[Sabertooth]

Special Boat Service Corporal Ian Plank, 31, was gunned down in a battle with al-Qaeda terrorists.

Four SAS soldiers were also wounded by guerrillas linked to Osama bin Laden's terror network.

Cpl Plank and his team attacked a rebel hideout in the desolate wastes in the north of Iraq on Friday night.

Is this confirmed?

If so, why are we still hearing about "no link between Saddam and bin Laden?"

If these aren't smoking guns, what are?

[Alter Kaker]

Ansar-al-Islam is not news.

[okie01]

"If these aren't smoking guns, what are?"

A lefty would smile consdescendingly and tell you that, before the U.S. invasion, there was no terrorism in Iraq.

Which, of course, begs the question. There was no "terrorism", to be sure, but were there terrorists...???

[sam_paine]

Well put. But you know the answer.

[nuffsenuff]

Unfortunately, the liberals will say that this only proves that Al-Qaeda is in Iraq BECAUSE we invaded instead of the truth. That Al-qaeda and other Islamist terrorists have been in Iraq under Hussein supervision for years.

Even if they accept that Al Ansar Islam was in Iraq before the war, they will say it was in Northern Iraq and therefore out of Saddam's control. Which is a convenient LIE. The no-fly zones only contained Saddam militarily. It could not stop Iraqi intelligence and Baathists from operating in those regions. I guarantee that some Hussein operative in a pickup truck could easily travel to and from Al-Ansar Islam without being noticed.

I hate liberals.