IHT: Bush links Al Qaeda group in Iraq to Al Qaeda of Sept. 11 (Again...)

International Herald Tribune ^ | July 25, 2007 | Jim Rutenberg and Mark Mazzetti

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

CHARLESTON, South Carolina: President George W. Bush is seeking anew to highlight connections between the Al Qaeda group in Iraq and the one responsible for the Sept. 11 attacks, sharply criticizing those who contend that the groups are independent of one another.

At a time when Bush is trying to beat back calls for withdrawal from Iraq, his speech at Charleston Air Force Base reflected concern at the White House over criticism that Bush was focusing on the wrong terrorist threat.

Bush chose as the location of the speech on Tuesday the same city where Democrats had held their nationally televised presidential debate on Monday, a forum at which the question was not whether to stay in Iraq but how to go about leaving.

"The facts are that Al Qaeda terrorists killed Americans on 9/11, they're fighting us in Iraq and across the world, and they are plotting to kill Americans here at home again," Bush told a contingent of troops. "Those who justify withdrawing our troops from Iraq by denying the threat of Al Qaeda in Iraq and its ties to Osama bin Laden ignore the clear consequences of such a retreat."

Kevin Sullivan, the White House communications director, said the speech was devised as a "surge of facts" meant to push back against critics who say Bush is trying rebuild support for the war by drawing links between the Iraq group and the one led by bin Laden. But Democratic lawmakers quickly accused Bush of overstating those links to provide a rationale for the continued American presence in Iraq.

Senator Harry Reid, Democrat of Nevada and the majority leader, said Bush was "trying to justify claims that have long ago been proven to be misleading."

[tobyhill]

CNN and MSNBC have been working OT to dispute or denigrate the connection.

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

And Harry Reid tries to deny it AGAIN>>>

Earlier thread:

Bush links Al Qaeda in Iraq to 9/11; critics reject connection
International Herald Tribune ^ | Friday, July 13, 2007 |
Michael R. Gordon and Jim Rutenberg
Posted on 07/13/2007 9:13:39 AM PDT by april15Bendovr

[M1Tanker]

Does make one wonder where Ried and most of the other Dems get their marching orders from...

[ravingnutter]

From the President's speech, this is what they are focusing on...that Zarqawi didn't "fomally" join Al Qaeda until 2004:

A good place to start is with some basic facts: Al Qaeda in Iraq was founded by a Jordanian terrorist, not an Iraqi. His name was Abu Musab al Zarqawi. Before 9/11, he ran a terrorist camp in Afghanistan. He was not yet a member of al Qaida, but our intelligence community reports that he had longstanding relations with senior al Qaida leaders, that he had met with Osama bin Laden and his chief deputy, Zawahiri.

In 2001, coalition forces destroyed Zarqawi's Afghan training camp, and he fled the country and he went to Iraq, where he set up operations with terrorist associates long before the arrival of coalition forces. In the violence and instability following Saddam's fall, Zarqawi was able to expand dramatically the size, scope, and lethality of his operation. In 2004, Zarqawi and his terrorist group formally joined al Qaida, pledged allegiance to Osama bin Laden, and he promised to "follow his orders in jihad."

They apparently overlook this or discount it:

They include a Syrian who is al Qaida in Iraq's emir in Baghdad, a Saudi who is al Qaida in Iraq's top spiritual and legal advisor, an Egyptian who fought in Afghanistan in the 1990s and who has met with Osama bin Laden, a Tunisian who we believe plays a key role in managing foreign fighters. Last month in Iraq, we killed a senior al Qaida facilitator named Mehmet Yilmaz, a Turkish national who fought with al Qaida in Afghanistan, and met with September the 11th mastermind Khalid Shaikh Muhammad, and other senior al Qaida leaders.

Someone should remind them of this:

In in 1998, an Arab intelligence officer, who knows Saddam personally, predicted in Newsweek: "Very soon you will be witnessing large-scale terrorist activity run by the Iraqis." The Arab official said these terror operations would be run under "false flags" --spook-speak for front groups--including bin Laden's organization.

