Saddam Targeted American Assets For Terrorism: Case Closed From Captain's Quarters
Ray: Hat tip- 2 Jeffs, thanks guys.
From CQ:
A few days ago, I posted a translation of a document culled from the captured Iraqi documents that the US found during Operation Iraqi Freedom. This particular memo, dated March 17, 2001, comes from a brigadier general in the Iraqi Air Force and requests a list of volunteers from all units under his command for suicide attackers. The memo explicitly explains the targets for these terrorist attacks, as the original translation from Joseph Shahda shows:
The top secret letter 2205 of the Military Branch of Al Qadisya on 4/3/2001 announced by the top secret letter 246 from the Command of the military sector of Zi Kar on 8/3/2001 announced to us by the top secret letter 154 from the Command of Ali Military Division on 10/3/2001 we ask to provide that Division with the names of those who desire to volunteer for Suicide Mission to liberate Palestine and to strike American Interests and according what is shown below to please review and inform us.
When I posted this document, readers of this blog questioned the accuracy of the translation. People know that Joseph translated this for Free Republic, a strongly pro-war website, and that it was distributed by Laurie Mylroie, another pro-war commentator. Skeptics felt that this pedigree lent itself to a possibly warped interpretation of the memo. While the accuracy of the translation remained in question, the actual text -- which showed an active Iraqi terror program aimed at Americans -- would not get the attention it deserved.
In order to solve this problem, I decided to hire two Arabic translators on my own.
I found a translation service, Language 123, that employs a number of translators who work as free agents. The first translator, Nabil Bouitieh, works in the UK as a full-time translator for several government services. He has language certificates from Karl Marx University in Dresden, the German Cultural Center in Damascus, a degree in translation from Polytechnic of Central London, and a Masters of Diplomatic Studies from the Diplomatic Academy of London. Separately, I also hired Hamania H, who works from Damascus. She earned several degrees in language at Saint Joseph University in Beirut, including masters in translation, foreign languages, and bachelors in both areas and in law as well.
Neither of them knew that I had asked the other to translate the document. I split out page 6 from the original PDF and sent it to both along with payment. They both returned their translations today, and their results make it clear that Joseph Shahda had it right all along. First, we have Nabil Bouitieh:
Top secret memoranda sent to Al-Kadisseiya Military branch No.2205 dated 04/03/2001 and to the Headquarters of Zee karr military branch No. 246 dated: 08/03/2001 that we were informed by another memo from Ali Unit military branch No. 154 dated: 10/03/2001. We urge you to inform the above mentioned unit of the names of people wishing to volunteer for suicide action to liberate Palestine and strike American interests according to the following below for your information and to let us know.
Now here's the translation of the same passage from Hamania H:
A confidential letter of Qadisya Military Branch, that holds the number 2205 dated on 4/3/2001, notified upon a confidential letter issued by Thi Kar military command, that holds the number 246 dated on 8/3/2001 and notified to us upon a confidential letter issued by Ali squad military command, that holds the number 154 dated on 20/03/2001. Kindly provide the aforementioned squad with the names of persons desiring to volunteer in the suicidal act in order to liberate Palestine and to strike the American interests in accordance with the following details. You are informed and we therefore expect you to notify us.
You will note that all three translations of this document -- performed by three different people working independently of each other -- all translate this section almost identically. All three explicitly show that the Iraqi military had ordered a call for volunteers to carry out suicide attacks on American interests, six months before 9/11 and two years almost to the day prior to our invasion.
This confirms that Saddam Hussein and his regime had every intention of attacking the US, either here or abroad or both, using members of their own military for terrorist attacks. That puts an end to all of the arguments about whether we should have attacked Iraq, we now know that Saddam and his military planned to attack us. This one document demonstrates that had we not acted to topple Saddam Hussein, he would have acted to kill Americans around the world.
UPDATE: Why "case closed"? Because this shows that Saddam had recruited suicide bombers to attack American interests -- showing that destroying Saddam's regime is an integral part of the war on terror, not a distraction.
What else could this memo mean? I look at the timing of this recruitment drive in this post.
RAY: This is of course a perfect example that there is "nothing new" in these documents....hehehe
How ironic as well that in April and May of 2001, the US was trying to get inspectors back into Iraq, and even reportedly considered adjusting sanctions to pair with inspections (ie, Saddam's goal)....
