Saddam -- Bin Laden -- Al-Qaeda -- 9/11 Connection

Post-9/11 Era Forum

First, let's look at some of the new stuff that's emerged since OIF (copied and pasted via the U.S. Senate Intelligence Committee memo):

According to a May 2003 debriefing of a senior Iraqi intelligence officer, Iraqi intelligence established a highly secretive relationship with Egyptian Islamic Jihad, and later with al Qaeda. The first meeting in 1992 between the Iraqi Intelligence Service (IIS) and al Qaeda was brokered by al-Turabi. Former IIS deputy director Faruq Hijazi and senior al Qaeda leader [Ayman al] Zawahiri were at the meeting--the first of several between 1992 and 1995 in Sudan. Additional meetings between Iraqi intelligence and al Qaeda were held in Pakistan. Members of al Qaeda would sometimes visit Baghdad where they would meet the Iraqi intelligence chief in a safe house. The report claimed that Saddam insisted the relationship with al Qaeda be kept secret. After 9-11, the source said Saddam made a personnel change in the IIS for fear the relationship would come under scrutiny from foreign probes.

A CIA report from a contact with good access, some of whose reporting has been corroborated, said that certain elements in the "Islamic Army" of bin Laden were against the secular regime of Saddam. Overriding the internal factional strife that was developing, bin Laden came to an "understanding" with Saddam that the Islamic Army would no longer support anti-Saddam activities. According to sensitive reporting released in U.S. court documents during the African Embassy trial, in 1993 bin Laden reached an "understanding" with Saddam under which he (bin Laden) forbade al Qaeda operations to be mounted against the Iraqi leader.

Reporting from a well placed source disclosed that bin Laden was receiving training on bomb making from the IIS's [Iraqi Intelligence Service] principal technical expert on making sophisticated explosives, Brigadier Salim al-Ahmed. Brigadier Salim was observed at bin Laden's farm in Khartoum in Sept.-Oct. 1995 and again in July 1996, in the company of the Director of Iraqi Intelligence, Mani abd-al-Rashid al-Tikriti.

Bin Laden visited Doha, Qatar (17-19 Jan. 1996), staying at the residence of a member of the Qatari ruling family. He discussed the successful movement of explosives into Saudi Arabia, and operations targeted against U.S. and U.K. interests in Dammam, Dharan, and Khobar, using clandestine al Qaeda cells in Saudi Arabia. Upon his return, bin Laden met with Hijazi and Turabi, among others.

The Director of Iraqi Intelligence, Mani abd-al-Rashid al-Tikriti, met privately with bin Laden at his farm in Sudan in July 1996. Tikriti used an Iraqi delegation traveling to Khartoum to discuss bilateral cooperation as his "cover" for his own entry into Sudan to meet with bin Laden and Hassan al-Turabi. The Iraqi intelligence chief and two other IIS officers met at bin Laden's farm and discussed bin Laden's request for IIS technical assistance in: a) making letter and parcel bombs; b) making bombs which could be placed on aircraft and detonated by changes in barometric pressure; and c) making false passport [sic]. Bin Laden specifically requested that [Brigadier Salim al-Ahmed], Iraqi intelligence's premier explosives maker--especially skilled in making car bombs--remain with him in Sudan. The Iraqi intelligence chief instructed Salim to remain in Sudan with bin Laden as long as required.

According to sensitive reporting, Saddam personally sent Faruq Hijazi, IIS deputy director and later Iraqi ambassador to Turkey, to meet with bin Laden at least twice, first in Sudan and later in Afghanistan in 1999.

According to a sensitive reporting [from] a "regular and reliable source," [Ayman al] Zawahiri, a senior al Qaeda operative, visited Baghdad and met with the Iraqi Vice President on 3 February 1998. The goal of the visit was to arrange for coordination between Iraq and bin Laden and establish camps in an-Nasiriyah and Iraqi Kurdistan under the leadership of Abdul Aziz.

A foreign government service reported that an Iraqi delegation, including at least two Iraqi intelligence officers formerly assigned to the Iraqi Embassy in Pakistan, met in late 1998 with bin Laden in Afghanistan.

According to CIA reporting, bin Laden and Zawahiri met with two Iraqi intelligence officers in Afghanistan in Dec. 1998.

Iraq sent an intelligence officer to Afghanistan to seek closer ties to bin Laden and the Taliban in late 1998. The source reported that the Iraqi regime was trying to broaden its cooperation with al Qaeda. Iraq was looking to recruit Muslim "elements" to sabotage U.S. and U.K. interests. After a senior Iraqi intelligence officer met with Taliban leader [Mullah] Omar, arrangements were made for a series of meetings between the Iraqi intelligence officer and bin Laden in Pakistan. The source noted Faruq Hijazi was in Afghanistan in late 1998.

Faruq Hijazi went to Afghanistan in 1999 along with several other Iraqi officials to meet with bin Laden. The source claimed that Hijazi would have met bin Laden only at Saddam's explicit direction.