Then there were the predictions by an Iraqi with ties to Iraqi intelligence, Naeem Abd Mulhalhal, in Qusay's own newspaper several weeks before the attacks that stated bin Laden would “demolish the Pentagon after he destroys the White House and ”bin Laden would strike America “on the arm that is already hurting.” (referencing a second IRAQI sponsored attack on the World Trade Center). Another reference to New York was “[bin Laden] will curse the memory of Frank Sinatra everytime he hears his songs.” (e.g., “New York, New York”) which identified New York, New York as a target. Mulhalhal also stated, “The wings of a dove and the bullet are all but one and the same in the heart of a believer." which references an airplane attack.

The Arabic language daily newspaper Al-Quds Al-Arabic also cited the cooperation between Iraq, bin Laden and Al December 1998 editorial, which predicted that “President Saddam Hussein, whose country was subjected to a four day air strike, will look for support in taking revenge on the United States and Britain by cooperating with Saudi oppositionist Osama Bin-Laden, whom the United States considers to be the most wanted person in the world.” This info is in the link provided below. How could these people have had foreknowledge without Iraq being involved?

Source for this info

Warning...slow loading .pdf file. This was from a lawsuit filed against Iraq after 9/11...the court ruled against Iraq.

There was also another lawsuit filed by the family of John O’Neill (a former FBI agent who captured Ramzi Yousef after the 1993 WTC bombings) after he died in the WTC on 9/11. His personal files from his years of traveling around the world investigating al-Qaeda are were used as evidence in the lawsuit. The evidence includes documents unearthed in the headquarters of the Mukhabarat (Iraq's intelligence service) and information gleaned from the interrogation of both al-Qaeda and Iraqi prisoners. (Link below). It also quotes Vincent Cannistraro, the former CIA counter-terrorism chief, who stated in October 2000 that Iraq had been wanting to carry out terrorist attacks, and that the Iraqi military had been in contact with Osama bin Laden.

Click Here

We know from these IIS documents that beginning in 1992 the former Iraqi regime regarded bin Laden as an Iraqi Intelligence asset. We know from IIS documents that the former Iraqi regime provided safe haven and financial support to an Iraqi who has admitted to mixing the chemicals for the 1993 attack on the World Trade Center. We know from IIS documents that Saddam Hussein agreed to Osama bin Laden's request to broadcast anti-Saudi propaganda on Iraqi state-run television. We know from IIS documents that a "trusted confidante" of bin Laden stayed for more than two weeks at a posh Baghdad hotel as the guest of the Iraqi Intelligence Service.

Abu Nidal, September 11 and Saddam The terrorist network may be closer knit than we think.

Weekly Standard: The Mother of All Connections

List of newspaper article in the 90's which mention the world's concern regarding the growing relationship between OBL and Saddam:

Click here

Son of Saddam coordinates OBL activities:

Click here

The AQ connection (excellent):

Click here

Western Nightmare:

Click here

Saddam's link to OBL:

Click here

NYT: Iraq and AQ agree to cooperate:

Click here

Document linking them:

Click here

Iraq and terrorism - no doubt about it:

Click here

A federal judge rules there are links:

Click here

Wall Street Journal on Iraq and AQ:

Click here

Iraq and Iran contact OBL:

Click here

More evidence:

Click here

Saddam's AQ connection:

Click here

Further connections:

Click here

What a court of law said about the connections:

Click here

Some miscellaneous stuff on connections:

Click here

Saddam's Ambassador to Al Qaeda: (February 2004, Weekly Standard)

Click here

Yes - it's NewsMax but loaded with interesting bullet points.

Click here

Saddam's Fingerprints on NY Bombing (Wall Street Journal, June 1993)

Click here

Colin Powell: Iraq and AQ Partners for Years (CNN, February 2003)

Click here

The Iraq-Al Qaeda Connections (September 2003, Richard Miniter)

Click here

Oil for Food Scandal Ties Iraq and Al Qaeda (June 2003)

Click here

Saddam and OBL Make a Pact (The New Yorker, February 2003):

Click here

Al Qaeda's Poison Gas (Wall Street Journal, April 2004):

Click here

Wolfowitz Says Saddam behind 9/11 Attacks:

Click here

Saddam behind first WTC attack - PBS, Laurie Mylroie:

