News Iraq may have had training facilities for terrorists.

[amp]

Last night, I saw a documentary on PBS where Army Special Forces were exploring some former hideouts and offices of Saddam’s. I may have to apologize for some comments I made previously because of what they found; they found what appeared to be training rooms used for training in making innocuous articles into bombs, booby traps, thwarting airport security including scanners and how to guides on using US procedures to defeat security. If this program wasn’t scripted then I offer my humble apologies to the Prez for what its worth, I may have been wrong in thinking Iraq wasn’t being used as a training ground for terrorists.

 

[Greg Bernhardt]

Last night, I saw a documentary on PBS where Army Special Forces were exploring some former hideouts and offices of Saddam’s. I may have to apologize for some comments I made previously because of what they found; they found what appeared to be training rooms used for training in making innocuous articles into bombs, booby traps, thwarting airport security including scanners and how to guides on using US procedures to defeat security. If this program wasn’t scripted then I offer my humble apologies to the Prez for what its worth, I may have been wrong in thinking Iraq wasn’t being used as a training ground for terrorists.

Wouldn't surprise me in the least. I think we all knew that saddam had some sort of ties with terrorists, he was basicly one himself. We just needed to find out to what degree the situation was. Unfortunately bush had to use a doomsday approach to get support for something that was important, but not as critical as was hyped.

 

[amp]

Now if only there were other(s) who could admit when they are/were wrong I'd feel relieved.

 

[russ_watters]

There has never been any question at all that Iraq was used as a training-ground/supply depot/funding source for terrorists. The question is whether or not they were a training-ground/supply depot/funding source for Al Queda terrorists. And the answer to that appears to be in the negative.

 

[Adam]

Wouldn't surprise me in the least. I think we all knew that saddam had some sort of ties with terrorists...

Saddam Hussein had ties with terrorists?

 

[username]

How about USA has training facilities for terrorists

http://www.madcowprod.com/index60bb.html

NUMBER 4. Mohamed Atta attended the International Officer’s School at Maxwell Air force Base, in Montgomery, Alabama.

Dunno how true/well researched this is, but an interesting read all the same.

 

[kat]

http://edition.cnn.com/WORLD/meast/9902/13/afghan.binladen/ This is dated 1999.

 

[Adam]

So Saddam Hussein offered asylum. I have seen this before. He made a public statement saying he would offer sanctuary to Bin Laden. Do you think this qualifies as Saddam Hussein having ties with terrorists? If I say Nelson Mandela would be welcome at my house, does that mean I have ties with terrorists?

 

[studentx]

There has never been any question at all that Iraq was used as a training-ground/supply depot/funding source for terrorists. The question is whether or not they were a training-ground/supply depot/funding source for Al Queda terrorists. And the answer to that appears to be in the negative.

Saddam arranged a public ceremony in March 2002, to pay over half a million dollar to terrorist suicidebombers in the West Bank. The misconception that Alqueda is one unified organization, makes many people ignore Saddams well documented connections to terrorist groups other than AlQaeda.

Alqueda is not one unified organization, but in reality a loose affiliation of many organizations, or even an American group of people who share common motives and goals.

 

[Njorl]

Last night, I saw a documentary on PBS where Army Special Forces were exploring some former hideouts and offices of Saddam’s. I may have to apologize for some comments I made previously because of what they found; they found what appeared to be training rooms used for training in making innocuous articles into bombs, booby traps, thwarting airport security including scanners and how to guides on using US procedures to defeat security. If this program wasn’t scripted then I offer my humble apologies to the Prez for what its worth, I may have been wrong in thinking Iraq wasn’t being used as a training ground for terrorists.

That does not necessarily make it a terrorist training camp. I assume the US trains agents in all of the above activities. I certainly hope that the CIA trains its operatives in penetrating other nation's security and improvised demolitions.

