yasin both a house and monthly salary.

* Bin Laden met at least eight times with officers of Iraq's Special Security Organization, a secret police agency run by Saddam's son Qusay, and met with officials from Saddam's mukhabarat, its external intelligence service, according to intelligence made public by Secretary of State Colin Powell, who was speaking before the United Nations Security Council on February 6, 2003.

* Sudanese intelligence officials told me that their agents had observed meetings between Iraqi intelligence agents and bin Laden starting in 1994, when bin Laden lived in Khartoum.

* Bin Laden met the director of the Iraqi mukhabarat in 1996 in Khartoum, according to Mr. Powell.

* An al Qaeda operative now held by the U.S. confessed that in the mid-1990s, bin Laden had forged an agreement with Saddam's men to cease all terrorist activities against the Iraqi dictator, Mr. Powell told the United Nations.

* In 1999 the Guardian, a British newspaper, reported that Farouk Hijazi, a senior officer in Iraq's mukhabarat, had journeyed deep into the icy mountains near Kandahar, Afghanistan, in December 1998 to meet with al Qaeda men. Mr. Hijazi is "thought to have offered bin Laden asylum in Iraq," the Guardian reported.

* In October 2000, another Iraqi intelligence operative, Salah Suleiman, was arrested near the Afghan border by Pakistani authorities, according to Jane's Foreign Report, a respected international newsletter. Jane's reported that Suleiman was shuttling between Iraqi intelligence and Ayman al Zawahiri, now al Qaeda's No. 2 man.

(Why are all of those meetings significant? The London Observer reports that FBI investigators cite a captured al Qaeda field manual in Afghanistan, which "emphasizes the value of conducting discussions about pending terrorist attacks face to face, rather than by electronic means.")

* As recently as 2001, Iraq's embassy in Pakistan was used as a "liaison" between the Iraqi dictator and al Qaeda, Mr. Powell told the United Nations.

* Spanish investigators have uncovered documents seized from Yusuf Galan -- who is charged by a Spanish court with being "directly involved with the preparation and planning" of the Sept. 11 attacks -- that show the terrorist was invited to a party at the Iraqi embassy in Madrid. The invitation used his "al Qaeda nom de guerre," London's Independent reports.

* An Iraqi defector to Turkey, known by his cover name as "Abu Mohammed," told Gwynne Roberts of the Sunday Times of London that he saw bin Laden's fighters in camps in Iraq in 1997. At the time, Mohammed was a colonel in Saddam's Fedayeen. He described an encounter at Salman Pak, the training facility southeast of Baghdad. At that vast compound run by Iraqi intelligence, Muslim militants trained to hijack planes with knives -- on a full-size Boeing 707. Col. Mohammed recalls his first visit to Salman Pak this way: "We were met by Colonel Jamil Kamil, the camp manager, and Major Ali Hawas. I noticed that a lot of people were queuing for food. (The major) said to me: 'You'll have nothing to do with these people. They are Osama bin Laden's group and the PKK and Mojahedin-e Khalq.'"

* In 1998, Abbas al-Janabi, a longtime aide to Saddam's son Uday, defected to the West. At the time, he repeatedly told reporters that there was a direct connection between Iraq and al Qaeda.

*The Sunday Times found a Saddam loyalist in a Kurdish prison who claims to have been Dr. Zawahiri's bodyguard during his 1992 visit with Saddam in Baghdad. Dr. Zawahiri was a close associate of bin Laden at the time and was present at the founding of al Qaeda in 1989.

* Following the defeat of the Taliban, almost two dozen bin Laden associates "converged on Baghdad and established a base of operations there," Mr. Powell told the United Nations in February 2003. From their Baghdad base, the secretary said, they supervised the movement of men, materiel and money for al Qaeda's global network.

* In 2001, an al Qaeda member "bragged that the situation in Iraq was 'good,'" according to intelligence made public by Mr. Powell.

* That same year, Saudi Arabian border guards arrested two al Qaeda members entering the kingdom from Iraq.

