what proof is there that saddam had ties with al-qaeda?

Question

The White House said Saddam had ties with Al-Qaeda, what were they?

Answer 1

Before the invasion, the Bush Administration did assert ties between Iraq and al-Qaeda:

"These al Qaeda affiliates, based in Baghdad, now coordinate the movement of people, money and supplies into and throughout Iraq for his network, and they've been operating freely in the capital for more than eight months," said U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell in his presentation to the U.N. Security Council, February, 2003.

During testimony before the Senate Intelligence Committee in mid-February, CIA Director George Tenet added, "Iraq has, in the past, provided training in document forgery and bomb-making to al Qaeda. It has also provided training in poisons and gases to two al Qaeda associates."

The administration defended these claims for quite a while. Douglas Feith, who was the undersecretary of Defense for policy, a job not usually part of the intelligence analysis chain-of-command, developed his own intel cell at the Pentagon, and produced and disseminated reports and assessments. He appears to be the originator of the most controversial assertions about the links between Iraqi intelligence and al-Qaeda. Where CIA and DIA analysts reported some contacts and meetings, Feith's office asserted a more robust relationship. His assessments seem overblown in light of the evidence that has emerged since.

As someone above me noted, President Bush himself has backed off on these claims as they've been systematically debunked, but VP Cheney continues to assert them, albeit in a roundabout manner. He recently appeared on Rush Limbaugh and claimed that Zarqawi was operating in Iraq before the US invasion. It's unclear whether he was saying that al-Qaeda was in Iraq with Saddam's permission, or that they were in Iraq and evaded detection by Iraq's security forces.

But as far as hard proof goes, it'll be a while before it's all declassified, if ever. Reports that reveal sources and methods, you'll never see. But the second link below has links to the Pentagon inspector general's declassified report on some aspects of the matter, which you can read.

suzyq: I read a little from the link you posted. It's rambling and not terribly well-organized or coherent, and seems to suffer from a common problem, common even among political scientists: the problem of induction. He asserts a hypothesis, and then goes about selecting data to support his assertions. Karl Popper notes that you also need to pay attention to the data that disproves your hypothesis, but M. Legrand doesn't appear to do that.

For instance, at one point, he argues that Saddam was an Islamist, not a secularist. While it's true that after the 1967 war, Arab secularist, nationalist ideologies were deligitimized, so gradually all the Arab leaders, when pandering to the "street" adopted more Islamic rhetoric, but it was rhetoric and demagoguery, not heartfelt conviction. Which is why true dyed in the wool Islamists hated leaders like Saddam, for their hypocritical misuse of their religion, among many, many other crimes. I realize the guy is trying to understand a complex and difficult region, but if you start with a premise and then try to prove it, vice examining the data and then attempting to reach a contingent conclusion, you're going to get it wrong.

Answer 2

Wrong, the White house said there was no evidence that Saddam had ties with al Qaeda.

Answer 3

Oh yeah reason all the different international locations have finished som lots extra for the international then us. WHat have you ever been smoking? sure Iraq replaced into poorliy dealt with, yet you do no longer think of human beings have been demise via the lots below Saddam? If it weren't for the final public of U.S. interventions in lots of countries, who's acquainted with what proportion could've died. Al Qaeda is a 17 november that units out to kill civilians to rebuild an Islamic Caliphate the place women individuals are persecuted, homosexuals finished, and atrocities corresponding to the holocaust are committed on a on an conventional basis foundation. Do you extremely equate usa to that? in case you do, I recommend you spend a week in Sierra Leone or Iran, and then possibly you will comprehend what an evil and unsafe government is like.

Answer 4

There was never any proof, but the Bush administration pushed through with getting rid of Saddam in Iraq, because of the "weapons of mass destruction" claim, and when they didn't find any, their plan changed.....now our mission is to instill democracy in Iraq, which is currently unsuccessful. And Bush did express animosity toward Saddam, saying "...he tried to kill my dad"

So, personal issues involved in the Iraq war? maybe, or the other common idea, fossil fuels....

Answer 5

Really? Well I know that neither Bush nor anyone in the administration ever said anything about the invasion of Iraq having anything to the 9/11 attack or Al-Qaeda. So I guess there is no proof, since it isn't true to begin with. Al-Qaeda IS operating in Iraq, but they are not why we began the war.

Answer 6

Mohammed Atta , ya know the main guy of the 9/11 terrorists, met with Iraqi government officials multiple times.

As to what the results of those meetings were I dont know if its known or not.

There may not have been direct support , but there certainly was involvment of some sort.

Answer 7

Its the White House.

What they really meant to say was that Saddam had some neckties with patterns that resembled Al-Qaeda.

Answer 8

http://pierrelegrand.net/saddam-and-al-qaeda-connections-and-collaboration/

this explains a lot...I strongly encourage you (if you aren't too set in your ways and hellbent on hating Bush) to read this.

Answer 9

In the right wing echo chamber there were connections...because they say so...and they have tried to find as much obscure circumstantial evidence to spin them together into connection. But since they had divergent goals, and Osama Bin Laden spoke of killing Saddam many times. it had to really be fabrication. But of course they were both from the Mid-East isn't that enough.

Answer 10

AL- QAEDA is secular of course. Sadamm was non-secular. They were enemies.
The bushbunch has sold this war to neo-CON religious rightys, with LIES, but love the bloodletting of children so they support it.
Too bad jesus's daddy LIED to george telling him to go to war.