Actually, from what I recall, the CIA claimed that most Iraqi terrorism was performed by Iraqi secret service. It was very small in scale, ineffective, and not respected by the terrorist community at large.

I don't think it is a news to any but the intentionally ignorant that Saddam promoted terrorism. He made an occasion of it. He was proud of it. But he did not support Al Qaeda. Yes, he did have contacts with Al Qaeda. But his contacts with Al Qaeda were significantly less cooperative than the contacts between Ronald Reagan and the Soviet Union. Was the Gipper a secret Commie? I've seen lots of pictures of Reagan shaking hands with Gorbachev!

Njorl

 

[russ_watters]

I don't think it is a news to any but the intentionally ignorant that Saddam promoted terrorism. He made an occasion of it. He was proud of it. But he did not support Al Qaeda. Yes, he did have contacts with Al Qaeda. But his contacts with Al Qaeda were significantly less cooperative than the contacts between Ronald Reagan and the Soviet Union.

To expand just a little, Saddam clearly has much in common with terrorists and good political reason to ally with them. But religion was a big stumbling block: most of the terrorists in the region are Muslims and Muslims believe in God. In a dictatorship, the people are to believe only in their dictator. Hence, most dictatorships (and Iraq was no exception) are secular.

 

[Robert Zaleski]

Wouldn't surprise me in the least. I think we all knew that saddam had some sort of ties with terrorists, he was basicly one himself. We just needed to find out to what degree the situation was. Unfortunately bush had to use a doomsday approach to get support for something that was important, but not as critical as was hyped.

I believe the old saying goes, "The enemy of my enemy is my friend". Alliances between enemies to combat a greater enemy or cause are not unique. It happens between politicians, between neighbors, between warring factions within a country and between nations. If there was no relationship between Saddam and terrorist how did Ansar Al-Islam establish a terrorist camp in Northeast Iraq? What was the purpose for the mock-up airplane fuselage found at Salman Pak? Why was Abu Abbas, the mastermind of the Achilles Lauro hijacking given safe haven in Baghdad?

 

[Dissident Dan]

If there was no relationship between Saddam and terrorist how did Ansar Al-Islam establish a terrorist camp in Northwest Iraq? What was the purpose for the mock-up airplane fuselage found at Salman Pak? Why was Abu Abbas, the mastermind of the Achilles Lauro hijacking given safe haven in Baghdad?

I don't know about questions 2 and 3, but as for the first one, I think that they were in the Kurdish region of Iraq that was out of sadam's control.

 

[Robert Zaleski]

I don't know about questions 2 and 3, but as for the first one, I think that they were in the Kurdish region of Iraq that was out of sadam's control.

Or could it be, Saddam did not challenge them because they were doing his dirty work, i.e., killing Kurds. www.csmonitor.com/2002/0315/p01s04-wome.html - 66k

 

[member 5645]

http://www.nytimes.com/2004/06/25/p...00&en=ffec5d72643beac1&ei=5062&partner=GOOGLE

yikes

 

[Njorl]

http://www.nytimes.com/2004/06/25/p...00&en=ffec5d72643beac1&ei=5062&partner=GOOGLE

yikes

Yikes?

The article says the extent of cooperation was that Saddam agreed to have anti-Saudi sermons spoken in Iraqi mosques. Even this is suspect due to the origin of the documentary evidence. It was furnished by the Iraqi National Congress. The head of the INC has admitted to duping the US to get them into the war, and is now believed to be an Iranian intelligence asset.

Njorl

 

[tumor]

USA had been also ground for training terrorists,remember flight school in florida?and other facilities.

 

[russ_watters]

USA had been also ground for training terrorists,remember flight school in florida?and other facilities.

Yes, that's correct. So what?

 

[Robert Zaleski]

Yes, that's correct. So what?

I guess tumor telling us were either stupid or suicidal...or both. By the way, can someone other then another dumb, reckless fellow American help me figure out whether I take my cyanide capsule orally, or god forbid, as a suppository.