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Ansar al Islam, is of course, one of the many terrorist group smaking up al Qaeda's Terrorist International, aka "Jihad Against Christians and Jews"; the group has been funded, supplied and used by Iraq for some time in its fight against PUK, a common enemy.:

* Osman Ali : a captured Ansar al Islam member; 18-years-old. Ali was part of an Ansar suicide-bomb cell that Abdul Jaber commanded. Ali said he was a member of Ansar al-Islam's Al-Aqsa Battalion's six-member group of would-be suicide bombers. Ali was arrested by the PUK (Patriotic Union of Kurdistan) six months ago after he was to carry out a suicide-bombing mission but lost his nerve. He told his story to the Star in the Sulaymania prison in northeastern Iraq, part of an autonomous Kurdish region kept out of Saddam's control by patrolling U.S. and British warplanes. During a two-hour interview, he told a detailed story of how he joined Ansar at the age of 15, how he trained to be a suicide bomber, and how he finally lost his nerve. Both Osman Ali and Didar Khaled Khedr say two former Iraqi intelligence agents are among Ansar's leaders - Abu Zurbeh and Abu Wahil. Ali said Abu Zurbeh refers to Saddam as "Uncle Saddam." Ali said he joined Ansar in April, 2000. He said he received 45 days of training in using AK-47 rifles, machine guns and grenades. Then he was chosen to be part of a six-man suicide bomb squad. "They choose the most religious fundamentalists among us to do that," he said. His suicide bombers course was held in Sergat village and lasted 10 days. Ali said the class listened to taped speeches by Abu Qatada, a Palestinian recently arrested in London and detained under Britain's anti-terrorism law. The young bombers were also told of a paradise filled with 72 virgins waiting for them, Ali said. In case religious fervour wanes in the moment of truth, Ali said bombers are given a drug in pill form that "makes you euphoric." Ali said he proudly graduated from the course and was chosen to carry out a suicide attack inside a PUK militia post. The plan was to simply walk in and pull a rod that would detonate four grenades hidden under his sleeve. He said he signed a declaration saying he was ready to blow himself up and Ansar also taped his statement on video. But he then described a torturous process of changing his mind three or four times, encouraged by friends not to do it and Ansar members to plow ahead. -"Canadian man called key in Iraq terror cell Iraq terror cell links Al Qaeda, Saddam," Sandro Contenta in Sulaymania, Iraq Toronto Star NEWS; Pg. A01 February 26, 2003 Wednesday Ontario Edition (it was abridged) see also The Hamilton Spectator for the unabridged version

1999 : (IRAQI INTELLIGENCE OFFICER LATIF aka ABU WA'IL IS IN AFGHANISTAN) Sa'adoon Mohammed Abdul Latif, or Abu-Wa'il, an Iraqi intelligence officer, first visited Afghanistan in 1999. - "U.S. negotiates trade of terror suspects," By Eli J. Lake, UNITED PRESS INTERNATIONAL via The Washington Times, May 9, 2003, http://washingtontimes.com/world/20030509-22822443.htm

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Not to mention that al Qaeda leaders have been present in Iraq at the invitation of the Iraqi Intelligence service YEARS before 9/11... and the Iraqi government footed their hotel bills.

The story about Osman Ali says clearly:

Both Osman Ali and Didar Khaled Khedr say two former Iraqi intelligence agents are among Ansar's leaders

The second story about Abu-Wa'il is not substantial enough to make any judgement about.

You're last statement that alQ leaders have been present in irq before 9/11 is not proven in any case. The main terror cells in Irq between the Gulf wars was in Kurdish territory.

Then again, we have substantial proof that alQ was funded and supported by Saudi A, Yemen, Pak.

... Italian officials say that Mr al-Mamouri held the rank of general in the Iraqi secret service, and from 1982 to 1990 worked in the Special Operations Branch forging Baghdad’s links with Islamic fundamentalist groups in Pakistan, Afghanistan, the Gulf and Sudan. He was transferred to his “teaching duties” in 1998, although all the Iraqi Embassy will say of his sudden departure is that “he had money problems”. ...

... Desperate for allies after the Gulf War, Saddam sent Faruq Hijazi, his secret service director, to Sudan in 1994, where bin Laden then had his headquarters. The meetings were brokered by Hassan al-Tourabi, the Sudanese Muslim leader, who was bin Laden’s protector. The Sudanese belatedly offered to show the CIA all they knew about bin Laden and his visits, to ingratiate themselves back into the international fold, but the Americans scorned the approach. ...

... US Intelligence says Saddam cultivated the relationship with al-Qaeda at the start of 1998 by inviting the man regarded as bin Laden’s deputy — Ayman Zawahiri — to dine with Taha Yasin Ramadan, the Iraqi Vice-President. That was such a success that a delegation from al-Qaeda attended Saddam’s birthday celebrations that April, and it was during this trip that arrangements were made for bin Laden recruits to receive the sort of advanced weapons training they could not get in their camps in Afghanistan. --"Hijacker 'given anthrax flask by Iraqi agent'," BY DANIEL MCGRORY, The London Times, SATURDAY OCTOBER 27 2001

And don't notice Hikmat Shakir behind the curtain...