Yes, There Is a Connection: The 9/11 Commission confirms Iraq-al Qaeda ties.

The Weekly Standard ^ | July 22, 2004 | Daniel McKivergan

[quidnunc]

With the release of the September 11 Commission report, some media outlets may ignore or mischaracterize the fact that the report offers more confirmation of Iraq-al Qaeda ties. It is especially noteworthy, however, that the previous staff report's finding of no "collaborative relationship" between Iraq and al Qaeda has been significantly modified. While the commission found no evidence of a "collaborative operational relationship" for "carrying out attacks against the United States," they did find that the connection between Iraq and al Qaeda to be more extensive than many critics of the administration have been willing to admit. And, as the CIA's Counterterrorism Center previously remarked: "any indication of a relationship between these two hostile elements could carry great dangers to the United States."

According to the September 11 report:

• With the Sudanese regime acting as intermediary, Bin Laden himself met with senior Iraqi intelligence officer in Khartoum in late 1994 or early 1995. Bin Laden is said to have asked for space to establish training camps, as well as assistance in procuring weapons, but there is no evidence that Iraq responded to this request … [but] the ensuing years saw additional efforts to establish connections. (p.61)

• In March 1998, after Bin Laden's public fatwa against the United States, two al Qaeda members reportedly went to Iraq to meet with Iraqi intelligence. In July, an Iraqi delegation traveled to Afghanistan to meet first with the Taliban and then with Bin Laden. Sources reported that one, or perhaps both, of these meetings was apparently arranged through Bin Laden's Egyptian deputy, Zawahiri, who had ties of his own to the Iraqis. (p.66)

-snip-

[True Capitalist]

these meetings was apparently arranged through Bin Laden's Egyptian deputy, Zawahiri, who had ties of his own to the Iraqis

I realize Kerry/Edwards/Gore/Rather/Jennings may not know this, but Zawahiri is bin Laden's NUMBER TWO guy.

[shezza]

Evidence shmevidence. Bush lied, end of story. (hands over ears: "La la la la laaaaaaa...") </ sarcasm>

[Peach]

Saved to my Saddam/OBL connections file.

[Mister Baredog]

"any indication of a relationship between these two hostile elements could carry great dangers to the United States."

I believe the term used was "grave and gathering"

I just wonder how those of us who pay attention aren't at all suprised by these facts.

Seriesly

[tentmaker]

In many ways, Zawahiri is more dangerous than bin Laden. Bin Laden is largely a figurehead and financier, while Zawahiri is the brains behind the operation. Interesting to note the parallels between them and another famous duo: Castro and Che Guevara. Castro was also the public figurehead, while Guevara became the strategic genius behind him. It was Guevara's scheming that created the Cuba missle crisis. What does Zawahiri have planned for us next?

This also makes it essential that we "map out" the organization and account for the more dangerous lieutenants (like Zawahiri) before we ever consider taking out bin Laden. Those who like to point out that we have not yet taken bin Laden usually seem to miss this point.

[Bush4304]

I was very worried that this Comission report was going to be nothing but a Bush bashing waste of paper. I was wrong. The report did well for this country by pointing out our mistakes EXPECIALLY in the Clinton years, and i was wonderfully surprised by the great job done by the people in the Comission. One of the most amazing things that it pointed out, was that in 1998 the Clinton-Gore administration was warned by a number of other people that Bin Laden was planning on having air planes hi-jacked in the United States and crashing them into American buildings.
George Bush excepted the crictisim of the Comission report and said that the Comission report was great for the future security of our country. See, my point now, is that if Bill Clinton was offered these criticims when he was President, he would have dis-credited them and said it was apart of a "right wing conspiracy". I could see him pointing his finger at other people (like he did in the British interview where he blamed the "right wing conspiracy" for his problems with Monica during his presidency) and he would have blamed it on other people by yelling out "YOU PEOPLE DONT CARE" or ITS YOUR FAULT (he said "NOT ONE PERSON IN YOUR LINE OF WORK CARED" to the british media). Thats the difference, Bush excepted it, Clinton would have blamed his criticisms on "right wingers" if he was president.

[what's up]

For awhile it was "there are no links betweene Al Queda and Iraq."

Now that links have been discovered it's "there are no COLLABORATIVE links between Al Queda and Iraq."

Liberals always get to shift the goal posts.

[Steven W.]

Bin Laden's Egyptian deputy, Zawahiri

Don't forget that Zawahiri was previously head of Egyptian Islamic Jihad before merging those "organizations" into AlQaeda ... yet we never see the critics denying legacy old contacts between those parties (which are AlQaeda) - they act like you need an officially engraved card & arm patch to be legitimately recognized as "AlQaeda" rather than recognize our enemies are loosely organized terrorists who work with comrades in all parts of the world and amongst other state governments or sponsors, including Iraq, which had 3-4 previously active terrorist camps confirmed & discovered when US troops invaded, including Salman Pak where terrorists of all stripes were trained in the hijacking of airplanes (using a plane parked in the Iraqi desert).

[justa-hairyape]

Actually the current goal post is

collaborative operational relationship

I suggested a week or two ago that the leftists nitwits would have to break out their theasauris and find a word that means 'productive collaboration'. Apparently they have failed to find just one appropiate word. Sometimes the limitations of the English language can be amusing. You see, leftist have probably always assumed that any 'collaboration' was by default, a productive one. We conservatives know better.

[samtheman]

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