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American officials say Zarqawi's deputy also revealed that his superior had been regularly assisted and funded by a member of the Qatari royal family, Abdul Karim al-Thani, who provided passports and $1m (£600,000) in cash.
General Powell declined to reveal this information publicly because Qatar has emerged as an important ally for any American-led operation, allowing the US to set up its main air operations base there. Mr Thani is not a member of the Qatari government and officials from that country have described him as a deeply religious man who has donated large sums to charity
This is not the first time high-profile Qataris have been linked to al-Qa'ida. Saudi intelligence officials have claimed that after the terror attacks of 11 September, Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, believed to have been one of the senior al-Qa'ida planners of the attack on the World Trade Centre, spent two weeks in hiding in Qatar with the help of "prominent patrons".

Here's another admission of the Qatar royals being involved. I'm flagging it because of the new (at least to me) name (Abdul Karim al-Thani). This account differs somewhat from Baers'--and I suspect Baer has it right. Just to refresh your memory:

UPI Exclusive: Pearl tracked al Qaida
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/760327/posts

In 1997, Baer had left the agency to become a consultant in Beirut. Terrorism was Baer's field and Baer began to meet the ex-Doha police chief from time to time. The ex-Doha police chief, who Baer declined to identify by name, told Baer that during the course of his work he found that there was a bin Laden cell in Qatar, being sheltered by the Qatari government.
The two main members of the cell were Khalid Shaikh Mohammed and Shawqui Islambuli, the brother of the Egyptian who had killed Anwar Sadat. They also were linked to terrorist Ramzi Yousef, but what worried the former police chief was the fact that Mohammed and Islambuli were experts in hijacking commercial planes. The ex-police chief told Baer that Mohammed "is going to hijack some planes." The ex-police chief said his basis for this was evidence developed by police and Qatari intelligence.
The ex-police chief told Baer that Mohammed was being shielded by the Qatar government and told how, in 1996, the FBI sent in a team to arrest Mohammed and Islambuli. While pretending to help, elements in the Qatari government stalled U.S. agents and supplied the two suspects, Mohammed and Islambuli with passports in fake names and spirited them out of the country.
Mohammed went to the Czech Republic where he began to live under the alias "Mustaf Nasir."
Mohammed also traveled to Germany to meet bin Laden associates, Baer said

I know we call this a desert war, but it's going to be fought in a swamp...