Click here

Growing Evidence of Saddam and Al Qaeda Link, The Weekly Standard, July 2003:

Click here

Qusay Hussein Coordinated Iraq special operations with Bin Laden Terrorist Activities, Yossef Bodansky, National Press Club

Click here

The Western Nightmare: Saddam and Bin Laden vs. the Rest of the World, The Guardian Unlimited:

Click here

Saddam Link to Bin Laden, Julian Borger, The Guardian, February 1999

Click here

The Al Qaeda Connection, The Weekly Standard, July 2003

Click here

Cheney lectures Russert on Iraq/911 Link, September 2003:

Click here

No Question About It, National Review, September 2003

Click here

Iraq: A Federal Judges Point of View

Click here

Mohammed's Account links Iraq to 9/11 and OKC:

Click here

Free Republic Thread that mentions some books Freepers might be interested in on this topic:

Click here

The Proof that Saddam Worked with AQ, The Telegraph, April 2003:

Click here

Saddam's AQ Connection, The Weekly Standard, September 2003

Click here

September 11 Victims Sue Iraq:

Click here

Osama's Best Friend: The Further Connections Between Al Qaeda and Saddam, The Weekly Standard, November 2003

Click here

Terrorist Behind 9/11 Attacks Trained by Saddam, The Telegraph, December 2003

Click here

James Woolsey Links Iraq and AQ, CNN Interview, March 2004, Also see Posts #34 and #35

Click here

A Geocities Interesting Web Site with maps and connections:

Click here

Bin Laden indicted in federal court, read down to find information that Bin Laden agreed to not attack Iraq and to work cooperatively with Iraq:

Click here

Case Closed, The Weekly Standard, November 03

Click here

CBS - Lawsuit: Iraq involved in 9/11:

Click here

Exploring Iraq's Involvement in pre-9/11 Acts, The Indianapolis Star:

Click here

The Iraq/AQ Connection: Richard Minister again

Click here

Militia Defector says Baghdad trained Al Qaeda fighters in chemical weapons, July 2002

Click here

The Clinton View of Iraq/AQ Ties, The Weekly Standard, December 2003

Click here

Saddam Controlled the Camps (Iraq/AQ Ties): The London Observer, November 01

Click here

Saddam's Terror Ties that Critics Ignore, National Review, October 2003:

Click here

Tape Shows General Wesley Clark linking Iraq and AQ:

Click here

The Missing Link (What the Senate Ingelligence Report Said about Iraq/AQ Connections)

Click Here

Credit to Peach for the above info.

Credit to joesbucks for the following links:

Dozens of links here:

Click here

Just a few of those links include:

The Clinton Justice Department's indictment against OBL in federal court which mentions the terrorist's connections to Iraq. November 4, 1998. The federal indictment:

Click here

Iraq and AQ agree to cooperate. The federal indictment against OBL working in concert with Iraq and Iran is mentioned. November 1998. The New York Times

Click here

Saddam reaching out to OBL January 1, 1999. Newsweek

Click here

ABC news reports on the Osama/Saddam connections January 14, 1999. ABC News

Click here

Western Nightmare: Saddam and OBL versus the World. Iraq recruited OBL. February 6, 1999. The Guardian

Click here

Saddam's Link to OBL February 6, 1999. The Guardian

Click here

Saddam offered asylum to bin Laden February 13, 1999. AP

Click here

And kabar submitted these two little gems showing Bin Laden supported Iraq and its struggle against the US and the West.

1996 Fatwa: "Declaration of War against the Americans Occupying the Land of the Two Holy Places."

1998 Text of Fatwah Urging Jihad Against Americans

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

Note to jpl .....see above....

Note to ravingnutter....thanks!

[PsyOp]

Does make one wonder where Ried and most of the other Dems get their marching orders from...

Geoorge Soros would be my guess.

[kevin_in_so_cal]

*FLASHBACK*

http://www.cnn.com/US/9812/16/clinton.iraq.speech/

Clinton: Iraq has abused its last chance. December 16, 1998.

WASHINGTON (CNN) — From the Oval Office, President Clinton told the nation Wednesday evening why he ordered new military strikes against Iraq.

