[lit-ideas] Summary of some of the Iraqi tapes translated thus far
- From: "Lawrence Helm" <lawrencehelm@xxxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: <lit-ideas@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Sun, 2 Apr 2006 21:34:14 -0700
Ryan Mauro (a precocious young man) on a website entitled "Global
Politician" has written an article entitle "Global Terror Threats in March
2006," dated 4-4-2006: http://globalpolitician.com/articledes.asp?ID=1703
<http://globalpolitician.com/articledes.asp?ID=1703&cid=11&sid=61>
&cid=11&sid=61
The following is the subjection of this article pertaining to the Iraqi
tapes [Lawrence]:
First of all, audio transcripts of Saddam Hussein discussing WMD were
released, where he is adamant that the stockpiles were destroyed. According
to posts on the Free Republic conservative forum, General Georges Sada, the
former #2 leader of the Iraqi Air Force, and one of very few available
translators who knows the Tikriti dialect, has listened to those tapes and
said that the tapes were poorly translated. Others have told the author that
on some tapes, Saddam and his officials are reciting their lines to UN
inspectors, and that translators thought they were talking candidly and
honestly, as opposed to explaining the dialogue going on with the
international community.
At the same time, we must consider that other tapes (as discussed in
February's monthly analysis) discuss a nuclear program and (as discussed in
my book, Death to America: The Unreported Battle of Iraq), Iraqi documents
provide evidence that small amounts of chemical and biological weapons were
made, at the very least.
A good article on the debate about the tapes can be read here:
http://www.frontpagemag.com/Articles/ReadArticle.asp?ID=21774 .
The Iraqi document release, though, already has a treasure trove of
information that needs to be explored:
1) A document dated March 23, 1997 is a letter from the Iraqi Intelligence
Service to the author's superiors that says to remove documentation of
correspondence between the IIS and the Atomic Energy and Military-Industry
departments, remove "prohibited materials," hide equipment and documents
related to those materials, and make sure that labs are cleaned of any
traces of chemical or biological substances. It also says to remove files
from computers and go present documents to a committee that will decide if
they need to be destroyed.
2) A very detailed document discusses French election law in 1997. Some
bloggers have speculated that this is related to Iraqi efforts to influence
French politics.
3) A letter from Qusay Hussein orders the transfer of 448 Kuwaiti prisoners
from the Gulf War to form human shields around critical government and
communication sites. This is from the period right before Operation Iraqi
Freedom. This proves that Iraq was in violation of the cease-fire this
entire time. Why would Iraq honor the WMD element and not the prisoner
element of UN resolutions and agreements?
4) A document describes Directorate 8 of the Iraqi Intelligence Technical
Affairs Department: "The Eighth Directorate is responsible for development
of materials needed for covert offensive operations. It contains advanced
laboratories for testing and production of weapons, poisons and
explosives.Most of the work is outside Iraq in coordination with other
directorates, focusing on operations of sabotage and assassination." One
office was set up to train "agents for clandestine operations abroad." It
describes "special six-week courses in the use of terror techniques are
provided at a camp in Radwaniyhah."
5) A fax dated June 6, 2001, from the Iraqi ambassador to Manila in the
Philippines describes Abu Sayyaf's latest kidnappings and mentions Iraqi
support for the group, which is an Al-Qaeda affiliate, over the past year.
Once the kidnappings took the headlines, the Iraqis stopped sending money to
the group and dialogue was cut off. Documents also discuss using a Libyan
front organization to funnel support for the terrorists.
6) One document from the Al-Quds Army, which consisted of Arabs (mostly
Palestinians) working for Saddam Hussein, indicates Al-Quds planned to
import "uniforms resembling American forces for the purpose of killing Iraqi
citizens because the American forces had killed the innocent sons of the
Iraqi people." In that same list of activities Al-Quds discusses, it also
mentions "The Iraqi government will distribute the same leaflets that the
American forces are distributing but it will contain anthrax." The other
activities described in the document took place, except apparently, the
anthrax attack to be blamed on the U.S. This proves that at the very least,
Al-Quds thought the Iraqis possessed small amounts of anthrax.
7) This same document discusses that the Al-Quds Army reported that "There
is a rumor that some of the children of ministers and high-ranking commerce
people left Iraq for Russia."
8) Iraqi intelligence documents report that Iraqi intelligence met with
Osama Bin Laden on February 19, 1995 as part of an effort by the Iraqis to
reach out to four Saudi opposition groups. The documents say Bin Laden
requested "joint operations against the forces of infidels in the land of
Hijaz [Saudi Arabia]." Bin Laden also requests that Iraq broadcast the
sermons of a radical cleric. The document appears to be from 1997 and
concludes with "Currently we are working to invigorate this relationship
through a new channel in light of his present location."
9) On other tapes, we get quotes from Saddam's aides such as: "We have not
told them [the UN] the truth about the imported material. Where was the
nuclear material transported to? A number of them were transported out of
Iraq." This is from an NBC report after the 2006 Intelligence Summit, but
this quote does not appear on the tapes released at the event. To date, the
author has not seen this specific transcript but due to NBC's reputation for
reliability, felt it should be mentioned.