Iraqi officials were carefully considering offering safe haven to bin Laden and his closest collaborators in Nov. 1999. The source indicated the idea was put forward by the presumed head of Iraqi intelligence in Islamabad (Khalid Janaby) who in turn was in frequent contact and had good relations with bin Laden.

According to sensitive reporting, a Malaysia-based Iraqi national (Shakir) facilitated the arrival of one of the Sept 11 hijackers for an operational meeting in Kuala Lumpur (Jan 2000). Sensitive reporting indicates Shakir's travel and contacts link him to a worldwide network of terrorists, including al Qaeda. Shakir worked at the Kuala Lumpur airport--a job he claimed to have obtained through an Iraqi embassy employee.

Investigation into the bombing of the USS Cole in October 2000 by al Qaeda revealed no specific Iraqi connections but according to the CIA, "fragmentary evidence points to possible Iraqi involvement."

During a custodial interview, Ibn al-Shaykh al-Libi [a senior al Qaeda operative] said he was told by an al Qaeda associate that he was tasked to travel to Iraq (1998) to establish a relationship with Iraqi intelligence to obtain poisons and gases training. After the USS Cole bombing in 2000, two al Qaeda operatives were sent to Iraq for CBW-related [Chemical and Biological Weapons] training beginning in Dec 2000. Iraqi intelligence was "encouraged" after the embassy and USS Cole bombings to provide this training.

According to sensitive CIA reporting, . . . the Saudi National Guard went on a kingdom-wide state of alert in late Dec 2000 after learning Saddam agreed to assist al Qaeda in attacking U.S./U.K. interests in Saudi Arabia.

An Oct. 2002 . . . report said al Qaeda and Iraq reached a secret agreement whereby Iraq would provide safe haven to al Qaeda members and provide them with money and weapons. The agreement reportedly prompted a large number of al Qaeda members to head to Iraq. The report also said that al Qaeda members involved in a fraudulent passport network for al Qaeda had been directed to procure 90 Iraqi and Syrian passports for al Qaeda personnel.

Sensitive reporting indicates senior terrorist planner and close al Qaeda associate al Zarqawi has had an operational alliance with Iraqi officials. As of Oct. 2002, al Zarqawi maintained contacts with the IIS to procure weapons and explosives, including surface-to-air missiles from an IIS officer in Baghdad. According to sensitive reporting, al Zarqawi was setting up sleeper cells in Baghdad to be activated in case of a U.S. occupation of the city, suggesting his operational cooperation with the Iraqis may have deepened in recent months. Such cooperation could include IIS provision of a secure operating bases [sic] and steady access to arms and explosives in preparation for a possible U.S. invasion. Al Zarqawi's procurements from the Iraqis also could support al Qaeda operations against the U.S. or its allies elsewhere.

According to sensitive reporting, a contact with good access who does not have an established reporting record: An Iraqi intelligence service officer said that as of mid-March the IIS was providing weapons to al Qaeda members located in northern Iraq, including rocket propelled grenade (RPG)-18 launchers. According to IIS information, northern Iraq-based al Qaeda members believed that the U.S. intended to strike al Qaeda targets during an anticipated assault against Ansar al-Islam positions.



Now, lets look at the things that I've known (off of the top of my head) before OIF even began that tie Saddam Hussein to al-Qaeda and/or 9/11 and/or terrorism:


In the mid-90's, Saddam channeled funds to several Islamic terrorist camps in Sudan that al-Qaeda was involved with.

Saddam Husseins links with international terrorists such as Abu Nidal and Ilich Ramirez Sanchez. Including terrorist organizations, such as: Mujahedin-e-Khalq, Kurdistan Workers Party, Palestine Liberation Front, and the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine.

In late 2001, two high-ranking Iraqi defectors had revealed that Saddam had a terrorist training camp at the Salman Pak military base which hosted groups of Islamic fighters from Saudia Arabia, Yemen, and Egypt. The camp contained a disused Boeing 707 that was used to teach recruits how to hijack a plane with only their bare hands and a knife. The Saudi's were from Osama Bin Ladens 'Wahhabi' sect.

In Prague, only five months prior to the 9/11 attacks... Mohammed Atta, one of the ring leaders of the 9/11 attacks, had met with Ahmed al-Ani, an Iraqi Intelligence Officer. Ahmed al-Ani was under surveillance by Czech intelligence for suspicion of a plot to bomb Radio Free Europe.

Just prior to the terrorist attacks of 9/11, Saddam Hussein placed his military on the highest state of alert since the first Gulf War.


There is absolutely no doubt in my mind that Saddam Hussein played a role in the 9/11 attacks on the U.S.


...and more evidence is yet to emerge!!!


--JV

I think the adminstration is going to secure every peice of evidense that comes in, create a timeline, and file records of every source they get and put it all into one big state of the union address. The U.S. has uncovered more since the war and it's all fitting into puzzle nicely. I think what we have here is the Adminstraion probably has 60% of the puzzle, but they won't break the silence until there's an obvious, undesputible picture for all to see. I don't think they're just "making a case" here, I think they're going to do one of those: "Attention, we need the world's attention for a few moents. What we're about to reveal is not as shocking to us as it will be to you."