Posted by: Scott Malensek | Sunday, April 09, 2006 at 06:44 PM
http://www.weeklystandard.com/Content/Public/Articles/000/000/012/071sfzkp.asp
Posted by: Scott Malensek | Sunday, April 09, 2006 at 06:55 PM
I think it's appropriate to view these direct action efforts of Saddam's in the context of their time; that is to say in the so-called "summer of threat":
7/1/01 [A briefing prepared for senior government officials at the beginning of July asserted: “Based on a review of all-source reporting over the last five months, we believe that UBL will launch a significant terrorist attack against U.S. and/or Israeli interests in the coming weeks. The attack will be spectacular and designed to inflict mass casualties against U.S. facilities or interests. Attack preparations have been made. Attack will occur with little or no warning].” http://intelligence.senate.gov/findings.pdf
7/2/01 FBI tells local law enforcement agencies that it is worried about threats overseas and, while it did not foresee a domestic attack, it could not rule one out. '[URL=http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=story_18-5-2002_pg4_5]Daily Times chronology of pre-911 intelligence on threats[/URL]
7/2/01 FAA issued another information circular citing possible threat of an attack using explosives in an airport terminal. '[URL=http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=story_18-5-2002_pg4_5]Daily Times chronology of pre-911 intelligence on threats[/URL]
7/2/01 An FBI communication on July 2, advising federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies of increased threat reporting about groups aligned with or sympathetic to Bin Ladin. The communication noted that the majority of the reports suggested a potential for attacks against U.S. targets abroad and that the FBI had no information suggesting a credible threat of terrorist attack in the United States, although the possibility could not be discounted. http://intelligence.senate.gov/findings.pdf
7/2/01 FBI warns of terrorist attacks overseas, does not rule out domestic attacks. National Public Radio.org
7/3/01 CIA's Tenet sends special request to 30 foreign intelligence agencies, urging them to arrest al Qaeda figures. National Public Radio.org
7/4/01 Iraq resumes oil exports, ending a 5-week halt in protest of a U.S. and British-sponsored United Nations Security Council resolution that would have overhauled U.N. sanctions, after this resolution did not come to a vote. The oil-for-food program will be extended for five months. '[URL=http://abc.net.au/4corners/stories/s695351.htm]Australian Broadcasting Corp Iraq Chronology[/URL]
7/5/01 Threat reporting sufficiently "robust" with "a lot of chatter in the system" that Bush asks Rice to see what U.S. government is doing about such threats. '[URL=http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=story_18-5-2002_pg4_5]Daily Times chronology of pre-911 intelligence on threats[/URL]
7/5/01 Rice, White House Chief of Staff Andrew Card, National Security Council counterterrorism official Dick Clarke meet. Core counterterrorism security group (CSG) meets and decides to bring domestic agencies into threat discussion. '[URL=http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=story_18-5-2002_pg4_5]Daily Times chronology of pre-911 intelligence on threats[/URL]
7/5/01 National Security Council terrorism chief Richard Clarke convenes a White House meeting of the Counterterrorism Security Group; then meets with Rice and Bush Chief of Staff Andrew Card; then meets again with CSG plus, Federal Aviation Administration, FBI and Immigration and Naturalization Service. Clarke tells them: "something spectacular is going to happen." National Public Radio.org
7/5/01 Non-essential travel of U.S. counterterrorism staff suspended. National Public Radio.org
7/5/01 President Bush asks Rice to find out what is being done about terror warnings. National Public Radio.org
7/6/01 The Counterterrorism Security Group meets again in the White House; learns that targets for attack are located in Paris, Rome and Turkey. National Public Radio.org
7/9/01 Iintelligence information provided to [ ] senior government leaders indicated that members of Bin Ladin’s organization continued to expect imminent attacks on U.S. interests. http://intelligence.senate.gov/findings.pdf
7/10/01 Phoenix FBI agent Kenneth Williams sends electronic memo to FBI headquarters, urging investigation of possible terrorists connected to bin Laden enrolled in American flight schools. National Public Radio.org
7/12/01 In a one-page interview in Pravda entitled “The Dollar and America Will Fall Down on August 19,” Russian economist Tatyana Koryagina predicts an “attack” on American financial institutions by unnamed “international” groups with “mystical and religious components” on August 19. “The U.S. has been chosen as the object of financial attack because the financial center of the planet is located there. The effect will be maximal. The strike waves of economic crisis will spread over the planet instantly, and will remind us of the blast of a huge nuclear bomb. Some fluctuation in this date is possible. Serious forces are acting against those who are now preparing the attack on the United States. August, with very high probability, will bring the financial catastrophe to the U.S.... The last 10 days of August have especial importance from a religious-sensible point of view.”
