CIA Knew Hussein Had No Ties to Bin Laden
4 US soldiers die as sectarian violence surges in Iraq
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CIA Learned in '02 That Bin Laden Had No Iraq Ties, Report Says
Today, the Associated Press reports further escalation of sectarian violence in Iraq resulting in the deaths of four American soldiers and the discovery of 130 Iraqi bodies over the past two days. In addition, the Washington Post reports that the CIA presented conclusive evidence in 2002 that Saddam Hussein had no connection to Al Qaeda and Osama bin Laden despite President Bush and his Administration's efforts to link them.
4 US soldiers die as sectarian violence surges in Iraq
By Patrick Quinn
Associated Press
September 15, 2006
"Sectarian killings have surged in parts of Baghdad not yet included in a security offensive, the US military said yesterday, while bombings and other insurgent attacks killed four American soldiers and wounded 25 in the capital region.
"The worst violence in Baghdad came at midday, when a suicide car bomber attacked US troops on the western outskirts of the city, killing two Americans and wounding 25, the US command said. It said six of the wounded had returned to duty and 15 were not seriously injured...Violence has intensified over the past two days, with more than 140 people killed in attacks or found dead after their bodies were dumped in the streets of Baghdad.
"'There was a spike in violence in Baghdad over the past 24 hours from murder-executions,' said Major General William B. Caldwell, the US command's spokesman. 'Most of those are associated with sectarian violence -- not all necessarily, but a large portion.'..."
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CIA Learned in '02 That Bin Laden Had No Iraq Ties, Report Says
By: Walter Pincus
The Washington Post
September 15, 2006
"The CIA learned in late September 2002 from a high-level member of Saddam Hussein's inner circle that Iraq had no past or present contact with Osama bin Laden and that the Iraqi leader considered bin Laden an enemy of the Baghdad regime, according to a recent Senate Intelligence Committee report.
"Although President Bush and other senior administration officials were at that time regularly linking Hussein to al-Qaeda, the CIA's highly sensitive intelligence supporting the contrary view was apparently not passed on to the White House or senior Bush policymakers.
"...On Sept. 25, 2002, just days after the CIA received the source's information, President Bush told reporters: 'Al-Qaeda hides. Saddam doesn't, but the danger is, is that they work in concert. The danger is, is that al-Qaeda becomes an extension of Saddam's madness and his hatred and his capacity to extend weapons of mass destruction around the world. . . . [Y]ou can't distinguish between al-Qaeda and Saddam when you talk about the war on terror.'..."
To read the entire article, please click here.
