No al Qaeda, Iraq cooperation

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iVillage Member
Registered: 03-25-2003
No al Qaeda, Iraq cooperation
72
Thu, 06-17-2004 - 4:34am
"The panel (9/11) said it found "no credible evidence that Iraq and al Qaeda cooperated on attacks against the United States."

The report contradicts statements from the Bush administration that Saddam Hussein had ties to al Qaeda.

In response, a senior administration official traveling with President Bush in Tampa, Florida, said, "We stand by what Powell and Tenet have said," referring to previous statements by Secretary of State Colin Powell and CIA Director George Tenet that described such links.

In February 2003, Secretary of State Colin Powell told the United Nations that Iraq was harboring Zarqawi, a "collaborator of Osama bin Laden and his al Qaeda lieutenants," and he said Iraq's denials of ties to al Qaeda "are simply not credible."

In September, Cheney said Iraq had been "the geographic base of the terrorists who have had us under assault now for many years, but most especially on 9/11."

Bush, responding to criticism of Cheney's comment, said there was no evidence Saddam's government was linked to the September 11 attacks.

Just this week Bush and Cheney have made comments alleging ties between al Qaeda and Iraq. ( Full story )

Democratic presidential hopeful Sen. John Kerry said, "the administration misled America."

"The administration reached too far," he told Detroit radio station WDET. "They did not tell the truth to Americans about what was happening or their own intentions."

The commission's report says bin Laden "explored possible cooperation with Iraq during his time in Sudan, despite his opposition to Hussein's secular regime. Bin Laden had in fact at one time sponsored anti-Saddam Islamists in Iraqi Kurdistan.

"The Sudanese, to protect their own ties with Iraq, reportedly persuaded bin Laden to cease this support and arranged for contacts between Iraq and al Qaeda."

A senior Iraqi intelligence officer reportedly made three visits to Sudan, finally meeting bin Laden in 1994.

Bin Laden is said to have requested space to establish training camps, as well as assistance in procuring weapons, but Iraq apparently never responded.

"There have been reports that contacts between Iraq and al Qaeda also occurred after bin Laden had returned to Afghanistan, but they do not appear to have resulted in a collaborative relationship," the report said.

"Two senior bin Laden associates have adamantly denied" any relationship, the report said.

The panel also dismissed reports that Atta met with an Iraqi intelligence officer in the Czech Republic on April 9, 2000. "We do not believe that such a meeting occurred."

The report said that Atta was in Virginia on April 4 -- evidenced by video that shows him withdrawing $8,000 from an ATM -- and he was in Florida by April 11 if not before.

The report also found that there was no "convincing evidence that any government financially supported al Qaeda before 9/11" other than the limited support provided by the Taliban when bin Laden arrived in Afghanistan.

The toppling of the Taliban regime "fundamentally changed" al Qaeda, leaving it decentralized and altering bin Laden's role.

Prior to the attacks, bin Laden approved all al Qaeda operations and often chose targets and the operatives himself, the report said.

"After al Qaeda lost Afghanistan after 9/11, it fundamentally changed. The organization is far more decentralized. Bin Laden's seclusion forced operational commanders and cell leaders to assume greater authority; they are now making the command decisions previously made by him," the report said.


http://www.cnn.com/2004/ALLPOLITICS/06/16/911.commission/index.html

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iVillage Member
Registered: 03-18-2000
Fri, 06-18-2004 - 11:05am

Poll running this AM on CNN..............







Do you believe there was a connection between Iraq and 9/11?





Yes




 


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iVillage Member
Registered: 03-18-2000
Fri, 06-18-2004 - 11:09am

"slim connection showed was that hussein refused to supply weapons or permission to bin laden to set up a training camp"


Facts are facts. ;)

cl-Libraone~

 


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iVillage Member
Registered: 04-16-2003
Fri, 06-18-2004 - 12:25pm
Hey, debateguy, I posted the cites so you could check them for yourself. I wasn't misrepresenting anything. Of course, since you are sure that you are Right I wouldn't want you to find something that might shake your faith in your beliefs. Please just ignore that post.
iVillage Member
Registered: 04-16-2003
Fri, 06-18-2004 - 12:30pm
<<>"The belief in GWB is up there next to god--What I believe is Right any other idea is Wrong. Nothing penetrates a closed mind."<>>

GWB has stated God has given him a mission and he is pursuing it with blinders on. However, this statement was refering to those who adore him; I still do not understand the strength of this adoration. Have they and Bush joined in a holy crusade?

iVillage Member
Registered: 04-16-2004
Fri, 06-18-2004 - 12:32pm
It was never shown that Hussein refused anything.

Hussein never got back to bin Laden on the issues, but did provide a safe haven for his groups.

Mohammad Atta was in Baghdad two months before 9/11, for one example.

iVillage Member
Registered: 04-16-2003
Fri, 06-18-2004 - 12:33pm
If GWB denies making the connection I wonder how 32% of Americans believe this fable. Doesn't it just make you wonder.

I am happy to see the percentage declining, maybe there is hope.

iVillage Member
Registered: 04-16-2003
Fri, 06-18-2004 - 12:38pm
<>

Have you missed the news that Atta was in Florida during this time. But of course you should immediately ignore this.

IF al Qaeda was in Iraq it was at the al Anzar facilities, in Kurdish Iraq, our of the control of Saddam.

iVillage Member
Registered: 06-02-2004
Fri, 06-18-2004 - 12:51pm
>>>Have you missed the news that Atta was in Florida during this time. But of course you should immediately ignore this.<<

me thinks people do miss the news and the facts (where is the rolling the eyes icon). The fact is hussein did not let bin laden set up training camps in iraq as requested or supply any weapons. Bin laden had plenty of support and access to weapons (you know those ones we supplied when he was fighting the russians) in afghanistan, plus a lot of support from syria and pakistan. Iraq was just another country that bin laden approached as an opportunity, but that doesn't make iraq involved in al queda's terrorist network anymore than america being involved in supporting the ira because they came here and raised funding for their terror campaign.

iVillage Member
Registered: 06-16-2004
Fri, 06-18-2004 - 4:05pm
If the issue is connection between Saddam and Al Queda, then what about the connection between the US and Al Queda. Remember that the US trained Bin Laden and his followers when it suited the US's needs. that is: When they were terrorists against the US enemies..

The bottomline is that there is no evidence that Saddam sponsored/helped Al Queda terrorists. If 'connection' is what people want, there are 6 degrees of separation betweeen everyone on earth hence a 'connection.

Americans were told that Saddam had something to do with 9/11 and was continuing to be a threat to americans. That was a LIE.


Edited 6/18/2004 4:08 pm ET ET by nicecanadianlady

iVillage Member
Registered: 03-18-2000
Fri, 06-18-2004 - 4:28pm

Hi NiceCanadianLady! Yes you're correct, I agree.


Welcome to the "In the News" board.

cl-Libraone~

 


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