THE US, THE UN AND IRAQ, ELEVENTH THREAD

Congress's Joint Resolution September 14, 2001

SEC. 2. AUTHORIZATION FOR USE OF UNITED STATES ARMED FORCES.
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(a) IN GENERAL- That the President is authorized to use all necessary and appropriate force against those nations, organizations, or persons he determines planned, authorized, committed, or aided the terrorist attacks that occurred on September 11, 2001, or harbored such organizations or persons, in order to prevent any future acts of international terrorism against the United States by such nations, organizations or persons.

Congress's Joint Resolution Oct. 16, 2002

Public Law 107-243 107th Congress Joint Resolution (H.J. Res. 114) To authorize the use of United States Armed Forces against Iraq.
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[10th]Whereas members of al Qaida, an organization bearing responsibility for attacks on the United States, its citizens, and interests, including the attacks that occurred on September 11, 2001, are known to be in Iraq;

[11th]Whereas Iraq continues to aid and harbor other international terrorist organizations, including organizations that threaten the lives and safety of United States citizens;
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Congressional Intelligence Report 09/08/2006
Postwar information indicates that the Intelligence Community accurately assessed that al-Qa'ida affiliate group Ansar al-Islam operated in Kurdish-controlled northeastern Iraq ...

Yea; ican, no reason.

It would be prudent for any nation, whose people were attacked by a gang of mass murderers of non-murderers that have declared war against it, to attack those nations in which such a gang has found sanctuary, in order to exterminate such a gang.

The committee concluded that the CIA had evidence of several instances of contacts between the Iraqi authorities and al-Qaeda throughout the 1990s but that these did not add up to a formal relationship.

It added that the government "did not have a relationship, harbour or turn a blind eye toward Zarqawi and his associates".

It said that Iraq and al-Qaeda were ideologically poles apart.

"Saddam Hussein was distrustful of al-Qaeda and viewed Islamic extremists as a threat to his regime, refusing all requests from al-Qaeda to provide material or operational support," it said.

The Senate report added that the Iraqi regime had repeatedly rejected al-Qaeda requests for meetings.

ican711nm wrote:

It would be prudent for any nation, whose people were attacked by a gang of mass murderers of non-murderers that have declared war against it, to attack those nations in which such a gang has found sanctuary, in order to exterminate such a gang.

2005 CIA report Saddam 'had no link to al-Qaeda'

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The committee concluded that the CIA had evidence of several instances of contacts between the Iraqi authorities and al-Qaeda throughout the 1990s but that these did not add up to a formal relationship.

I do not disagree with this part of the 2005 CIA report: "the CIA had evidence of several instances of contacts between the Iraqi authorities and al-Qaeda throughout the 1990s but that these did not add up to a formal relationship."

It added that the government "did not have a relationship, harbour or turn a blind eye toward Zarqawi and his associates".

I do not disagree with this part of the 2005 CIA report: "the government 'did not have a relationship, harbour or turn a blind eye toward Zarqawi and his associates.' "


It said that Iraq and al-Qaeda were ideologically poles apart.

I do not disagree with this part of the 2005 CIA report: "Iraq and al-Qaeda were ideologically poles apart."

"Saddam Hussein was distrustful of al-Qaeda and viewed Islamic extremists as a threat to his regime, refusing all requests from al-Qaeda to provide material or operational support," it said.

I do not disagree with this part of the 2005 CIA report: "Saddam Hussein was distrustful of al-Qaeda and viewed Islamic extremists as a threat to his regime, refusing all requests from al-Qaeda to provide material or operational support."

The Senate report added that the Iraqi regime had repeatedly rejected al-Qaeda requests for meetings.

I do not disagree with this part of the 2005 CIA report: "the Iraqi regime had repeatedly rejected al-Qaeda requests for meetings."

Congressional Intelligence Report 09/08/2006
Postwar information indicates that the Intelligence Community accurately assessed that al-Qa'ida affiliate group Ansar al-Islam operated in Kurdish-controlled northeastern Iraq.