* Abu Musaab al-Zarqawi oversaw an al Qaeda training camp in Afghanistan, Mr. Powell told the United Nations. His specialty was poisons. Wounded in fighting with U.S. forces, he sought medical treatment in Baghdad in May 2002. When Zarqawi recovered, he restarted a training camp in northern Iraq. Zarqawi's Iraq cell was later tied to the October 2002 murder of Lawrence Foley, an official of the U.S. Agency for International Development, in Amman, Jordan. The captured assassin confessed that he received orders and funds from Zarqawi's cell in Iraq, Mr. Powell said. His accomplice escaped to Iraq.

*Zarqawi met with military chief of al Qaeda, Mohammed Ibrahim Makwai (aka Saif al-Adel) in Iran in February 2003, according to intelligence sources cited by the Washington Post.

* Mohammad Atef, the head of al Qaeda's military wing until the U.S. killed him in Afghanistan in November 2001, told a senior al Qaeda member now in U.S. custody that the terror network needed labs outside of Afghanistan to manufacture chemical weapons, Mr. Powell said. "Where did they go, where did they look?" said the secretary. "They went to Iraq."

* Abu Abdullah al-Iraqi was sent to Iraq by bin Laden to purchase poison gases several times between 1997 and 2000. He called his relationship with Saddam's regime "successful," Mr. Powell told the United Nations.

* Mohamed Mansour Shahab, a smuggler hired by Iraq to transport weapons to bin Laden in Afghanistan, was arrested by anti-Hussein Kurdish forces in May, 2000. He later told his story to American intelligence and a reporter for the New Yorker magazine.

* Documents found among the debris of the Iraqi Intelligence Center show that Baghdad funded the Allied Democratic Forces, a Ugandan terror group led by an Islamist cleric linked to bin Laden. According to a London's Daily Telegraph, the organization offered to recruit "youth to train for the jihad" at a "headquarters for international holy warrior network" to be established in Baghdad.

* Mullah Melan Krekar, ran a terror group (the Ansar al-Islam) linked to both bin Laden and Saddam Hussein. Mr. Krekar admitted to a Kurdish newspaper that he met bin Laden in Afghanistan and other senior al Qaeda officials. His acknowledged meetings with bin Laden go back to 1988. When he organized Ansar al Islam in 2001 to conduct suicide attacks on Americans, "three bin Laden operatives showed up with a gift of $300,000 'to undertake jihad,'" Newsday reported. Mr. Krekar is now in custody in the Netherlands. His group operated in portion of northern Iraq loyal to Saddam Hussein -- and attacked independent Kurdish groups hostile to Saddam. A spokesman for the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan told a United Press International correspondent that Mr. Krekar's group was funded by "Saddam Hussein's regime in Baghdad."

* After October 2001, hundreds of al Qaeda fighters are believed to have holed up in the Ansar al-Islam's strongholds inside northern Iraq.

Some skeptics dismiss the emerging evidence of a longstanding link between Iraq and al Qaeda by contending that Saddam ran a secular dictatorship hated by Islamists like bin Laden.

[sobeton]

if it was all common sense, what the hell took so long to figure it out?? sounds like election year theatrics to me.

[shortkat5]

call me old fashioned, call me patriotic i really dont give a damn - but any president that blows iraq all to hell and catches saddam, WMD or not, gets my vote!!!!

[jtk4]

yep blow shit up yeeeeeeeee-haaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa

when bush is elected iran is next

yeeeeeeeeeeeee-haaaaaaaaaaaaaa

[sobeton]

oh hell yeah! we will blow shit up, even when we don’t have creditable evidence. Ah f*ck it, we will just find evidence, or manufacture it after the fact. oh sh*t don’t be surprised if people start blowing our sh*t up.

[obby]

[obby]

any president that blows iraq all to hell and catches saddam, WMD or not, gets my vote!!!!

Blows Iraq all to hell??????

Thats kind of harsh bro. Not all Iraqi's are evil BUT I know what your getting at and Bush has my vote too.

[mursa]

GWB " we are digging through the facts "

...Facts should be clear , no digging should be needed .

PS...instead of "dummies" , obby you should insert ( for those in denial ) .

