Posted on 05/25/2005 6:15:27 AM PDT by AlwaysFree
The number two of the al-Qaeda network, Ayman al-Zawahiri, visited Iraq under a false name in September 1999 to take part in the ninth Popular Islamic Congress, former Iraqi premier Iyad Allawi has revealed to pan-Arab daily al-Hayat. In an interview, Allawi made public information discovered by the Iraqi secret service in the archives of the Saddam Hussein regime, which sheds light on the relationship between Saddam Hussein and the Islamic terrorist network. He also said that both al-Zawahiri and Jordanian militant al-Zarqawi probably entered Iraq in the same period.
"Al-Zawahiri was summoned by Izza Ibrahim Al-Douri – then deputy head of the council of the leadership of the revolution - to take part in the congress, along with some 150 other Islamic figures from 50 Muslim countries," Allawi said.
According to Allawi, important information has been gathered regarding the presence of another key terrorist figure operating in Iraq - the Jordanian militant Abu Musab al-Zarqawi.
"The Jordanian Abu Musab al-Zarqawi entered Iraq secretly in the same period," Allawi affirmed, "and began to form a terrorist cell, even though the Iraqi services do not have precise information on his entry into the country," he said.
Allawi's remarks come after statements to al-Hayat by King Abdallah II of Jordan over Saddam's refusal to hand over al-Zarqawi to the authorities in Amman.
On this question Allawi said: ''The words of the Jordanian King are correct and important. We have proof of al-Zawahiri's visit to Iraq, but we do not have the precise date or information on al-Zarqawi's entry, though it is likely that he arrived around the same time."
In Allawi's view, Saddam's government "sponsored" the birth of al-Qaeda in Iraq, coordinating with other terrorist groups, both Arab and Muslim. "The Iraqi secret services had links to these groups through a person called Faruq Hajizi, later named Iraq's ambassador to Turkey and arrested after the fall of Saddam's regime as he tried to re-enter Iraq. Iraqi secret agents helped terrorists enter the country and directed them to the Ansar al-Islam camps in the Halbija area," he said.
The former prime minister claims that Saddam's regime sought to involve even Palestinian Abu Nidal - head of a group once considered the world's most dangerous terrorist organisation - in its terrorist circuit. Abu Nidal's organisation was responsible for terrorist attacks in some 20 countries, killing more than 300 people and wounding hundreds more.
He added that Abu Nidal's refusal to cooperate with Islamist groups was the reason for his death in Iraq, in the summer of 2002.
BUSTED!
They are going say consider the source and laugh.
Kerry did call Allawi a liar. So of course they will dismiss it.
If the documents prove to be authentic, then going to war against Saddam Hussein and his regime was the correct course of action.
Hey - you Fox News people - get to work on this one!!!!!
The Left will still dismiss it.
If the documents prove to be fake, then going to war against Saddam Hussein and his regime was not the correct course of action?
Amazing. Just amazing.
This story has certainly disappeared.
woulda thought the Old Media would like to break this first.
`
You're more than welcome, Always Free. Don't let the MSM (or liberal friends) get away with their spin.
The link to the June 1, 2004, Congressional Record (documenting the Saddam-Osama connection) has been disabled in Peach's list. Below is the current active link.
http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/D?r108:23:./temp/~r108ArGu3X::
Thank you so much, Always Free. I don't know why links "break" like that!
That link isn't working for me.
Check post #14 on this thread. I made sure the links worked before sending this.
Happy Trails!!!!
They will say that the source is a disgruntled Iraqi, and that the POTUS still lied about why we went to Iraq.
ping
Yeah... but we all know it doesn't matter unless the MSM airs it or prints it.
http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/D?r108:23:./temp/~r108ArGu3X::
The above link does not work. Check out post #14 for the link that does work. Sorry about the confusion.
The truth should never be quashed because of the predicted comments of the naysayers. If you recall, King Abdullah of Jordan and Hosni Mubarak of Egypt told General Tommy Franks DIRECTLY TO HIS FACE that Saddam had WMD.* Since the U. S. had troops in Saudi Arabia (next door to Iraq) that could have been the target of WMD, the POTUS had no choice but to fulfill the " ... serious consequences ... " provision of U. N. Resolution 1441.
In other words, either all the world leaders were telling the truth or all of them lied. I've never seen so much agreement among world leaders before in my lifetime - probably never will again.
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