10) One document from February 28, 2003, discusses a one-week training
course for "Arab Feedaeyeens as Suicide Martyrs." It discusses providing
rifles and grenades to the terrorists, and having Iraqi Special Forces
personnel train them in how to use explosives attached to the body,
motorcycles, cars and camels.
11) Another document discusses Iraqi Intelligence reporting on the Kurds and
mentions an Al-Qaeda presence at Salman Pak, the notorious terrorist
training camp that has an old Boeing aircraft, and according to defectors,
trains hijackers.
12) Documentation shows that beginning in 1994, the Fedayeen Saddam militia
began taking volunteers to be trained in their camps, and trained 7,200 in
the first year alone. The documents show that by 1998, "Arab volunteers from
Egypt, Palestine, Jordan, 'the Gulf,' and Syria" were being trained." This
is according to the Joint Forces Command study that was just released.
13) Documents report that orders were given on May 5, 1999 to the Fedayeen
Saddam to start planning to perform "special operations
(assassinations/bombings) for the centers and traitor symbols in the fields
of (London/Iran/self-ruled areas) and for coordination with the Intelligence
service to secure deliveries, accommodations and target guidance." The Iraqi
Intelligence Service was to find 50 "fedayeen martyrs" to train and those
who graduated would be assigned to target either London, Iran or the Kurdish
areas. Stephen Hayes of The Weekly Standard first reported on this. In his
piece, Hayes also quotes the Senate Select Intelligence Committee report
which says "The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) did not have a focused
human intelligence (HUMINT) collection strategy targeting Iraq's links to
terrorism until 2002. The CIA had no [redacted] sources on the ground in
Iraq reporting specifically on terrorism."
14) A letter dated September 15, 2001 discusses how an Iraqi intelligence
source met with the Taliban consul who warned that "America has proof that
the government of Iraq and Osama Bin Laden group have shown cooperation to
hit targets within America." The consul warned that if 9/11 was tied to
Osama Bin Laden, then Afghanistan and Iraq may be attacked. The consul
discussed how the Iraqis were in contact with the Taliban and Osama Bin
Laden.
15) Documents looked at by the Joint Forces Command also show that Iraq was
making preparations for a campaign called "Blessed July" which consisted of
"martyrdom" operations against targets in the West in 2003. Apparently,
Operation Iraqi Freedom pre-empted this wave of terrorist attacks sponsored
by Iraq.
16) In 2002, Iraqi intelligence investigated rumors that an Al-Qaeda group
had taken up safe haven in Iraq. The investigation found that they had, and
even came back with pictures and names, including of Abu Musab al-Zarqawi.
This proves that the Iraqis knew about their presence, yet did not arrest or
deport them.
17) The Fedayeen investigated a rumor about 3,000 Iraqis and Saudis
traveling to Afghanistan to fight Western forces.
18) Also obtained are lists of Palestinian terrorists trained in Iraq.
19) A document translated on the Free Republic conservative discussion site
has shown that as of 2001 the Iraqis had at least one active "chemical
platoon" at Al-Qadisia Air Base and discusses work going on for "specialized
vehicles" for the unit ("The Surface Vehicle" and "The Shower Vehicle").
20) A memo from December 15, 2002 discusses methods Iraqi intelligence was
using to thwart UN inspections. It discussed how an Iraqi intelligence agent
posed as a UN escort, and how the IIS successfully hid Russian and Turkish
scientists from UN inspectors at the Bader site, which Western intelligence
suspected was related to WMD.
21) A report from early 1993 lists the names of 100 Arab "martyrs" trained
in the fall of 1990.
22) A report from 1993 says that an agreement was reached with Sudan's
National Islamic Front "to use the Islamic Arab elements that had been
fighting in Afghanistan and now had no place to go and who are physically
present in Sudan, Somalia and Egypt." The report also discussed how the
Iraqis had a relationship with Egyptian Islamic Jihad, which eventually
would merge with other groups to form Al-Qaeda.
23) An intelligence report shows how an agreement in late 1990 called for
the training, financing and supplying of Egyptian Islamic Jihad "to execute
martyr operations" against members of the Coalition. The attacks ended after
the ceasefire was signed but Sudan kept working to form an alliance between
Iraq and EIJ. The Sudanese sent a representative of EIJ to Iraq, and the
Iraqis postponed his visit so that the meeting could be held in secret. The
Iraqis were originally hesitant to develop a relationship and limited their
support to financing.
24) Another document dated January 23, 2003 is a letter from the
assistant-director of the Iraqi Intelligence Service to the director of the
service regarding the visit of a French citizen and a German citizen. It
says that German Prime Minister Schroeder met with the Chinese Prime
Minister who told him "about the information that was obtained by the
Chinese intelligence and it says Iraq has moved its mass of destruction
weapon to Syria and the German chancellor told him that the German
intelligence did not indicate this. And after two days the U.S. state
secretary went to Damascus to check on this with the Syrian government that
in turn denied the news." The meeting occurred in early January, 2003.
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