[obby]

PS...instead of "dummies" , obby you should insert ( for those in denial ) .

How about..........NO!!!!

[sobeton]

cheers to Rush Limbaugh and his website. he can almost make anyone look intelligent.

[obby]

The only theatrics and theories have been coming from your side..........I almost understand what you and those like minded must be going through lately......ya' know,,watching everything you've invested all your emotion in believing crumbling like a house of cards. your right,,,it sucks,,,,,,,,,,then again,,it's your bed,,,,,you made it,,,,so try taking a nap or clicking your heels,,,,anything but opening you eyes...................lol

The truth has always been out there. you've been reluctant to accept it cause doing so exposes your hypocrisy and pseudo-intellect (hence my previous comments about being intellectually dishonest). The saddest part about all this is that it was unnecessary. You folks didn't have to knee-jerk/circle jerk every accusation against Bush and this admin, but chose to do so,,,,,,,,,just because I guess???,,,or maybe as you put it "ELECTION YR. THEATRICS"...........lol..................

What a pisser...4-real....I just can't wait to hear the next DNC talking point.....call me crazy, but it'll probably have something to do w/ pointing blame and making excuses,,,anything except addressing the core of this issue/s. It's no wonder there's no vision or optimism from the left today. All doom/gloom and perfecting the art of "victimization"..............HOW F'ING PATHETIC!

As always.....lot's of love,,,,,YOU LITTLE DEVIL YOU!!! LOL

[mursa]

The truth is that we went to war cause of WMD's , then when they weren't found we quickly changed the mission to FREE IRAQ propoganda . hmmmmmmm weird.

Most if not all of those Iraq-Al-Quaeda facts were given by Iraqi defectors who since then have been proven false or "amplified" . Saddam would'nt let religious extremist have safe haven in Iraq , he even fought Iran over such reasons .

simply put .

[obby]

The truth is that we went to war cause of WMD's , then when they weren't found we quickly changed the mission to FREE IRAQ propoganda . hmmmmmmm weird.

Most if not all of those Iraq-Al-Quaeda facts were given by Iraqi defectors who since then have been proven false or "amplified" . Saddam would'nt let religious extremist have safe haven in Iraq , he even fought Iran over such reasons .

simply put .

With all due respect Mursa:

oh my goodness gracious.....What planet are you from? Do you come from TRON?

We went into Iraq for more than one reason (You do know that,,don't you???). The most talked about reason was WMD's. After 9/11, I understand why WMD's were stressed more than the others(It posed the greatest threat to our homeland). But make no mistake, WE WENT TO IRAQ FOR MULTIPLE REASONS. I remember hearing things about an axis of evil, 17 UN resolutions broken, WMD's, regime change,,etc....to name a few. Your hung up on WMD's and just ignore the other reasons. Interesting? Why? Your unwillingness to use perspective says a lot about you. You could give 3 craps about perspective. You're obviously only interested in hanging on to this WMD crap which the entire world seems to have been wrong about(again, THE ENTIRE WORLD,,not the EVIL BUSH...LOL how pathetic). do-you-understand-the-words-that-are-coming-out-my-mouth? It's as if you can't let go of the WMD thing or you'll just sink and drown in the rest of the facts. Let it go my man......There are more issues in this war on terror/Iraq. Clinging to the WMD thing like a dingle berry on an ass hair is just silly. The toilet is being flushed and you're going down w/ the rest of the bullshit you've been spewing and marinating in. Refrescate con la verdad.

Are you a citizen? Can you even vote? (please answer) Funny how most of the new generation of American people here keep babbling incoherently about Bush, but they can't even vote....They haven't earned the right to vote yet. You might as well be having a conversation w/ a block of wood or a spare tire. Like I've said before,,,,,,either your doing your best to undermine the efforts and sacrifices made by our troops and leaders or your defending terrorist and tyrannical leaders? PICK YOUR POISON. Go play soccer or something,,but for the love of God, no hables de lo que sabes.

Simply put

[jamiroguy1]

[sobeton]

With all due respect Mursa:

oh my goodness gracious.....What planet are you from? Do you come from TRON?