The president said Iraq’s refusal to cooperate with U.N. weapons inspectors presented a threat to the entire world.

“Saddam (Hussein) must not be allowed to threaten his neighbors or the world with nuclear arms, poison gas or biological weapons,” Clinton said.

Operation Desert Fox, a strong, sustained series of attacks, will be carried out over several days by U.S. and British forces, Clinton said.

“Earlier today I ordered America’s armed forces to strike military and security targets in Iraq. They are joined by British forces,” Clinton said.

“Their mission is to attack Iraq’s nuclear, chemical and biological weapons programs and its military capacity to threaten its neighbors,” said Clinton.

Clinton also stated that, while other countries also had weapons of mass destruction, Hussein is in a different category because he has used such weapons against his own people and against his neighbors.

‘Without delay, diplomacy or warning’

The Iraqi leader was given a final warning six weeks ago, Clinton said, when Baghdad promised to cooperate with U.N. inspectors at the last minute just as U.S. warplanes were headed its way.

“Along with Prime Minister (Tony) Blair of Great Britain, I made it equally clear that if Saddam failed to cooperate fully we would be prepared to act without delay, diplomacy or warning,” Clinton said.

The president said the report handed in Tuesday by Richard Butler, head of the United Nations Special Commission in charge of finding and destroying Iraqi weapons, was stark and sobering.

Iraq failed to cooperate with the inspectors and placed new restrictions on them, Clinton said. He said Iraqi officials also destroyed records and moved everything, even the furniture, out of suspected sites before inspectors were allowed in.

“Instead of inspectors disarming Saddam, Saddam has disarmed the inspectors,” Clinton said.

“In halting our airstrikes in November, I gave Saddam a chance — not a license. If we turn our backs on his defiance, the credibility of U.S. power as a check against Saddam will be destroyed,” the president explained.

Strikes necessary to stunt weapons programs

Clinton said he made the decision to strike Wednesday with the unanimous agreement of his security advisors.

Timing was important, said the president, because without a strong inspection system in place, Iraq could rebuild its chemical, biological and nuclear programs in a matter of months, not years.

“If Saddam can cripple the weapons inspections system and get away with it, he would conclude the international community, led by the United States, has simply lost its will,” said Clinton. “He would surmise that he has free rein to rebuild his arsenal of destruction.”

Clinton also called Hussein a threat to his people and to the security of the world.

“The best way to end that threat once and for all is with a new Iraqi government — a government ready to live in peace with its neighbors, a government that respects the rights of its people,” Clinton said.

Such a change in Baghdad would take time and effort, Clinton said, adding that his administration would work with Iraqi opposition forces.

Clinton also addressed the ongoing impeachment crisis in the White House.

“Saddam Hussein and the other enemies of peace may have thought that the serious debate currently before the House of Representatives would distract Americans or weaken our resolve to face him down,” he said.

“But once more, the United States has proven that although we are never eager to use force, when we must act in America’s vital interests, we will do so.”

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

A good thread today:

What Does Al-Qaeda Want?

[M1Tanker]

That begs the question of where Soros gets his marching orders from.

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

Excellent...thanks!!!

[jveritas]

At least now they have the right wording of the article headline compared to their deceiving and manufactured July 13 article headline. I called International Herald Tribune that day (July 13th) and complained about the wording of the article headline and the lady in the news room told me that she will relate my complaint about the wrong July 13 headline to the appropriate people.

[M1Tanker]

I saw that one. I agree with a lot of the responses: They want us to die so they can rule the world under an Islamic dictatorship.

We are all that stands in their way. They have allied with the left (who will be killed by AQ at the end of their "useful idiotness") and are stabbing us in the back as we fight them and beat them head on.

[1035rep]

BTTT

[madison10]

Does make one wonder where Ried and most of the other Dems get their marching orders from...

IMO, they get their marching orders from CAIR, La Raza, Hugo Chavez, and the ACLU. One has to ponder just how much money CAIR is dumping into the Liberal/Marxists pockets. The anti-American actions of Harry "Bloody-hands" Reid make the idea plausible.

[Dr. Frank fan]

I never thought I'd see the day where (in the lefty mind) we are required to taxonomize every single Al Qaeda cell and member before we can decide whether to consider him an enemy. Since when isn't "Al Qaeda" good enough?

