Posted on 04/08/2006 12:51:48 PM PDT by Ernest_at_the_Beach
The latest in a stream of eye-opening Iraqi documents shows Saddam Hussein's regime was planning suicide attacks on U.S. interests six months before 9-11. Why won't Washington get the word out?
Last month the Pentagon began releasing records captured during Operation Iraqi Freedom. Among the documents is a letter dated March 11, 2001, written by Abdel Magid Hammod Ali, one of Saddam's air force generals.
According to an unofficial translation, Page 6 of the letter asks for "the names of those who desire to volunteer for suicide mission to liberate Palestine and to strike American interests."
Assuming the document's accuracy, this shows that Saddam's regime was not only providing aid and support for terrorist organizations of other countries. It was also planning its own bombings directed at U.S. facilities and personnel.
As counterterrorism consultant Dan Darling wrote last week on the Weekly Standard's Web site, that would mean Russian intelligence services under Vladimir Putin were better informed about Iraq's terrorist abilities than the U.S. spy community.
Though little noticed by the press, during a July 2004 visit to Kazakhstan the Russian president said that between 9-11 and the U.S. invasion of Iraq, "Russian special services and Russian intelligence several times received . . . information that official organs of Saddam's regime were preparing terrorist acts on the territory of the U.S. and beyond its borders, at U.S. military and civilian locations."
This new document, said Darling, "would seem to refute a long-standing contention among members of the U.S. intelligence community that Iraq ceased its involvement in international terrorism after its failed 1993 plot to assassinate former President George H.W. Bush." Darling cites former National Security Council official Richard Clarke's book "Against all Enemies," which contends that the NSC, the CIA and the FBI all agreed Iraq posed no terrorist threat to the U.S.
(Excerpt) Read more at investors.com ...
This March, 2001 Iraqi memo and Mohammed Atta's reputed trip to Prague in April, 2001, keep bouncing around in my head. If it can be demonstrated that Saddam's regime had advanced knowledge of 9/11, and was in favor of it, game over.
I know the feeling! Check out the responses to my post on another board:
http://mb29.scout.com/faccboardsfrm1.showMessage?topicID=38886.topic
Thanks for the ping!
No, it is more than that, you have to be brain dead to not understand what Saddam was up to before 9-11.
"Why did we have to wait for you to come along and translate these where the heck are the guys at CIA, DIA and NSA?"
They're busy covering up their incompetence. (They told us Saddam wasn't involved with terrorism after the attempt on Bush '41 and bin Laden would never ally himself with Saddam (whom he considered an infidel).
It's better for a disinterested party to do the translation.
Great post.
The Pajamhadeen Rule!
"It's better that the "amateurs" are doing it. The government agencies would hit the documents."
I've got agree. I mean, in the end, this keeps everyone honest. The originals are all there for everyone to see, not some translation. I think this was a brilliant way to do it once we realize the benefit of this method of 'openness,' and it should help any doubting Iraqis, who can read them, too.
It may well be that the White House knows its enemies at State and CIA could bury the tasty stuff if they could. I also like the scenario that some of the more choice ones may be waiting in the wings for 'deployment.' Now we just need to make sure the 'rats have to be forced to answer their baseless charges.
Thank you :)
Bush probably now questions the motives of Russia. Many within Russia itself think that the apartment bombings in Moscow that occurred in September 1999 where actually carried out by Russian agents. Putin used these bombings as justification to order an Anti-Terrorist operation that started October 1st 1999. Putin was Prime Minister then. Six months later Putin was elected President in a 'wave of patriotic fever'. Notice that Putin did not warn the US about the 9/11 attacks. He only warned the US about terrorist attacks after 9/11. There were articles in Russian media prior to 9/11 talking about coming terrorist attacks on the US. Why didn't Putin warn the US about those prior to 9/11 ?
Perhaps he only warned the US post 9/11 because he wanted Bush to partiticpate in the War on Terror. Then Putin was free to do whatever he wanted in Chechnya. The problem Russia has right now is that if they were so concerned about actual Islamic terrorism, why have they invested so much into Islamic Iran ?
Bush had to respond against Islamic terror, which was a real threat that has been around for decades. The 9/11 attack forced our entrance into the 'Long War' similar to the Pearl Harbor attack forced our entrance into WWII. Afghanistan followed and the Russians went bloody in Chechnya. Then when the US actually invades Iraq, the Russians pull the WMD out and have their disinfo agents in the US start the NO WMD hype. Then they told their 'partner' in the War on Terror, Bush, to not release any intell info concerning Iraq because it could hurt the War on Terror. That is how we theoretically got to where we are now. There are still numerous assets in the US government structure that are protecting Russia and China. Some unfortunately still think they are doing the right thing.
I think saganite meant that when you have ALL THREE TRANSLATIONS of the same document, the one by jveritas and the two independant ones you are contracting to have done, be sure that you contact eyespysomething to ping us to those.
I agree. Welcome to FreeRepublic.
Be careful jveritas ... I hear the New York Times is considering hiring Baghdad Bob to do their translations!
There are no American infidels in Baghdad. Never!
Mohammed Saeed al-Sahaf
But what puzzles me is President Bush also spoke and said he had to finally admit there were no WMD in Iraq (or something like that). I just don't understand why he felt he had to publicly come out and say that. I think it would have been better if he had just kept his mouth shut, because if one of these documents proves that they were there, it will be hard for him to say, "See I told you so."
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