1998 Bin Laden Indictment cites AL QAEDA - IRAQ ARRANGEMENT

FAS ^ | November 6, 1998 | US Grand Jury

[FairOpinion]

In February 1998, Al Qaeda joined forces with Gamaa't, Al Jihad, the Jihad Movement in Bangladesh and the "Jamaat ul Ulema e Pakistan" to issue a fatwah (an Islamic religious ruling) declaring war against American civilians worldwide under the banner of the "International Islamic Front for Jibad on the Jews and Crusaders."

4. Al Qaeda also forged alliances with the National Islamic Front in the Sudan and with the government of Iran and its associated terrorist group Hezballah for the purpose of working together against their perceived common enemies in the West, particularly the United States.

In addition, al Qaeda reached an understanding with the government of Iraq that al Qaeda would not work against that government and that on particular projects, specifically including weapons development, al Qaeda would work cooperatively with the Government of Iraq.

[FairOpinion]

We need to remind people, especially now, when we are facing challanges in Iraq, that there was sufficient evidence about the connection between Al Qaeda and Saddam back in 1998, to even make it into the indictment.

One one hand the Democrats are attacking Bush about why didn't he somehow foresee the 9-11 attack, and why didn't he act earlier, and at the same time attack him, because he removed a major threat, Iraq, BEFORE it caused a catastrophy.

(They have the entire indictment at above link.)

[FairOpinion]

MORE DETAIL about the historical connection between Al Qaeda and Saddam.

http://www.atimes.com/c-asia/DB23Ag02.html

February 23, 2002
Bin Laden uses Iraq to plot new attacks
By Syed Saleem Shahzad

KARACHI - In the light of Osama bin Laden's background and his international contacts and associations, there are strong indications that the world's most wanted terrorist has taken sanctuary in Iraq after fleeing Afghanistan via Iran. And given the enduring structure of his al-Qaeda network, it is most likely that he is already planning simultaneous terror attacks on United States interests in many parts of the world.

Despite exhaustive efforts in Afghanistan, including the crushing of the Taliban regime, the US has been unable to come even close to capturing the Saudi exile, whom Washington blames for masterminding the September 11 attacks on the US, as well as other acts of terrorism. It is no coincidence, perhaps, that US President George W Bush, in preparing to pursue America's war on terrorism beyond the campaign in Afghanistan, has accused Iraq, Iran and North Korea of being a part of an "axis of evil".

A close examination of militant outfits and religious groups clearly shows that al-Qaeda and the Taliban are two utterly different entities - in their leadership, in the nature of their followers and in their modus operandi.

The Taliban, who assumed power in Afghanistan in 1996, were characterized by deep introversion and the rigid application of a quirky strain of fundamentalist Islam, while al-Qaeda members have been noted for their sophisticated, extroverted and flexible approach in consolidating their international terror network since its inception in 1989, at which time they vowed to "oppose non-Islamic governments with force and violence".

Although the Taliban and al-Qaeda on the surface presented a picture of co-existence during bin Laden's stint as a "guest" of Taliban leader Mullah Omar in Afghanistan, the fact is that it was not Mullah Omar's version of Islam that attracted bin Laden and his trusted sidekick, Egyptian surgeon Aimen al Zawhari. Rather, the canny al-Qaeda leaders had ulterior motives. According to sources, despite the extreme rivalry between the Taliban regime and Shi'ite-ruled Iran after Taliban soldiers killed hundreds of Hazara tribesmen belonging to the Shi'ite Muslim community, as well as a number of Iranian diplomats in the the northern Afghan city of Mazar-i-Sharif, al-Qaeda's wing outside of Afghanistan maintained good ties with Iranian leaders. In fact, outright conflict between Afghanistan and Iran was averted largely through the intervention of Lebanon-based members of al-Qaeda.

Similarly, bin Laden and the al-Qaeda have maintained close relations with Iraqi intelligence since the early 1990s. In 1994, Iraqi intelligence chief Farooq al-Hijazi visited the Sudanese capital of Khartoum, where bin Laden had established a headquarters for al-Qaeda in 1991 to run businesses to provide it with income and support. Farooq and bin Laden met. Also present was Dr Hasan Turabi, the head of the Muslim Brotherhood organization of Sudan. (Bin Laden married one of Turabi's nieces while he was in Sudan.)

This meeting was to prove helpful to both bin Laden and Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein. In his ongoing fight to suppress Kurdish dissidents, Saddam needed help. This was provided by underground Islamic groups at the instigation of bin Laden. These groups later openly functioned to carry out relief work in Iraq.

