Saddam's Terror Training Camps

http://www.weeklystandard.com ^ | 01/16/2006, | Stephen F. Hayes

[Para-Ord.45]

THE FORMER IRAQI REGIME OF Saddam Hussein trained thousands of radical Islamic terrorists from the region at camps in Iraq over the four years immediately preceding the U.S. invasion, according to documents and photographs recovered by the U.S. military in postwar Iraq. The existence and character of these documents has been confirmed to THE WEEKLY STANDARD by eleven U.S. government officials.

The secret training took place primarily at three camps--in Samarra, Ramadi, and Salman Pak--and was directed by elite Iraqi military units. Interviews by U.S. government interrogators with Iraqi regime officials and military leaders corroborate the documentary evidence. Many of the fighters were drawn from terrorist groups in northern Africa with close ties to al Qaeda, chief among them Algeria's GSPC and the Sudanese Islamic Army. Some 2,000 terrorists were trained at these Iraqi camps each year from 1999 to 2002, putting the total number at or above 8,000. Intelligence officials believe that some of these terrorists returned to Iraq and are responsible for attacks against Americans and Iraqis. According to three officials with knowledge of the intelligence on Iraqi training camps, White House and National Security Council officials were briefed on these findings in May 2005; senior Defense Department officials subsequently received the same briefing.

[Bigh4u2]

"Many of the fighters were drawn from terrorist groups in northern Africa with close ties to al Qaeda, "

But,but..didn't the 911 Commission determine there were no ties between Al Qaeda and Iraq??

[Ben Mugged]

Maybe these terrorists weren't wearing Al Qaeda badges.

[jazusamo]

This surely has to be a mistake. There was definitely no link between Iraq and Al Qaeda. Ask any Dem and they'll tell you.

[kromike]

You could have Saddam admit to the whole frigging world that he was training terrorists and the Left would STILL be in denial.

Overall, this article is great news but it won't sway the Cindy She-Mans of the world.

[nuconvert]

"The discovery of the information on jihadist training camps in Iraq would seem to have two major consequences: It exposes the flawed assumptions of the experts and U.S. intelligence officials who told us for years that a secularist like Saddam Hussein would never work with Islamic radicals, any more than such jihadists would work with an infidel like the Iraqi dictator. It also reminds us that valuable information remains buried in the mountain of documents recovered in Afghanistan and Iraq over the past four years."

 

"Other officials familiar with the captured documents were less cautious. "As much as we overestimated WMD, it appears we underestimated [Saddam Hussein's] support for transregional terrorists," says one intelligence official.

Speaking of Ansar al Islam, the al Qaeda-linked terrorist group that operated in northern Iraq, the former high-ranking military intelligence officer says: "There is no question about the fact that AI had reach into Baghdad. There was an intelligence connection between that group and the regime, a financial connection between that group and the regime, and there was an equipment connection. It may have been the case that the IIS [Iraqi Intelligence Service] support for AI was meant to operate against the [anti-Saddam] Kurds. But there is no question IIS was supporting AI."

[oolatec]

Hard to believe that the Weekly Standard is the only rag that has seen these documents... if they exist...

[freeperfromnj]

This appears to be a major story. Shouldn't this be breaking news? I won't hold my breath waiting for the evening news to report it.

[dirtbiker]

Overall, this article is great news but it won't sway the Cindy She-Mans of the world.

That's because Cindy-Lou (who?) shares the same trait that other liberal have: Minds of Concrete! (Throughly mixed and permanently set)

[Diana in Wisconsin]

"...transregional terrorists..."

Great. Just what we need. Yet another "Special Interest" group for the left to embrace. *Rolleyes*

Great news, but it will sadly be ignored far and wide, across the land.

[Eagle Eye]

The sheer volume of documents they had in one warehouse alone was overwhelming. Considering how difficult it is even for native speakers to read, translate, and transcribe, 50,000 documents doesn't seem all that bad.

And, fwiw, there were classrooms near Ramadi where offensive use of chemical weapon was in the training materials.

[JerseyDvl]

I believe they said there were no operational ties. Talk about splitting hairs!
Besides this Saddam was a good overall guy though, even Ramsey Clark says so.
/s/

[faq]

Other officials familiar with the captured documents were less cautious. "As much as we overestimated WMD, it appears we underestimated [Saddam Hussein's] support for transregional terrorists," says one intelligence official.

[stockpirate]

I think in all fairness that what they say is there is no link between Iraq and 9-11.

But you say tomato and I say.........

I still hate libocrats

[MikeA]

Stephen Hayes has done a heroic effort in getting out the truth about Saddam's connections to Al Qaeda and other terrorist groups while Democrats and their media lapdogs keep defending Saddam and claiming he was a little angel guilty of no wrong doing against America. Everyone should read Hayes' outstanding book "The Connection: How Saddam's Connections to Al Qaeda Endangered America." Great read. Thank you Mr. Hayes for working against the agendized media and getting the truth out about Saddam and terrorism.

[luvbach1]

But Saddam had no connection to terrorism. Hasn't Turban Durbin, Pitiful Pelosi, Chuckie Schumer, Teddy Kennedy et al told us so? The collective mantra Bush lied, people died; no connection to terrorism; and Bush has no strategy is cast in stone for the Demonrats.

[luvbach1]

Oh I mispoke. I should also have stated "Bush has no exit strategy" as an important component of the Demonrat mantra..

[hipaatwo]

For your records!

[Mr. Buzzcut]

Hard to believe that the Weekly Standard is the only rag that has seen these documents... if they exist...

They're prolly the only "rag" to bother looking.

[hipaatwo]

The author, Stephen Hayes, is one of the best. The Weekly Standard is NOT a rag.