Memos warn Iraq planning terror spree

New York Daily News ^ | 2/26/03 | JAMES GORDON MEEK

[kattracks]

Daily News Exclusive

WASHINGTON - When the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq begins, dictator Saddam Hussein will launch a terror offensive that will be joined by extremists around the world, according to new intelligence bulletins obtained by the Daily News.

The warnings also report that Saddam's henchmen in foreign embassies are "awaiting the go-ahead signal from Baghdad," but one source indicated to The News that the operatives were under surveillance.

"We are quite familiar with who these agents are," the source said.

The bulletins distributed by the Defense Intelligence Agency on Feb. 11 and 13 were the strongest warnings yet about the likelihood of terrorism once war begins, and for the first time predicted an uprising that would spread from Al Qaeda to terror organizations that are not Islamic.

"Anti-U.S. terrorist attacks during any conflict with Iraq are a certainty," the defense agency informed intelligence and policy leaders in a Feb. 13 memo. "Indigenous terrorist groups in Greece, Turkey, Italy, Peru, Chile, Japan and Southeast Asia are the most likely to have some kind of terrorist response to U.S. military action in Iraq."

The Pentagon alerted its commanders in the U.S., Bahrain and Qatar this month that it was raising the terror threat level from "significant" to the maximum level, "high."

The classified memos express an unnerving certainty that terrorists will retaliate for a U.S. invasion of Iraq and contradict public statements by top officials who have insisted the nation's color-coded threat alert is not tied to a looming war.

A Feb. 11 agency memo reported that "at the onset of hostilities" with Iraq, Al Qaeda and other terrorists "will launch anti-U.S. terrorist operations, probably in the U.S. and Arabian Peninsula," where more than 150,000 G.I.s are assembling an invasion force.

But on Feb. 13, the agency said terrorists might attack U.S. interests if war "appears imminent."

Assassinations and small bombings are anticipated by Al Qaeda, and the agency said Iraqi agents "are more likely to target the U.S. homeland" than they were during the 1991 Persian Gulf War, according to the memos.

The only good news is that Iraqi counterattacks would lose steam as the regime collapsed during a U.S.-led military campaign, the agency said.

One of its memos said Iraq had only a "limited relationship with Al Qaeda." A source doubted that Saddam has passed any terror weapons to Osama Bin Laden's group but worried that Iraq may have helped terrorists developing their own chemical or biological weapons.

The Pentagon's threat analysis departs from statements by Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge, who has said the Orange Alert announced Feb. 7 "wasn't predicated on anything related to Iraq."

There was also no sign the administration was ready to lower the alert from orange, or high, to yellow, or elevated.

[Cagey]

The warnings also report that Saddam's henchmen in foreign embassies are "awaiting the go-ahead signal from Baghdad.

Most of these "henchmen" will fly the white flag minutes after the invasion begins.

[DAnconia55]

One thing that will happen, and I don't like the way we'll get it...

When Saddam uses his WMD, against our troops or here, it'll shut every Demon/peaceniks piehole. And make very clear to the political middle exactly who and what they are.

The Demons will be lucky to elect a dogcatcher.

[Smile-n-Win]

The only good news is that Iraqi counterattacks would lose steam as the regime collapsed during a U.S.-led military campaign, the agency said.

OK, so let's go and make it collapse--the sooner the better!

The terrorists need the time for a "buildup" more badly than we do. It's better to go in half-cocked while they are not ready to strike at all than to delay and let them do the buildup they need.

(But we're fully prepared by now anyway, I presume?)

[johnny7]

Saddam will use every dirty SCUD he has once he hears that president Bush will no longer wait.

He knows he's toast but will be a bastid til the end.

This ain't gonna be no Gulf War cakewalk.

[mhking]

Shift to condition red domestically?

[JohnHuang2]

Memos warn Iraq planning terror spree

I don't get it. The media says Saddam has no connection with al-Qaeda -- or terrorism, for that matter -- and doesn't have weapons of mass destruction.

So how will he pull any of this off? /sarcasm.

[sheik yerbouty]

Expunge his agents and fellow travelers.

[Cvengr]

I've been monitoring some New Age/Conspiracy Theory threads since about '98 and an interesting trend is developing consistent with the support observed during the Clinton Administration.

There exist some wacko groups,...set of groups out there, which are anti-christian, pro New Age, occultic, with many diverse agendas. These groups have a synchronicity with the protest movements which sprung up at the Seattle World Trade Organization Summit and recently at many of these "anti-war" demonstrations. I haven't found any trend to identify these groups other than each one being diverse from another and seemingly reasonable although from an entirely different liberal perspective.