Two of bin Laden's senior lieutenants, Abdullah Qasim and Mohammed Abu Islam, met with Saddam, at which time the Iraqi leader agreed to provide military training to Saudi al-Qaeda members and to equip them with arms and ammunition. One of the key goals of al-Qaeda by this time had become to drive US forces out of Saudi Arabia, where they had remained since the Gulf War of 1991.

After this verbal promise from Saddam, Saudi citizens were able to travel to Baghdad without passports, using special routes, to receive training in Iraq. Sources say that al Zawhari also visited Saddam and proposed the establishment of al-Qaeda offices in Iraq. The suggestion was accepted, with guarantees that bin Laden would never use his people to rouse the Iraqi masses against Saddam's rule. Subsequently, Iraq became the center of activity for Egyptian, Yemani and Saudi youths being trained the al-Qaeda way.

At the time that the US started bombing the Tora Bora mountain range in Afghanistan in its search for bin Laden late last year, Asia Times Online reported that the elusive leader had last been seen in Kandahar, the former Taliban stronghold, and that his most likely destination in the face of advancing US troops was Iran. It appears now that bin Laden did indeed travel to Iran, using the maze of smuggling routes over the porous border between the two countries, before moving on to Iraq and making contact with the well-established Al-Qaeda network in place there.

Here he is in contact with Abu Zubaida, his new chief of military operations, to coordinate a new wave of attacks on American interests. Abu Zubaida is the nom de guerre of an influential Palestinian with deep contacts within Hamas, the Islamic Jihad and Hezbollah. He is said to be capable of manipulating events in the Middle East. Abu Zubaida, who posed as a honey salesman, was also responsible for running terror training camps in Afghanistan for recruits from around the world for al-Qaeda's declared jihad against the United States. He has been named in an official United Nations list of people with connections to bin Laden.

Investigations show that al-Qaeda took several years to organize the September 11 attacks on New York and the Pentagon, with preparations beginning in earnest after the US fired missiles on Afghanistan during Bill Clinton's presidency in retaliation for the 1998 bomb attacks on US embassies in Nairobi and Dar es Salaam.

Any new attacks will likely also take a long time to plan, but this time Iraq and Iran are expected to play a pivotal role in any al-Qaeda adventures.

[Waco]

Turd(dle) on a fence-post won't like this.

[MHGinTN]

Salman Pak ... watch for that to arise in the coming weeks as this administration begins to place its 'hole cards' on the table. Question is, will the American people pay attention?

[FairOpinion]

President George W Bush, State of the Union speech January 28, 2003:

"Some have said we must not act until the threat is imminent. Since when have terrorists and tyrants announced their intentions, politely putting us on notice before they strike? If this threat is permitted to fully and suddenly emerge, all actions, all words, and all recriminations would come too late. Trusting in the sanity and restraint of Saddam Hussein is not a strategy, and it is not an option."

===

The Democrats want to have it both ways.

[BenLurkin]

Bttt

[WhistlingPastTheGraveyard]

We need to remind people, especially now, when we are facing challanges in Iraq, that there was sufficient evidence about the connection between Al Qaeda and Saddam...

BTTT.

[BenLurkin]

BUMP for the truth about Iraq and Terror.

[MEG33]

Iraq/AlQueda link

[amom]

Interesting look back.

[oceanview]

we know it here, but since the WH is afraid to talk about any of this, its a dead issue.

[MEG33]

FYI

[FairOpinion]

Even if the WH doesn't talk about it, all other Republicans should point this out at every step, when the Dems bring up, why we are fighting in Iraq and that it's not relevant to the War on Terror.

[oceanview]

i agree with you. but since the WH has no war room to issue these kinds of political talking points to people on our side, what do you expect? they they will all come up with this on their own?

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

You are on a roll tonight!

And we have some excellent news here:

Report Details Saddam's Support for Terrorists Who Killed Americans

The above link is the FreeRepublic discussion thread.

The actual article is :

"Saddam Hussein’s Philanthropy of Terror"

It is a pdf document with substantial footnotes and put together by Dewey Murdock of the Hudson Institute.

[jnarcus]

All the current noise from the Dims is drowning out what should be the headlines about Jayna Davis's new book about the Iraqi ties to the OKC bombing...Clinton had the opportunity on multiple occassions from 1993 onward to handle this situation and left it to others because he is a doping smoking coward. Remember he didn't want Osama from the Sudanise because we couldn't 'legally' hold him? What a maroon

[nutmeg]

read later bump

[onyx]

Look here FO!
Synchro found it.

http://www.freerepublic.com/forum/a36746b426e3d.htm

[Syncro]

Hay I found it on FR...and some of the links came from FO...

I just thought I would bring it to the attention of this thread.

:>)

[onyx]

It's perfect.
During WhiteWater!

Here on FR,
NO ONE believed the OBL threat was valid,
not even the media.

This is rich.