Saddam Hussein's support for Al-Qaeda exposed

 
A few determined individuals have doggedly pursued the true history of Saddam Hussein. Roy Robison and Deroy Murdock, in particular, deserve attention for their incredible detective work that is only now attracting the kind of widespread attention it deserves.

Specifically, their discoveries shred the progressive fable that Saddam Hussein would not work with Islamic terrorists and Al Qaeda in particular. Murdock's Hussein and Terror website provides an excellent introduction to the topic.

But Robison's research and book -- Both in One Trench -- provide startling insights into the true connections between Hussein and terror. Captured Iraqi documents, analyzed by the Pentagon and only recently released for public consumption describe these links with copious clarity. Robison's most recent blog post summarizes some of the critical insights.

Those documents alone crush the arguments that Saddam would not work with Islamic terrorists. He most certainly would and did in operations in Somalia. These documents show the regime negotiating with leadership of the Egyptian Islamic Jihad (which was already affiliated with Usama bin Laden...) and al Qaeda affiliate[s]...

[We believe Al Qaeda was directly behind the Mogadishu attacks on the U.S. because] a study of captured al Qaeda documents [describe] al Qaeda trainers in Somalia [who] claim that General Aideed was hunting them because of the attacks on the Americans....

...two days after Saddam ordered his intelligence service to hunt the Americans in Somalia using the Afghan jihad vets, Usama bin Laden's number two man Mohammed Atef called his top trainers to Pakistan and ordered them to Somalia to set up these terror training camps in Somalia.

...The big picture here is that al Qaeda, which these documents show was very short on cash for these operations likely went to the Saddam regime looking for financial support. Saddam liked the idea of attacking US forces in Somalia and approved the plan, issued the order and left it to his intelligence service to work out the specifics... And why would Saddam work with al Qaeda for this plan? Because the fighting was in Somalia. Two of his enemies (if you believe that he opposed Usama bin Laden) would be killing each other off and all he had to do was financially support al Qaeda. It was a win-win for Saddam.

Put simply, the more documents from this database that we uncover, the better we understand that Saddam was supporting Al Qaeda in every significant way possible.

In terms of generally supporting terror, this excerpt from the Pentagon report is a useful example.

Extract 2 is a response from the Iraqi Intelligence Service (nS) to a letter from Saddam asking for a list of weapons available in Iraqi embassies overseas.

[July 2002]

Subject: Weapons Information:
1. We would like to inform you of the following:
  Romania - Missile launcher and missile
  Athens [Greece] - Explosive charges
  Vienna [Austria] - Explosive charges, rifles with silencers, hand grenades, and Kalashnikov rifles
  Pakistan - Explosive materials ofTNT
  India - Plastic explosive charges and booby-trapped suitcases
  Thailand - Plastic explosive charges and booby-trapped suitcases
  Prague [Czech] - Missile launcher and missile
  Turkey - Missile launcher, missile, and pistols with silencers
  Sana'a [Yemen] - Missile launcher, missile, plastic explosives and explosive charges
  Baku [Azerbaijan] - American missile launcher, plastic explosives and booby-trapped suitcases
  Beirut [Lebanon] - American missile launcher, plastic explosives and booby-trapped suitcases
  Gulf nations - Explosive material outside the embassies
2. Between the year 2000 and 2002 ... explosive materials were transported to the embassies outside Iraq for special work, upon the approval of the Director of the Iraqi Intelligence Service. The responsibility for these materials is in the hands of heads of stations. Some of these materials were transported in the political mail carriers [Diplomatic Pouch]. Some of these materials were transported by car in booby-trapped briefcases.

Simply put, Hussein was linked to Al Qaeda, Hamas, Fatah and every terror group in between.

Why hasn't the mainstream media covered these amazing connections? For one, they prove Bush (and the leading Democrats of the day) were right in destroying Hussein's hotbed of terror. For two, the message doesn't fit the media's agenda, which is to elect Democrats. And for three, it proves -- beyond a shadow of a doubt -- that they have been utterly, completely and universally wrong on this war for over half a decade.