Pentagon Report Confirms Saddam’s Regime Supported al Qaida

Flopping Aces ^ | 03-15-08 | Scott Malensek

[Starman417]

This week opponents of the war were given a treat. They were told-in a single article-based on a single anonymous source-that a report which hadn’t been released said there was never any ties between Saddam Hussein’s regime and the al-Qaida network of terrorist groups. Millions of the war’s opponents were instantly elated with glee at the idea that the invasion of Iraq had nothing to do with the war against the al-Qaida terrorist network; that the invasion was completely disconnected from any threat to the United States.

Disregarding the misplaced glee for a moment, let’s face some facts. The report described in the article was finally released to the public, and its contents are almost completely contrary to the leaked “article” that described it beforehand.

In fact, if anything this new study should finally put to rest the false perception that Saddam’s regime was too secular to work with radical Islamic holy warriors, and it should be a genuine wake up call for people who continue to ignore the threat posed by state-sponsors of terror like Saddam Hussein once was.

Let's take a closer look at this "article."

“Study: Iraq had no link to al-Qaida Pentagon finds the 'bulletproof' prewar evidence turned out bogus” By WARREN P. STROBEL McClatchy-Tribune March 10, 2008, 11:46PM WASHINGTON — An exhaustive review of more than 600,000 Iraqi documents that were captured after the 2003 U.S. invasion has found no evidence that Saddam Hussein's regime had any operational links with Osama bin Laden's al-Qaida terrorist network.

-The opening line is false for two reasons. First it describes it as “exhaustive” which typically means complete, and it’s not. In fact the report itself says in every single area of study that more research is needed; i.e. the intelligence has not been exhausted. Second, it claims that there is no evidence of “operational links with Osama bin Laden’s al-Qaida terrorist network,” but in fact the report itself is packed with evidence of operational ties between Saddam’s regime and various groups that are components/participants/elements/members of the network. For example the report confirms that Egyptian Islamic Jihad was supported by Saddam's regime at a time when 2/3 of the al-Qaida network’s leadership (2/3 of the leadership prior to 2003 was comprised of members of Egyptian Islamic Jihad. The report is also packed with examples of Saddam’s regime recognizing, supporting, and working with Egyptian Islamic Jihad; i.e. with 2/3 of al-Qaida leadership.

The Pentagon-sponsored study, scheduled for release later this week, did confirm that Saddam's regime provided some support to other terrorist groups, particularly in the Middle East, U.S. officials told McClatchy Newspapers. However, his security services were directed primarily against Iraqi exiles, Shiite Muslims, Kurds and others he considered enemies of his regime.

-The problem with this statement is that the “other terrorist groups” mentioned were al-Qaida affiliates (or elements of the al-Qaida network) at the time that documents show Saddam’s regime supported them. The "article" goes on to suggest that the operations primarily targeted “Iraqi exiles, Shiite Muslims, Kurds and others he considered enemies of his regime.” That’s a convenient way of saying that Saddam’s Intelligence Service (the IIS) and the Saddam Fedeyeen (Martyrs of Saddam terrorist group) worked with al-Qaida affiliates in Northern and Southern Iraq to maintain control in areas where his conventional forces lacked such ability. It’s also a very deceitful to say “others he considered enemies of his regime” rather than what the report actually says: targets in France, London, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, UN targets, and Americans.

[pissant]

Bump and Ping

[JerseyDvl]

Great article. None of this surprises me as they have done this before in the exact same fashion.

[cookcounty]

bump

[my right]

It doesn't matter what the report says now, very few will hear it and of those that do very few will be persuaded to change their minds. An example of what I am saying is that Hollywood still makes movies of the CIA selling drugs to support their nefarious deeds in South America even though this was completely debunked years ago.

[pax_et_bonum]

bttt

[tobyhill]

The MSM is betting that most people don’t read the report and just accept their bias headlines.

[BallyBill]

Am I supposed to believe that an MSM organization would purposely mislead about war reporting?

I'm (not really) Shocked!

[investigateworld]

"though this was completely debunked years ago"

Actually, you are sorta correct. Ollie was tabbed to the National Security Council.

[GreyFriar]

Ping. The report stustantiates what I’ve thought and said all along.

[moneyrunner]

For those who prefer to make up their own mind, you need to go to original sources. Now, the original sources are the 600,000 documents that were read, so the best we can do is a secondary source. But it turns out that if you rely on the tertiary source, you are being lied to by the same media that brought us "Elliot Spitzer, Caped Crusader" otherwise known as "Client 9."

The executive summary begins:

The Iraqi Perspectives Project (IPP) review of captured Iraqi documents uncovered strong evidence that links the regime of Saddam Hussein to regional and global terrorism. Despite their incompatible long-term goals, many terrorist movements and Saddam found a common enemy in the United States. At times these organizations worked together, trading access for capability. In the period after the 1991 Gulf War, the regime of Saddam Hussein supported a complex and increasingly disparate mix of pan-Arab revolutionary causes and emerging pan-Islamic radical movements. The relationship between Iraq and forces of pan-Arab socialism was well known and was in fact one of the defining qualities of the Ba'ath movement. Read more here

[r-q-tek86]

ping

[ANGGAPO]

I am sure that the Baltimore Sun paper will now print a clarification.

[depressed in 06]

The article is a perfect example of the 3rd law of propaganda, the first lie is the truth. No one will ever read the report since the article has already told you everything you need to know.

[raygunfan]

ping for my own message board

[zot]

Thanks for the ping. More enemy disinformation.