Posted on 07/09/2006 8:31:54 PM PDT by dhorowitz3
Well, the drive-by media has constantly harped on the fact that there was no Iraq connection with the Taliban and Al Qaeda. People need to understand that its what the media doesn't report that is more damaging than their bias reporting. Along with growing evidence of an Iraq-Al Qaeda connection (Zarquawi was in Iraq pre-invasion) Fox News is reporting on a training manual found in Iraqi government computers guiding the Taliban operatives in Afghanistan and providing military assistance. This was pre 9/11. Here are the details:
"An Arab regime, possibly Iraq, supplied how-to manuals for Arab operatives working throughout Afghanistan before 9/11, and provided military assistance to the Taliban and Al Qaeda. That's the most likely conclusion drawn from an apparent training manual unearthed in captured Iraqi government computer files translated and analyzed exclusively for Fox News, and made public for the first time. The document, apparently written before the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, could bolster the Bush administration's contention that Saddam Hussein was providing support for Islamic extremists who were plotting against America. The training manual warns, in stark how-to terms, of the dangers of "information leaks," and instructs Arab operatives inside Afghanistan to dress like Afghan tribesmen, to avoid being followed ("Routine is the enemy of security"), to always be armed, and "to behave as if enemies would strike at any moment." The manual also cautions Arabs to "beware of rapid and spontaneous friendships with Afghans who speak Arabic," and "always make sure about the identity of your neighbors and classify them as regular people, opponents or allies."
Read the whole article to view the specific advise that was divulged to the Taliban. The article concludes"
"This manual provides further evidence that the Iraqi military was active in Afghanistan and working with the Taliban. The Taliban harbored and trained with Al Qaeda. The information in the document matches media reports that U.S. intelligence sources believed the IIS was training Al Qaeda in Afghanistan. It also matches information from other IIS documentation that shows requests from Islamic Jihad groups in Afghanistan for Iraqi military assistance."
Unfortunately, I don't expect the Bush administration to tout this evidence as support for the war
Unfortunately this manual was not from Iraq as indicated above. It was a manual written by Al Qaeda or other terror groups in Afghanistan to its Arab members on how they should behave in Afghanistan. I read the document in Arabic and there is absolutely nothing in it that refers to Iraq. In fact the writing and style of the manual is typical of the writing and style of other Al Qaeda documents.
I do speak Arabic (originally a native of Lebanon) and I have already translated many Iraqi documents and posted right here on Free Republic (please see my Free Republic home page). The Foxnews analyst is wrong in what he assumed in this document that Iraq has anything to do with this manual.
Agreed!
This is a case of a translator connecting dots that should NOT be connected. The article should be pulled.
a few problems with your analysis though joseph:
this document was released with OIF docs, meaning it is most likely from Iraq, but true not 100% sure.
these arabs had military IDs which means the most likely culprit would be Iraq or Syria as the only two state sponsors of terrorism as designated by state.
the fact that they brought families means it had to be a time of relative stability, which would only be found in afghanistan in the 1998-2001 time frame when the taliban were in control. and since we have transcripts of meeting betweeen the taliban and iraq agreeing to help each other, that fits very well. also the computer file itself is fairly advanced wordprocessing indicating no earlier than mid to early 90's.
the fact that there are religious statement in the doc does not mean it is mujihadeen as most iraqi documentation has at least one reference to the blessings of Allah.
Or is the translation that they were supposed to hide their military ID's incorrect?
The Arabs mentioned in this document are simply members of Al Qaeda or other terror groups and they were given instruction on how to behave in Afghanistan. The writing and the style of that document are that of Al Qaeda, I have no doubt about it because I have seen other Al Qaeda document and they are incredibly similar in writing and style.
In term of your criticism of the document I translated about Iraqi Air Force recruiting suicide terrorists, the text is clear, and no doubt about it that it is a recruitment to conduct suicide attacks against the US interests and Israel. The Arabic text mention the “ AL AMAL AL FEEDAEE AL INTIHARI” which “ Suicide Commando Task”.
By the way Captain Ed on his blog confirmed this translation by two other translators long time ago so you need to go after Captain Ed as well.
Note that the document release is for both Afghanistan and Iraq!
----
Post-Haste; The first batch of captured documents from pre-war Iraq and Afghanistan are now available online
Byline: Stephen F. Hayes
The Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) has created a website where it will post documents captured in postwar Afghanistan and Iraq. The website is hosted by the Foreign Military Studies Office Joint Reserve Intelligence Center at Fort Leavenworth and will be updated continuously with new documents.
The first batch of materials, released late Wednesday, includes nine documents captured in connection with Operation Iraqi Freedom and 28 documents previously released on February 14, 2006, in conjunction with a study of those documents conducted by analysts at West Point. Sources on Capitol Hill and within the intelligence community tell The Weekly Standard that hundreds of new documents will be made available in the coming days, including 50-60 hours of audiotapes from the Iraqi regime.
ODNI officials will concentrate their early efforts on making available audiotapes and videotapes that have come from the former Iraqi regime. Twenty-five Arabic language translators will be hired to review these recordings for potentially sensitive information before they are posted. According to officials familiar with the DOCEX program, the U.S. government has in its possession more than 3,000 hours of recordings from the Iraqi regime. Among the collection: recordings of meetings between Saddam Hussein and other regime leaders; videotapes of speeches that Saddam thought would be important; audio and video of Saddam's meetings with foreign leaders; videotapes from conferences sponsored by the regime; and even videotapes of regime-sponsored brutality.
http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0RMQ/is_2006_March_15/ai_n16346206
Wow, he didn't know you yet? :)
Is that really Horowitz?
Dont know. Maybe, I think if it was, and he remembered to go back here and saw he was wrong, he would admit it, he is a big enough man to do so.
He might still think he is right, too
I cant read Arabic, so, I have no say and have to trust the experts
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.