We went into Iraq for more than one reason (You do know that,,don't you???). The most talked about reason was WMD's. After 9/11, I understand why WMD's were stressed more than the others(It posed the greatest threat to our homeland). But make no mistake, WE WENT TO IRAQ FOR MULTIPLE REASONS. I remember hearing things about an axis of evil, 17 UN resolutions broken, WMD's, regime change,,etc....to name a few. Your hung up on WMD's and just ignore the other reasons. Interesting? Why? Your unwillingness to use perspective says a lot about you. You could give 3 craps about perspective. You're obviously only interested in hanging on to this WMD crap which the entire world seems to have been wrong about(again, THE ENTIRE WORLD,,not the EVIL BUSH...LOL how pathetic). do-you-understand-the-words-that-are-coming-out-my-mouth? It's as if you can't let go of the WMD thing or you'll just sink and drown in the rest of the facts. Let it go my man......There are more issues in this war on terror/Iraq. Clinging to the WMD thing like a dingle berry on an ass hair is just silly. The toilet is being flushed and you're going down w/ the rest of the bullshit you've been spewing and marinating in. Refrescate con la verdad.

Are you a citizen? Can you even vote? (please answer) Funny how most of the new generation of American people here keep babbling incoherently about Bush, but they can't even vote....They haven't earned the right to vote yet. You might as well be having a conversation w/ a block of wood or a spare tire. Like I've said before,,,,,,either your doing your best to undermine the efforts and sacrifices made by our troops and leaders or your defending terrorist and tyrannical leaders? PICK YOUR POISON. Go play soccer or something,,but for the love of God, no hables de lo que sabes.

Simply put

there is nothing more disingenuous then you starting a post with "With all due respect". clearly, you have no respect for any ones opinion but your own. however, you seem very adapt at being condescending.

[mursa]

With all due respect Mursa:

oh my goodness gracious.....What planet are you from? Do you come from TRON?

We went into Iraq for more than one reason (You do know that,,don't you???). The most talked about reason was WMD's. After 9/11, I understand why WMD's were stressed more than the others(It posed the greatest threat to our homeland). But make no mistake, WE WENT TO IRAQ FOR MULTIPLE REASONS. I remember hearing things about an axis of evil, 17 UN resolutions broken, WMD's, regime change,,etc....to name a few. Your hung up on WMD's and just ignore the other reasons. Interesting? Why? Your unwillingness to use perspective says a lot about you. You could give 3 craps about perspective. You're obviously only interested in hanging on to this WMD crap which the entire world seems to have been wrong about(again, THE ENTIRE WORLD,,not the EVIL BUSH...LOL how pathetic). do-you-understand-the-words-that-are-coming-out-my-mouth? It's as if you can't let go of the WMD thing or you'll just sink and drown in the rest of the facts. Let it go my man......There are more issues in this war on terror/Iraq. Clinging to the WMD thing like a dingle berry on an ass hair is just silly. The toilet is being flushed and you're going down w/ the rest of the bullshit you've been spewing and marinating in. Refrescate con la verdad.

Are you a citizen? Can you even vote? (please answer) Funny how most of the new generation of American people here keep babbling incoherently about Bush, but they can't even vote....They haven't earned the right to vote yet. You might as well be having a conversation w/ a block of wood or a spare tire. Like I've said before,,,,,,either your doing your best to undermine the efforts and sacrifices made by our troops and leaders or your defending terrorist and tyrannical leaders? PICK YOUR POISON. Go play soccer or something,,but for the love of God, no hables de lo que sabes.

Simply put

Im as neutral as they come bro ! (im not even an American citizen & by choice) , your the one with the agenda , not me . I can't vote, but I work , pay taxes and help my bosses make money , therefore im entitled to speak my mind .

the fact of the matter is that if IRAQ DIDN'T HAVE WMD (such as is the case Today) ...Bush would'nt have gotten the support from the Senate to go to WAR ...nuff said , case closed try again .

PS....check your mailbox ,,the National Review Aug edition is in the mail !

[obby]

Opinions noted.