I realize that many have called our intelligence either lies or
failures, but now we see that those detractors were themselves wrong.
What have I said since day one? What has been the stance of those
that I've had this very discussion with? They repeated the Dem's
mantra that I was mistaken - said in such a way that my friends
wouldn't offend me, since I am a friend - I assume. Well, maybe
those that have said these things to me will now reconsider in light
of these documents? Maybe? Or, will they still let emotion rule
their search for the truth. I guess that time will tell.
I look for the evidence, not letting emotion cloud my judgment - or
class rhetoric - BECAUSE I want to know the truth, regardless of how
painful it might be to me personally. I'd rather now the TRUTH than
live in a fantasy. Especially a fantasy of someone else's creation.
For those that are interested in the truth - or at least the truth as
I've always professed it to be - please read this article an follow
the links herein.
http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=49297
You can find the documents metioned below on the Homeland Defense
website (links to DNI). President Bush has ordered that the
video/audio tapes (over 3000 hours) be made available to the public.
I fully expect that there will be a number of people that will not
even look at these documents for fear that our President (and most of
the World's intelligence agencies) will be proven to be correct in
the assessments about Iraq and it's complicity with terrorist groups
(yes, even the WMD assessments). Don't forget - Abu Nidal was given
safehaven in Iraq.
Newly released document
links Saddam to al-Qaida
Indicates regime was cooperating with bin Laden group to strike U.S.
Posted: March 17, 2006
1:00 a.m. Eastern
(c) 2006 WorldNetDaily.com
Among the pre-war documents posted online yesterday by the Pentagon
is a letter from a member of Saddam's intelligence apparatus
indicating al- Qaida and the Taliban had a relationship with the
regime prior to the 9- 11 attacks.
The letter by the member of Saddam's Al Mukabarat to a superior, dated
Sept. 15, 2001, reports a pre-9/11 conversation between an Iraqi
intelligence source and a Taliban Afghani consul.
The documents were released yesterday at the direction of National
Intelligence Director John Negroponte.
Among the first batch of the thousands expected to be declassified
over the next several months, the Al Mukabarat document was
translated from the original Arabic by a contributor to the online
forum Free Republic.
Laura Mansfield, an independent Middle East analyst, examined the
translation for WorldNetDaily and said it appears to be accurate.
The letter indicated Osama bin Laden and the Taliban in Afghanistan
were in contact with Iraq - noting a specific visit to Baghdad - and
said the U.S. had proof Saddam's regime and al-Qaida were cooperating
to hit a target in the U.S.
The document said the U.S. was aware of such a relationship and could
strike Iraq and Afghanistan if the attacks proved to be tied to bin
Laden and the Taliban.
The translated text is as follows:.
In the Name of God the Merciful
Presidency of the Republic
Intelligence Apparatus
To the respectful Mr. M.A.M
Subject: Information
Our source in Afghanistan No 11002 (for information about him see
attachment 1) provided us with information that that Afghani Consul
Ahmad Dahestani (for information about him see attachment 2) told him
the following:
1. That Osama bin Laden and the Taliban in Afghanistan are in contact
with Iraq and it that previously a group from Taliban and Osama Bin
Laden group visited Iraq.
2. That America has proof that the government of Iraq and Osama bin
Laden group have shown cooperation to hit target within America.
3. That in case it is proven the involvement of Osama bin Laden group
and the Taliban in these destructive operations it is possible that
American will conduct strikes in Iraq and Afghanistan.
4. That the Afghani Consul heard about the subject of Iraq relation
with Osama Bin Laden group during his stay in Iran.
5. In light of this we suggest to write to the Commission of the above
information.
Please view... Yours... With regards
Signature:......, Initials : A.M.M, 15/9/2001
Foot note: Immediately send to the Chairman of Commission
Signature:.............
Zarqawi a pre-war presence?
Mansfield pointed to another document showing that less than a year
after the 9-11 attacks, Saddam's government had identified at least
one active al-Qaida cell in his country.
The document, released only in Arabic, is described by the U.S.
government as follows:
2002 Iraqi Intelligence Correspondence concerning the presence of al-
Qaida Members in Iraq. Correspondence between IRS members on a
suspicion, later confirmed, of the presence of an Al-Qaeda terrorist
group. Moreover, it includes photos and names.
Mansfield said a translation of the document shows the al-Qaida
terrorist Saddam's government had identified was Abu Musab al-Zarqawi,
who emerged as one of the leading terrorists in post-Saddam Hussein
Iraq.
The document, dated Aug. 17, 2002, identifies the al-Qaida member as
Ahmed Fadil Nizal Al Khalaylah, the real name of Zarqawi, and
includes a series of photos.
A memo within the document shows that as early Aug. 8, 2002, Zarqawi
was identified as a member of "Tanzeem al-Qaida," or the "Al-Qaida
Organization".
"This document provides startling documentation that at the very least
that Saddam Hussein's government knew that al-Qaida was active and
functioning in Iraq," Mansfield said.
She pointed out that although the document goes on to outline
activities of the group, there is no indication the Iraqi government
took any steps to stop al-Qaida from operating within Iraq, in clear
defiance of international law.
Caveat
Weekly Standard reporter Stephen Hayes, whose reporting has helped
move members of Congress to call for release of the documents,
nevertheless, has cautioned that they are published with a caveat.
The Pentagon website says: "The U.S. Government has made no
determination regarding the authenticity of the documents, validity
or factual accuracy of the information contained therein, or the
quality of any translations, when available."
The administration's intent is to allow lawmakers and the public to
investigate the documents' claims about controversial issues such as
weapons of mass destruction and al-Qaida's relationship to the regime
prior to the March 2003 invasion.
House Intelligence Chairman Peter Hoekstra, R-Mich., requested the
release, and last weekend Negroponte agreed to set up the website.
Hoekstra said in a statement he welcomed the opportunity to answer
questions critical to the debate over the war.
"Whether Saddam Hussein destroyed Iraq's weapons of mass destruction
or hid or transferred them, the most important thing is we discover
the truth of what was happening in the country prior to the war," he
said.
In 2003, a 16-page top secret government memo to the Senate
Intelligence Committee said bin Laden and Saddam had an operational
relationship from the early 1990s to 2003 that involved training in
explosives and weapons of mass destruction, as well as financial and
logistical support, and may have included the bombing of the USS Cole
and the Sept. 11 attacks.
"The memo, dated Oct. 27, 2003, was sent from Undersecretary of
Defense for Policy Douglas J. Feith to Senators Pat Roberts and Jay
Rockefeller, the chairman and vice chairman of the Senate
Intelligence Committee," reported the Weekly Standard. It was written
in response to a request from the committee as part of its
investigation into prewar intelligence claims made by the
administration.
According to the Weekly Standard, the memo reports Saddam's
willingness to help bin Laden plot against Americans began in 1990,
shortly before the first Gulf War, and continued until the eve of the
U.S.-led invasion of Iraq in 2003. It says bin Laden sent
''emissaries to Jordan in 1990 to meet with Iraqi government
officials.'' At some unspecified point in 1991, according to a CIA
analysis, ''Iraq sought Sudan's assistance to establish links to
al-Qaida.''