7/15/01 CIA disrupts attacks in Paris, Rome and Turkey. National Public Radio.org
7/16/01 British intelligence passed a message to the US that al-Qaeda was in "the final stages" of preparing a terrorist attack in Western countries British Sunday Times
7/18/01 FAA warns airlines to exercise the highest level of caution. National Public Radio.org
7/20/01 President Bush attends G-8 summit in Genoa, Italy. National Public Radio.org
7/20/01 Italian government declares airspace above the summit site a no-fly zone; deploys anti-aircraft guns at Genoa airport to defend against possible terrorist attack from aircraft filled with explosives. National Public Radio.org
7/20/2001 "Iraq fires missile into Kuwaiti airspace; Pentagon officials say a U.S. Navy E-2C ""Hawkeye"" surveillance aircraft was on routine patrol several miles inside Kuwait near the border with Iraq Thursday, when it observed a plume and then an explosion in the air about a mile away.
Based on the pilot's report, the United States believes Iraq fired a surface-to-air missile at the unarmed plane." CNN - World
7/21/2001 "Iraqi missile 'fired at US plane'; Iraq apparently fired a surface-to-air missile at a US surveillance plane in Kuwaiti airspace, Pentagon officials have said.
The crew of a Navy E2-C surveillance aircraft flying in Kuwaiti airspace on Thursday reported seeing the plume of a surface-to-air missile apparently fired from inside Iraqi territory, according to a senior defence official who spoke on condition of anonymity." BBC News
7/25/01 The Intelligence Community issued a terrorist threat advisory warning government agencies that there was a high probability of an imminent “spectacular” terrorist attack resulting in numerous casualties against U.S. interests abroad by Sunni extremists associated with al-Qa’ida. http://intelligence.senate.gov/findings.pdf
7/31/01 The FAA issues another warning to airlines: terrorists are planning and training for hijackings. National Public Radio.org
8/1/01 In late summer, the Intelligence Community obtained information that a person associated with al-Qa’ida was considering terrorist operations in the United States. There was no information as to the timing or possible targets. http://intelligence.senate.gov/findings.pdf
8/1/01 In August 2001, the Intelligence Community obtained information about a plot to bomb the U.S. embassy in Nairobi from an airplane or crash the airplane into it. The Intelligence Community learned that two people who were reportedly acting on instructions from Bin Ladin met in October 2000 to discuss this plot. The CIA disseminated several of these reports to the FBI and to agencies responsible for preventive actions. These included the FAA, which is responsible for issuing security directives, alerting domestic and international airports and airlines of threats the Intelligence Community has identified. http://intelligence.senate.gov/findings.pdf
8/1/01 late August 2001, when the CIA told the FBI, State, INS, and Customs that Khalid al-Mihdhar, Nawaf al-Hazmi, and two other “Bin Laden-related individuals” were in the United States, FBI Headquarters refused to accede to the New York field office recommendation that a criminal investigation be opened, which might allow greater resources to be dedicated to the search for the future hijackers than would be available in an intelligence investigation. http://intelligence.senate.gov/findings.pdf
8/1/01 August 2001—The Israeli Mossad advises the FBI and CIA that as many as 200 Islamists are slipping into the USA for a “major assault” on a “large-scale target” which would be “very vulnerable.” USA Today 9/20/01
8/6/01 Bush gets a one-and-a-half page "analytic report" during his daily intelligence briefing on vacation in Crawford, Texas discussing bin Laden's historical methods of operation. Rice says the report cited general possibility of "traditional" hijackings by al Qaeda, perhaps to demand the release of Sheik Omar Abdel-Rahman, the radical Muslim who plotted the 1993 World Trade Center bombing.
8/6/01 * National Security Advisor Condoleeza Rice stated in a May 16, 2002 press briefing that, on August 6, 2001, the President’s Daily Brief (PDB) included information about Bin Ladin’s methods of operation from a historical perspective dating back to 1997. One of the methods was that Bin Ladin might choose to highjack an airliner in order to hold passengers hostage to gain release of one of their operatives. She stated, however, that the report did not contain specific warning information, but only a generalized warning, and did not contain information that al-Qa’ida was discussing a particular planned attack against a specific target at any specific time, place, or by any specific method. http://intelligence.senate.gov/findings.pdf
8/6/01 CIA's Tenet briefs President Bush in Crawford, Texas, on a generalized terror threat, including Osama bin Laden and hijackings. National Public Radio.org
Posted by: Scott Malensek | Sunday, April 09, 2006 at 08:07 PM