Well that does it for me. I'm convinced. Man unbelievable.

http://www.montanaforum.com/rednews...onnex.php?nnn=6

This is what you guys hero has said about Saddam and 9/11. I guess you all are now ignoring Bush's own words to justify your claims. Bush says it DOESN"T EXIST. The case is weak at best or he would be singing like a bird these "new findings"

What I am interested is which one of you can point to Saddam being a direct threat to the US. Facts please, no rhetoric about 15 yr post 9/11 events such as the Kurds & Iran. Something around Sept, 2002 would do since Bush started his build up of troops in Kawait then.

Thnx.

“There’s no question that Saddam Hussein had al-Qaida ties,”

From your own article.

From JV:

Here's some stuff to help jog your memory:

02/93 - Bombing of World Trade Center (WTC); 6 killed.

06/96 - Truck bombing at Khobar Towers barracks in Dhahran, Saudi Arabia, kills 19 Americans.

08/98 - Bombing of U.S. embassies in East Africa; 224 killed, including 12 Americans.

10/00 - Bombing of the USS Cole in port in Yemen; 17 U.S. sailors killed.

09/01 - Destruction of WTC, Pentagon attack. Total dead 3,044.

04/02 - Explosion at historic synagogue in Tunisia leaves 21 dead, including 14 German tourists.

05/02 - Car explodes outside hotel in Karachi, Pakistan, killing 14, including 11 French citizens.

06/02 - Bomb explodes outside American Consulate in Karachi, Pakistan, killing 12.

10/02 - Nightclub bombings in Bali, Indonesia, kill 202, mostly Australian citizens.

11/02 - Suicide attack on a hotel in Mombasa, Kenya, kills 16.

Bush vowed a war on terrorism. Saddam is just one.

I like this quote much better....


"Some administration officials argue privately that the case for linkage is so devastating that when they eventually unveil it, the critics will be embarrassed and their arguments will collapse."




--JV

finally I have found some Bush supporters! Hurrah!

Yeah, they're out there Craze. Less and less though, according to the polls, unlike Al Queda who's undergoing an excellent recruitment drive at the moment.

Gee... things keep stacking up.


Atta linked to Baghdad in dubious document
By Con Coughlin
London
December 15, 2003


For anyone attempting to find evidence to justify the war in Iraq, the discovery by Iraq's interim government of a document that directly links Mohamed Atta, the al-Qaeda mastermind of the September 11 attacks, with the Baghdad training camp of Abu Nidal, the infamous Palestinian terrorist, appears almost too good to be true.

Ever since four hijacked civilian jets devastated the United States eastern seaboard on September 11, 2001, there have been any number of reports circulating in Western intelligence agencies suggesting that Saddam Hussein's Iraq had close links to al-Qaeda.

But while both US President George Bush and British Prime Minister Tony Blair have dropped numerous hints that they believe there was a significant level of co-operation between Saddam and al-Qaeda, their intelligence agencies have actively sought to downplay the significance of the relationship, especially the suggestion that Saddam was in any way involved in the September 11 attacks.

However, the tantalising detail provided in the intelligence document uncovered by Iraq's interim government suggests that Atta's involvement with Iraqi intelligence may well have been far deeper than has hitherto been acknowledged.

Written in the neat, precise hand of Tahir Jalil Habbush al-Tikriti, the former head of the Iraqi Intelligence Service and one of the few named in the US Government's pack of cards of most-wanted Iraqis not to have been apprehended, the personal memo to Saddam is signed by Habbush in distinctive green ink.

Headed simply "Intelligence Items", and dated July 1, 2001, it is addressed: "To the President of the Baath Revolution Party and President of the Republic, may God protect you." The first paragraph states that "Mohamed Atta, an Egyptian national, came with Abu Ammer (an Arabic nom-de-guerre) and we hosted him in Abu Nidal's house at al-Dora under our direct supervision. We arranged a work program for him for three days with a team dedicated to working with him... He displayed extraordinary effort and showed a firm commitment to lead the team which will be responsible for attacking the targets that we have agreed to destroy." There is nothing in the document that provides any clue to the identity of the "targets", although Iraqi officials say it is a coded reference to the September 11 attacks.

The second item explains how Iraqi intelligence, helped by "a small team from the al-Qaeda organisation", arranged for an (unspecified) shipment from Niger to reach Baghdad by way of Libya and Syria.

Iraqi officials believe this is a reference to the controversial shipments of uranium ore that Iraq acquired from Niger to aid Saddam in his efforts to develop an atom bomb.

While it is almost impossible to ascertain whether the document is legitimate, Iraqi officials are convinced of its authenticity, even though they decline to reveal where and how they obtained it.

I friggin knew it. I can't believe there were people so naive enough to think otherwise.