Here are two of the four summaries by ABC News Investigative Unit’s of Iraqi documents from Saddam Hussein’s government, which were released by the U.S. government Wednesday. The full documents can be found on the U.S. Army Foreign Military Studies Office Web site. Document titles were added by ABC News.
Osama bin Laden and the Taliban (Document dated 9/15/01)
An Iraqi intelligence service document saying that their Afghani informant, who’s only identified by a number, told them that the Afghani Consul Ahmed Dahastani claimed the following in front of him:
That OBL and the Taliban are in contact with Iraq and that a group of Taliban and bin Laden group members visited Iraq.
That the U.S. has proof the Iraqi government and “bin Laden’s group” agreed to cooperate to attack targets inside America.
That in case the Taliban and bin Laden’s group turn out to be involved in “these destructive operations,” the U.S. may strike Iraq and Afghanistan.
That the Afghani consul heard about the issue of Iraq’s relationship with “bin Laden’s group” while he was in Iran.
At the end, the writer recommends informing “the committee of intentions” about the above-mentioned items. The signature on the document is unclear.
(ABC News Editor’s Note: The controversial claim that Osama bin Laden was cooperating with Saddam Hussein is an ongoing matter of intense debate. While the assertions contained in this document clearly support the claim, the sourcing is questionable—i.e. an unnamed Afghan “informant” reporting on a conversation with another Afghan “consul.” The date of the document—four days after 9/11—is worth noting but without further corroboration, this document is of limited evidentiary value.)
Al Qaeda Presence in Iraq (Document dated August 2002)
A number of correspondences to check rumors that some members of al Qaeda organization have entered Iraq. Three letters say this information cannot be confirmed. The letter on page seven, however, says that information coming from “a trustworthy source” indicates that subjects who are interested in dealing with al Qaeda are in Iraq and have several passports.
The letter seems to be coming from or going to Trebil, a town on the Iraqi-Jordanian border. Follow up on the presence of those subjects is ordered, as well as comparison of their pictures with those of Jordanian subjects living in Iraq. (This may be referring to pictures of Abu Musaab al Zarqawi and another man on pages 4-6) The letter also says tourist areas, including hotels and rented apartments, should be searched.
(ABC News Editor’s note: This document indicates that the Iraqis were aware of and interested in reports that members of al Qaeda were present in Iraq in 2002. The document does not support allegations that Iraq was colluding with al Qaeda.)