Imagine it being the 1940s and having a faction of idiots constantly parsing Nazi groups: "Yes these are Nazis but they are Hamburg Nazis not Berlin Nazis, so we can't shoot at them!" etc. Just bizarre.

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

Google list of articles:

Bush ....Iraq....al-Queda...

[BenLurkin]

The transcript of the President’s speech was up yesterday.

He lays everything out in clear terms.

It’s actually pretty well written.

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

NDTV:

Iraq war about al-Qaida: Bush

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Associated Press

Wednesday, July 25, 2007 (South Carolina)

President George W Bush on Tuesday condemned critics who claim al-Qaida's operation in Iraq is distinct from those who attacked the United States in 2001.

Speaking to troops at South Carolina's Charleston Air Force Base, the president called al-Qaida in Iraq an organisation of ''cold blooded killers'' who reports to leaders loyal to Osama bin Laden.

Bush cited security details he declassified for the speech, and described al-Qaida's burgeoning operation in Iraq as a direct threat to the United States.

In derisive terms, Bush accused critics in Congress of misleading the American public by suggesting otherwise, comparing the scenario to a man who walks into a bank with a mask and gun and ''saying he's probably just there to cash a cheque.''

Bush is up against highly sceptical audiences with 18 months left in office. The public has largely lost faith in the war, Congress is weighing ways to end it, and international partners have fading memories of the 2001 terrorist attacks against the US.

In broad strokes, Bush's approach links the Iraq war to an event that Americans remember deeply - the September 11 attacks - and not the sectarian strife among Iraqis.

The violent infighting among Iraqis has caused many in the US to question the war's point.

Al-Qaida, led by Osama bin Laden, orchestrated the terrorist strikes on the US by turning hijacked airplanes into killing machines. That was almost six years ago.

Now a fresh intelligence estimate warns that the United States is in a heightened threat environment, mainly from al-Qaida. The report found the terror group is seizing upon its affiliate, al-Qaida in Iraq, to recruit members and organise attacks.

Bush said, ''Those who justify withdrawing our troops from Iraq by denying the threat of al-Qaida in Iraq and its ties to Osama bin Laden ignore the clear consequences.''

He said if the US were to follow that advice, ''it would be dangerous for the world and disastrous for America.''

Yet the president's critics argue just the opposite point - that the war is not reducing the threat to America, but increasing it by swelling and unifying al-Qaida's numbers.

Al-Qaida had no active cells in Iraq when the US invaded in March 2003, and its operation there is much larger now than before the war, US intelligence officers say.

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

It's all about gaining Power in the White House:

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There is a book (now available in paperback ):

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Unholy Alliance: Radical Islam and the American Left
(Hardcover)
by David Horowitz

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And reviews:

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Editorial Reviews

Rich Lowry, Editor National Review

David Horowitz is synonymous with pyrotechnics. A historian and polemicist of the first order, he is paid the ultimate compliment --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

Davis Hanson, Author, Ripples of Battle

An original look at those who want us to fail in the Middle East, both at home and abroad. The --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

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See all Editorial Reviews

Fascinating Analysis of Leftist Goals, August 13, 2006

Reviewer: N. Sincerity - See all my reviews

A former 1960s radical, Horowitz is well-acquainted with the Leftist mindset. In this book, he strives to explain the modern alliance between left wing progressivists and radical Islamofascists. He argues that this alliance is based on a common desire to destroy Western capitalism. Leftist sympathy with Islamofascist ideas makes no sense from an intellectual point of view, given that countries ruled by radical Islamists are among the most racist, sexist, theocratic states in the world today. However, Leftists have recognized that they can benefit politically from destructive terrorist attacks on the Western world. A West under attack can be made to turn on its leaders in fear and desperation (as they did in Spain after the Madrid train bombings). Only once people reject current government structures can the Left execute its anti-capitalist revolution and build a new reality that mirrors the Leftist view of utopia.

The complete and utter idealogical hypocrisy of the Islamofascist-Leftist alliance is distressing, but as Horowitz reminds us,

Leftists radicals truly believe the ends justify the means.

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