For the last time; Ican, Kurdistan was in the no fly zone controlled by the US; we could have handled Zarqawi if we wanted without an all out war and in fact had a chance to do so but chose not to because Bush wanted a regime change. Zarqawi was not supported Saddam Hussien nor given harbor or sanctuary by Saddam Hussien. The AQ group was so small in comparison to AQ in Pakistan at the time of the invasion that it is just silly for you to keep trying to bring this argument over and over again. We should have remained focused on Bin Laden and those who went over into Pakistan rather than harring off to Iraq if we were really concerned about AQ.

revel wrote:

For the last time; Ican, Kurdistan was in the no fly zone controlled by the US; we could have handled Zarqawi if we wanted without an all out war and in fact had a chance to do so but chose not to because Bush wanted a regime change. Zarqawi was not supported Saddam Hussien nor given harbor or sanctuary by Saddam Hussien. The AQ group was so small in comparison to AQ in Pakistan at the time of the invasion that it is just silly for you to keep trying to bring this argument over and over again. We should have remained focused on Bin Laden and those who went over into Pakistan rather than harring off to Iraq if we were really concerned about AQ.

For the last time, if this is truly your last time, the no-fly zone is not a no-drive zone or no march zone or no conspire zone or no grow zone. Furthermore, the no-fly zone is irrelevant to the absolute fact in December 2001 that about 300 al-Qaeda found sanctuary in northeastern Iraq after fleeing from Afghanistan subsequent to the US invasion of Afghanistan. The no-fly zone is also irrelevant to the fact that al-Qaeda more than quadrupled in Iraq by the time the US invaded Iraq.

Yes, al-Qaeda found sanctuary in northeastern Iraq despite the no-fly zone, despite the fact that Saddam Hussein didn't like or shunned or mistrusted al-Qaeda, and despite the fact there was no cooperative relationship between al-Qaeda and Saddam Hussein, and even despite the fact that George Bush falsely claimed Saddam Hussein possessed WMD. Al-Qaeda found sanctuary in Iraq simply because no government or other people sought to deny them that sanctuary in northeastern Iraq. It was theirs to keep and grow in so long as no one sought to make them leave, until the US invaded Iraq.

Clearing al-Qaeda from Iraq is necessary but not sufficient for both the securiity of Iraq and the security of the US no matter how long it takes to win and succeed in clearing al-Qaeda the hell out of Iraq.

By the way, President Clinton tried to clear al-Qaeda out of Afghanistan without a ground invasion using rocket fire on al-Qaeda's camps in Afghanistan where al-Qaeda had found sanctuary. It did not work. Had it worked, the US might have been spared 9/11.

The committee concluded that the CIA had evidence of several instances of contacts between the Iraqi authorities and al-Qaeda throughout the 1990s but that these did not add up to a formal relationship.

It added that the government "did not have a relationship, harbour or turn a blind eye toward Zarqawi and his associates".

Pakistan Al Qaeda accused over Karzai attack

Sunday, 4 May 2008 17:30
Al Qaeda in Pakistan was behind last week's assassination attempt on Afghan President Hamid Karzai, according to Afghanistan's intelligence chief.

The head of Afghanistan's National Directorate of Security, Amrullah Saleh, said foreign governments should put pressure on Pakistan to destroy militant bases within its borders.

Taliban gunmen fired rocket-propelled grenades and small arms at a state parade last Sunday, sending Karzai, his cabinet and military top brass as well as foreign diplomats diving for cover.

Three people were shot dead before Afghan troops killed three Taliban attackers.

Investigations by Afghan security forces showed that at least two officials from the defence and interior ministries were involved in the attack, Saleh said.

The officials suspected of involvement have been arrested in recent days.


Story from RTÉ News:
http://www.rte.ie/news/2008/0504/afghanistan.html

WASHINGTON - The wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are making such heavy use of the nation's Green Berets and other elite warriors that they cannot fulfill their roles in other parts of the world, the military's top commando told The Associated Press.

