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Saddam was ‘fond of’ Bin Laden
Iraqpress ^ | 03/25/04 | Iraqpress

Posted on 03/24/2004 7:36:10 PM PST by Pikamax

Saddam was ‘fond of’ Bin Laden

Baghdad, Iraq Press, March 24, 2004 – The ousted Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein highly admired Osama Bin Laden.

The leader of the terrorist group al-Qaeda was declared “the man of the year” in 2002 in Iraq on direct orders from Saddam Hussein, the country’s most influential newspaper has revealed.

Azzaman daily said Saddam Hussein wanted “exploit and garner support” of Bin Laden’s loyalists, according to an official document it obtained recently.

The document is a letter Saddam Hussein had sent to his then Information Minister Mohammed Saeed al-Sahaf asking him to declare Bin Laden the man of the year.

In the letter, Saddam orders Sahaf to tell state-run dailies and those owned by his elder son Uday to publish articles extolling Bin Laden and canvass Iraqis opinions about him.

Bin Laden and his terror group publicly attacked Saddam Hussein’s secular regime.

But despite Bin Laden’s negative views of the regime, Saddam Hussein’s letter openly calls on Sahaf and his information ministry to heap praise on al-Qaeda leader.

The document is dated December 29, 2002, three months before the start of the US-led war that resulted in the collapse of Saddam Hussein’s regime.

ipnews

Ip-pol

Ip-hum


TOPICS: Foreign Affairs; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: 2002; alqaeda; alqaedaandiraq; iraq; iraqalqaeda; manoftheyear; obl; saddam; saddamobl

1 posted on 03/24/2004 7:36:11 PM PST by Pikamax
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To: Pikamax
Saddam was ‘fond of’ Bin Laden

Apparently, so was Klinton.

2 posted on 03/24/2004 7:37:01 PM PST by South40 (My vote helped defeat cruz bustamante; did yours?)
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To: Pikamax
Bin Laden and his terror group publicly attacked Saddam Hussein’s secular regime.

Typically in a real news article a good reporter would give some facts backing such a statement.

3 posted on 03/24/2004 7:46:04 PM PST by for-q-clinton (If at first you don't succeed keep on sucking until you do succeed)
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To: Pikamax
This is going to make Madeleine Albright very jealous.
4 posted on 03/24/2004 7:51:37 PM PST by reagan_fanatic (So you're a feminist - isn't that cute!)
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To: Pikamax
"Dweeee!"
5 posted on 03/24/2004 10:08:42 PM PST by sheik yerbouty
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To: Pikamax
You know, like all lovers, they had their spats. But I am sure that just let them have all the fun of making-up.
6 posted on 03/25/2004 10:04:13 AM PST by sharktrager (Kerry is like that or so a crack sausage)
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