U.S. special forces are scouring the Iraq-Iran border in an effort to find evidence that supports White House accusations of a link between Saddam Hussein and al-Qaida, the terrorist cell responsible for Sept. 11, MSNBC.com reported Monday.
Proving a link between Saddam and Islamic extremists in a region outside Saddam's control is difficult, because Iraq's Kurdish minority has controlled the north for a decade, despite Iraqi intelligence agents regularly passing back and forth through the area, according to Kurdish officials cited in the report.
Saddam Hussein banished the extremist brand of Islam practiced by organizations such as al-Qaida, but U.S. officials tend to think that the hatred of the United States shared by both Saddam and al-Qaida may have been enough for the two to work in tandem.
Suspicion is one thing. Proof is another.
Anonymous sources cited in the MSNBC.com article said they were confident that a link will be established.
It's just a matter of "connecting the dots."
"There is plenty here that demonstrates al-Qaida's presence. And there is plenty pointing to a concerted effort to produce chemical weapons," he said.
On Jan. 29-30, Fox News found 81 percent who believe Saddam Hussein has ties to al-Qaida.
An ABC/Post survey Feb. 9 found 55 percent who said the U.S. had presented "strong evidence" of an Iraq-al Qaida link.
Neither source has proven the link, despite public opinion.
In fact, a Feb. 5 BBC story cited a leaked British intelligence document stating that there are no current links between the Iraqi regime and the al-Qaida network.
The document, written by defense intelligence staff in January, says there in fact has been contact between the two in the past. However, incompatible ideologies and mistrust kept a bond from forming.
Osama bin Laden once called Saddam Hussein "an apostate, an infidel and a traitor to Islam." Finally, Saddam has denied allegiance to al-Qaida, saying, "If we had a relationship with al-Qaida and we believed in that relationship, we wouldn't be ashamed to admit it."
Shall we trust Osama bin Laden's and Saddam Hussein's public feelings toward each other?
No, not necessarily.
But before sounding the battle cry in the name of Sept. 11, we should all make sure we know who we are targeting.
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