About 3,500 American soldiers are scheduled to leave Iraq in the coming weeks, the U.S. military announced, part of a plan to reduce the number of troops who were part of last year's "surge" by 20,000.

The soldiers, part of the 3rd Heavy Brigade Combat Team, will redeploy to Fort Benning, Ga., the military said.

The U.S. sent some 30,000 additional troops into Iraq last year to help stem growing violence. The troop increase, a truce by a key Shiite Muslim militia and the rise of Sunni fighters who allied with the U.S. in the battle against al-Qaida were credited with a sharp decrease in bloodshed during the last 10 months.

The soldiers are part of the third of five "surge" brigades scheduled to leave the country. The other two are expected to return to the U.S. by the end of July, leaving an estimated 140,000 troops in Iraq after a peak of more than 160,000.

"The continued drawdown of surge brigades demonstrates continued progress in Iraq," Brig. Gen. Dan Allyn said in the statement released late Monday. "After July, commanders will assess our security posture for about 45 days and determine future force requirements based on these conditions-based assessments."

Gen. David Petraeus, the top U.S. commander in Iraq, has pushed for a so-called "pause" in further redeployment of U.S. troops.

Critics have called for a quicker withdrawal of American soldiers, but commanders on the ground insist the slowdown is needed so a sharp increase in violence is not seen when U.S. forces leave.

Separately, the U.S. military said in a statement Tuesday that a brothel in northern Iraq was attacked the day before. The Americans blamed the attack on al-Qaida insurgents, but local police did not speculate on who carried out the killings.

Iraqi police said the attack in Mosul killed three prostitutes and wounded two others.

There have been a string of attacks against women deemed immoral in recent months, including the bombing of hair styling salons and the frequent murder of women not wearing traditional clothing in the southern city of Basra.

Meanwhile, at least four civilians were killed overnight in the Baghdad Shiite neighborhood of Sadr City, hospital officials said Tuesday. Some 21 people were injured at the same time in Sadr City, which has seen fierce fighting between the Mahdi Army militia and U.S. and Iraqi troops.

Clashes in the sprawling slum of 2.5 million people that serves as a power base for radical Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr and his Mahdi fighters have raged for five weeks, since the Iraqi government began a crackdown on the militants in southern Iraq.

Hassan al-Rubaie, a Sadrist lawmaker, suspended his seat in parliament on Tuesday to protest the fighting in Sadr City. He said he held the government of Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki responsible for the fighting in the slum.

The lawmaker also blamed Iran for interfering with Iraq's security and said the neighboring nation was causing much of the violence by supplying money, weapons and training to Iraqi fighters, a charge U.S. commanders have repeatedly made. Iran denies the allegations.

Meanwhile, U.S. and Iraqi forces raided two police stations and arrested 48 policemen suspected of having links to Shiite militias late Monday in the Baghdad neighborhood of Shula, a Shiite stronghold, a policeman said on condition of anonymity as he was not authorized to speak to the media.

Elsewhere, two policemen were killed Monday night in clashes with unidentified gunmen in Mosul, a provincial policeman said on condition of anonymity as he was not authorized to speak to the media. Around the same time in eastern Mosul, two gunmen were killed by police.

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Never, ever, let another warmonger get away with telling you that you want to end the war because you don't care about the Iraqi people's fate. He probably has his luxury suite already booked in the forthcoming International Zone Hilton.

source =

http://thinkprogress.org/attackerman/2008/05/05/wedontneednowaterletthemotherfuckerburn/

Baghdad: A rocket slammed into Baghdad's city hall and another hit a downtown park as more frightened civilians fled a Shiite militia stronghold where US-led forces are locked in fierce street battles.

The American push in the Sadr City district is trying to weaken the militia grip in a key corner of Baghdad and disrupt rocket and mortar strikes on the US-protected Green Zone.

But fresh salvos of rockets from militants blasted across the city, wounding at least 16 people and drawing US retaliation that escalated civilian panic and flight to safer areas.