The Missing Link

Fire of Liberty

If you've paid attention to the Sunday and Monday news programs you more than likely came across Senator Levin claiming that their was no connection between Iraq and al Qaeda by releasing a recently declassified document from the DIA that noted Ibn Shaykh al Libi, a senior al Qaeda man, revealed during various interrogation sessions that their was no relationship between Iraq and al Qaeda. Though most people would probably take the words of the Democrats number two man on the Senate Intelligence Committee as clear proof the Iraq and al Qaeda were not chummy but it seems that there's a larger mound of evidence pointing in the other direction. Thankfully, Stephen F. Hayes of the Weekly Standard has been doing some extensive investigative research in the intelligence documents to reveal that their is a more heavy bond between Iraq and al Qaeda that Sen. Levin fails to go on T.V. to talk about or even the President fails to declassify to make his case. Just take a peek into what Paul Harvey refers to as "The Rest of the Story":

(4) Wali Khan Amin Shah, a senior al Qaeda operative in U.S. custody since 1995, told FBI interrogators that an al Qaeda leader named Abu Hajer al Iraqi maintained a good relationship with Iraqi Intelligence. Abu Hajer al Iraqi ran al Qaeda's WMD procurement operation until his capture in 1998 and was described by another al Qaeda member as Osama bin Laden's "best friend." According to the Senate Intelligence Committee report, Wali Khan testified that he had knowledge of two "direct meetings" between the leadership of Iraqi Intelligence and Abu Hajer al Iraqi.

(5) On February 19, 1998, the Iraqi Intelligence Service finalized plans to bring a "trusted confidant" of bin Laden's to Baghdad in early March. The revelation came in documents discovered after the Iraq war by journalists Mitch Potter of the Toronto Star and Inigo Gilmore of the Sunday Telegraph. The documents--a series of communiqués between Iraqi Intelligence divisions--provide another window into the relationship between the former Iraqi regime and al Qaeda. The following comes from the Telegraph's translations of the documents:

The envoy is a trusted confidant and known by them. According to the above mediation we request official permission to call Khartoum station to facilitate the travel arrangements for the above-mentioned person to Iraq. And that our body carry all the travel and hotel expenses 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, the Saudi opposition leader, about the future of our relationship with him, and to achieve a direct meeting with him.

A note at the bottom of the page from the director of one IIS division recommends approving the request, noting, "we may find in this envoy a way to maintain contacts with bin Laden." Four days later, on February 23, final approval is granted. "The permission of Mr. Deputy Director of Intelligence has been gained on 21 February for this operation, to secure a reservation for one of the intelligence services guests for one week in one of the first class hotels."

The al Qaeda envoy to Iraq arrived in Baghdad on March 5, 1998. Notes in the margins of the Iraqi Intelligence memos indicate that Mohammed F. Mohammed stayed for more than two weeks in Room 414 of the Al Mansour Melia Hotel as the guest of Iraqi Intelligence. After extending his trip by one week, bin Laden's emissary departed on March 16.

The U.S. intelligence community is now in possession of these documents and has assessed that they are authentic.

I'd say that maybe the President should get this info out and get some folks from the White House on the airwaves to tell the American people that there was anexuss between Iraq and al Qaeda. Now I don't mean there was a September 11th role but the proof is in the pudding that Iraq and al Qaeda were still good buddies within the general Middle East and worked together on many a project. I just hope the White House gets on the ball soon and start defending his policies in Iraq. When you're surrounded by sharks, the best thing you can do is stop the bleeding and this would be one hell of a bandage. So use the bullypulpitt Mr. President.