UK Newspaper Says Documents Link Bin Laden to Iraq (The Telegraph Gets Another HUGE Scoop!)

Reuters ^ | April 26, 2003

[Timesink]

UK Newspaper Says Documents Link Bin Laden to Iraq

Sat April 26, 2003 05:13 PM ET

LONDON (Reuters) - Britain's Sunday Telegraph newspaper said it had discovered documents showing Iraqi intelligence hosted an envoy from Osama bin Laden in 1998 and sought to meet the alleged September 11 mastermind in person.

The finding, if verified, would appear to support Washington's assertion of links between ousted Iraqi President Saddam Hussein and bin Laden, one of the justifications for the U.S.-led war in Iraq.

The paper said the documents, which its correspondent found in the wrecked headquarters of the Iraqi Mukhabarat intelligence service, showed Iraq brought a bin Laden aide to Baghdad in early 1998 from his former base in Sudan to arrange closer ties.

Iraqi officials sought to have the envoy pass on a verbal message setting up a direct meeting with bin Laden, the paper said.

The 1998 visit described in the documents would have taken place before bin Laden became a household name in the West, when Washington blamed him for the bombings of two U.S. embassies in Africa later that year.

According to the Telegraph, bin Laden's name had been concealed in several places on the Iraqi documents with white correction fluid. Its correspondent scraped the fluid off with a razor to uncover the name.

In one document quoted by the paper an Iraqi official wrote: "We suggest permission to call the Khartoum station (Iraq's intelligence office in Sudan) to facilitate the travel arrangements for the above-mentioned person to Iraq.

"And that our body carry all the travel and hotel costs inside Iraq to gain the knowledge of the message from bin Laden and to convey to his envoy an oral message from us to bin Laden."

A handwritten note on the same page said the letter had been passed on to the deputy director general of the intelligence service, recommending that he "bring the envoy to Iraq because we may find in this envoy a way to maintain contacts with Iraq."

The documents do not make clear whether the hoped-for meeting between Iraqi officials and bin Laden took place.

Before the war, Saddam's government repeatedly denied any links with bin Laden's al Qaeda network.

[Flyer]

It's getting difficult to keep count>

[VRWC_minion]

This reporter is certainly doing a lot of forging of documents.

[Dog Gone]

If I ever pay off, HC is going to drown.

[Dog Gone]

This reporter is certainly doing a lot of forging of documents.

Please explain that.

[Flyer]

If I ever pay off

You should. Think of the economic stimulus!

[VRWC_minion]

First Galloway now this. I'm assuming its the same reporter. Busy fellow having to create all those fraudlent doc's without the benefit of modern equipmet.

[MEG33]

Galloway says..forgeries.

[PeoplesRep_of_LA]

I assume he's speaking of George Galloway's desperate-Baghdad Bob defense- against the Daily Telegraph breaking the story on him.

Is this report from the same guy? I think his name was Tim Blair.

[TXBlair]

Nice, isn't it?

[knak]

another great find by the Telegraph and Timesink!

[Dog Gone]

Ah, I get it now. Thanks.

[Bill Davis FR]

why can't the cia find these documents instead of the british press????

[PeoplesRep_of_LA]

By the way MEG33, don't know if you heard, but the reporters at The Daily Telegraph are idiots. They're arrogant too. </Fred Mertz> I miss that Iraqi Information Minister style of debate from last night.

[Magnolia]

Incredible...good find Timesink. Thanks for the ping Ernest!

Isn't it odd that the truth suddenly comes tumbling out at such a rate it's hard to keep up? I keep visualizing all the politicos & journalists scurrying around for cover. MOABs are raining down on them from the UK press!

[Husker24]

bin Laden's name had been concealed in several places on the Iraqi documents with white correction fluid.

ohh no! how ever could we have deciphered that one.

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

MOABs are raining down on them from the UK press!

ROFL!!

Where is the American press?

See this for the Arabic Press:

The UN is a fundamentally flawed institution (From ArabicNews - Barf Alert)

[MEG33]

Incredible wasn't it? LOL

[TruthShallSetYouFree]

why can't the cia find these documents instead of the british press????

The CIA found the British press? Well, that's a start for them.

[MizSterious]

"Where is the American press?"

No doubt they're looking for (a)ways to spin the money-for-media revelations, (b) ways to blame others for the Baghdad funds in their accounts, or (c) countries with no extradition treaties with the U.S. (Or D, seeking ways to explain this to St. Peter?)

[VRWC_minion]

why can't the cia find these documents instead of the british press????

Its possible our intellience is finding and sorting threw them and giving some interesting documents to the press. What better way to get credibility than have them come out through unofficial sources ?