Russian Allies?
Perhaps so. Even in the midst of the geopolitical tug of war between the U.S. and Europe, it appears that Russia supplied intel to the US:
Russian President Vladimir Putin said Friday his government warned Washington that Saddam Hussein's regime was preparing attacks in the United States and its interests abroad - an assertion that appears to bolster President Bush's contention that Iraq was a threat.
Al-Quada or not, Saddam was a threat to the U.S. Period. Remember, Saddam also was behind a plot to assassinate President Bush (the Elder).
UPDATE: Citizen Smash has posted some intel from an active duty officer that takes on two fallacies:
Fallacy #1: Al Qaeda is a large, well-organized Islamic terror group with long arms and deep pockets.
Truth: Al Qaeda is a nebulous network of loosely associated terrorist cells and "free agents." Its main function is to provide training, funding, and operational support to anti-western Islamic terrorists around the globe.
...
Fallacy #2: There was no relationship between Iraq and al Qaeda.
...
Truth: Saddam did, in fact, establish a terrorist training camp near Salman Pak, Iraq. . .It has since been confirmed by US military forces on the ground that the facility did exist, and was used for various guerilla, paramilitary, and terrorist training.
And yes, there was an airplane at the camp. Contrary to most reports, it wasn’t a Boeing 707, but a Russian built Tupolev 154. Its presence at Salman Pak was confirmed by a team of UN inspectors in January, 1995. . ."We were told it was for counterterrorist training. We automatically knocked off the word 'counter.'" -- former U.N. weapons inspector Charles Duelfer.
Truth: Al Qaeda is a nebulous network of loosely associated terrorist cells and "free agents." Its main function is to provide training, funding, and operational support to anti-western Islamic terrorists around the globe.
...
Fallacy #2: There was no relationship between Iraq and al Qaeda.
...
Truth: Saddam did, in fact, establish a terrorist training camp near Salman Pak, Iraq. . .It has since been confirmed by US military forces on the ground that the facility did exist, and was used for various guerilla, paramilitary, and terrorist training.
And yes, there was an airplane at the camp. Contrary to most reports, it wasn’t a Boeing 707, but a Russian built Tupolev 154. Its presence at Salman Pak was confirmed by a team of UN inspectors in January, 1995. . ."We were told it was for counterterrorist training. We automatically knocked off the word 'counter.'" -- former U.N. weapons inspector Charles Duelfer.
Good reading.
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