One agenda underlying their few common themes, is that some sort of 'change' is about to happen which they will follow, but they anticipate with zeal.

The language used is consistent with an underground fifth column of socialists in different NGOs who have been laying in wait, forming throughout society, surprised of little to no resistance, made gains during peacetime, and are now encouraged to assault existing power structures.

These groups individually, don't seem to fully understand the reach or domain of fellow diverse groups, but seem to symbiotically share an ultimate cause, although by distinct agendas.

These groups recently have encouraged one another that the US is evil, a colonial power, ripe for internal attack, and exposed to terror attack regardless an outcome.

IMHO, the sooner the better for removing Hussein from power, but I'd also expect a number of diverse terror attacks from different groups within the US, although those attacks will NOT have depth, but will have breadth. IMHO, this will happen regardless, but if it happens, a greater foe is to fear their occurance. Better to be prepared and fight the rebelliousness when it becomes exposed than continue in occultic collusion.

Probably, these same groups have a majority of members who have no ulterior motive, but may be easily swayed if led by deceptive manipulators who have played their emotions. Many of their actions seem characterized by a lack of unified cause, but they also seem to defy guidance if left to independent agendas, while they exhibit some sort of direction in their perspective.

This is just some intuitive insights from monitoring some wacko sites, which per chance seemed consistant with the article. The Internet is sortof like radar of the 30's and we might either be an outpost on northern Oahu perceiving something dire or simply placing too much emphasis on liberal socialist snow.

[mgc1122]

Shift to condition red domestically?

Absolutely. Cocked, locked and ready to rock when the call comes.

[rhombus]

One thing that will happen, and I don't like the way we'll get it... When Saddam uses his WMD, against our troops or here, it'll shut every Demon/peaceniks piehole. And make very clear to the political middle exactly who and what they are. The Demons will be lucky to elect a dogcatcher.

I truly hope you are correct. However, in line with the "don't make him mad" foreign policy, I am sure people will blame Bush and say things like "if he knew they had those weapons why did he force them to use them... he should have known Saddam would have done something if he was attacked." I'd love to be wrong here but I'm skeptical and suspect somewhere in some Democratic war room they haven't already planned a face-saving foucs-group tested PR campaign for this possibility.

[anniegetyourgun]

No doubt the leftists will have their 'excuses' while they stand their with egg on face. I sure don't want our troops in the way of such WMD's, but it is my worst fear. But when/if it happens, we must all collectively YELL using every media outlet possible - "YOU WERE SAYING?" The lib/dems MUST be forced to eat crow....including Sheryl.

[Tamzee]

Well, (jamming my tinfoil hat firmly in place with this one) this theory is already somewhat supported by all the communist and socialist support we see in the anti-Bush agenda.

[bullseye1911]

I disagree, they will have an even stronger voice (provided by their willing accomplices in the media) that we got what we deserve, we had it coming, it's a failure of The Bush administration...yada-yada-yada.

Of course that doesn't mean we shouldn't do it!.

[steve-b]

When Saddam uses his WMD, against our troops or here, it'll shut every Demon/peaceniks piehole.

Not a chance -- the chorus of "Bush escalated the war to this level" will be absolutely deafening.

[Free the USA]

http://www.freerepublic.com/perl/bump-list

[muggs]

I truly hope you are correct. However, in line with the "don't make him mad" foreign policy, I am sure people will blame Bush and say things like "if he knew they had those weapons why did he force them to use them... he should have known Saddam would have done something if he was attacked." I'd love to be wrong here but I'm skeptical and suspect somewhere in some Democratic war room they haven't already planned a face-saving foucs-group tested PR campaign for this possibility.

I agree with your statement and I hope we are both wrong.

[Trust but Verify]

I completely disagree. Unless Saddam himself, or perhaps one of his sons, fires the weapons, it ain't going to happen. The soldiers in the field have been warned by US psy-ops to stand down and not obey any orders to use WMD's. With Saddam on the way out and Uncle Sam on the way in, they will fear us more than him.

[concerned about politics]

One agenda underlying their few common themes, is that some sort of 'change' is about to happen which they will follow, but they anticipate with zeal.

The rise of their comming world leader? The Anti-Christ? The 666 supporting crowd?

[Mo1]

The language used is consistent with an underground fifth column of socialists in different NGOs who have been laying in wait, forming throughout society, surprised of little to no resistance, made gains during peacetime, and are now encouraged to assault existing power structures

I wouldn't be surprise to see these whack jobs try something, but I don't think it will go over to well .. many folks aren't in the mood for their trouble making crap