The war in Iraq/Afghanastan

Some truth to oppose the liberal media's bullshit

Current events     Equipment issues     Enemy & media propaganda     Numbers: casualties     Numbers: costs     Politics     Strategy/tactics     Trials & persecutions     Troop morale     WMD's & justifications for war

Current events

ISAF puts police training on hold - September 2, 2012

"It is acknowledged that the training of some 1,000 Afghan Local Police recruits has been temporarily put on hold in order to allow for an intensive re-vetting process to take place for the 16,300 current members of the ALP. There is no other operational impact for Afghan police and other security forces. This precautionary measure is in response to concerns by Afghan, U.S. and other Coalition commanders over recent insider threat incidents." [General Allen blames "Innocence of Muslims" video.]

Obama dropping Iraq troops to 3,000 - September 6, 2011

"The Obama administration has decided to drop the number of U.S. troops in Iraq at the end of the year down to 3,000, marking a major downgrade in force strength, multiple sources familiar with the inner workings and decisions on U.S. troop movements in Iraq told Fox News. Senior commanders are said to be livid at the decision..."

SALVATORE A. GIUNTA - November 16, 2010

SALVATORE A. GIUNTA is the first living Congressional Medal of Honor recipient since the Vietnam War.

Bombs kill six Baghdad Christians - November 10, 2010

"A string of anti-Christian bombings has cost six more lives in the wake of the Baghdad church bloodbath, sowing panic in Iraq's 2,000-year-old minority on Wednesday, many of whom now want to flee."

2 most wanted Al Qaeda leaders in Iraq killed - April 19, 2010

"The U.S. military confirmed Monday that Al Qaeda in Iraq leaders Abu Ayyub al-Masri and Abu Umar al-Baghdadi were killed early Sunday morning in a raid led by U.S. and Iraqi forces, after a week of operations led them to a safehouse where the terror chiefs were hiding."

Chemical Ali executed - January 25, 2010

"Iraq on Monday executed Ali Hassan al-Majid, Saddam Hussein's notorious cousin known as "Chemical Ali," for the poison gas attacks that killed more than 5,000 Kurds in 1988."

Marines end role in Iraq - January 23, 2010

"The U.S. Marines marked the end of nearly seven years in Iraq on Saturday by handing the Army their command of Anbar province, once one of the war's fiercest battlefields but now a centerpiece of U.S.-Iraqi cooperation."

U.S. kills al Qaeda’s top commander - January 7, 2010

"Al Qaeda has confirmed that Abdullah Said al Libi the leader of the Lashkar al Zil, or the Shadow Army, the terror group's military organization along the Afghan and Pakistani border was among those killed. Al Libi is one of al Qaeda’s most senior commanders and was behind al Qaeda most brazen and deadly attacks in both Afghanistan and Pakistan."

U.S. shut out of Iraq oil auctions - December 19, 2009

"Those who claim that the U.S. invaded Iraq in 2003 to get control of the country's giant oil reserves will be left scratching their heads by the results of last weekend's auction of Iraqi oil contracts: Not a single U.S. company secured a deal in the auction of contracts..."

Saddam Hussein executed in Iraq - December 30, 2006

"The former Iraqi leader, Saddam Hussein, has been hanged in northern Baghdad for crimes against humanity. Iraqi state TV showed images of Saddam Hussein going to the gallows before dawn in a building his intelligence services once used for executions."

Saddam 'caught like a rat' in a hole - December 15, 2003

"Across the Tigris River from his opulent palaces, Saddam Hussein shuttered himself at the bottom of a narrow, dark hole beneath a two-room mud shack on a sheep farm, a U.S. military official said Sunday. Having opted not to travel with security forces or an entourage that might bring attention to him, only a Styrofoam square, dirt and a rug separated the deposed Iraqi leader from the U.S. soldiers who routed him from his hiding place Saturday night."

Saddam's sons killed - July 23, 2003

"Uday and Qusay, Saddam Hussein's sons and his most feared lieutenants, were killed yesterday in a gun battle at their hideout in the northern Iraqi town of Mosul. The deaths of Saddam's two fugitive "princes" represent the biggest coup for coalition forces since the fall of Baghdad more than three months ago."

Coalition forces begin second Gulf War - March 20, 2003

"U.S. and coalition forces launched missiles and bombs at targets in Iraq as Thursday morning dawned in Baghdad, including a "decapitation attack" aimed at Iraqi President Saddam Hussein and other top members of the country's leadership. President Bush announced the start of the military campaign against Iraq shortly afterward in a televised address from the White House. "American and coalition forces are in the early stages of military operations to disarm Iraq, to free its people and to defend the world from grave danger," Bush said."

Bush announces military strikes in Afghanistan - October 7, 2001

"Good afternoon. On my orders, the United States military has begun strikes against al Qaeda terrorist training camps and military installations of the Taliban regime in Afghanistan. These carefully targeted actions are designed to disrupt the use of Afghanistan as a terrorist base of operations, and to attack the military capability of the Taliban regime. We are joined in this operation by our staunch friend, Great Britain. Other close friends, including Canada, Australia, Germany and France, have pledged forces as the operation unfolds. More than 40 countries in the Middle East, Africa, Europe and across Asia have granted air transit or landing rights. Many more have shared intelligence. We are supported by the collective will of the world."

Equipment issues

U.S. deploying M1 tanks to Afghanistan - November 19, 2010

"The U.S. military is sending a contingent of heavily armored battle tanks to Afghanistan for the first time in the nine-year war, defense officials said, a shift that signals a further escalation in the aggressive tactics that have been employed by American forces this fall to attack the Taliban."

MRAP can take fight off-road - February 23, 2010

"The latest armored vehicles aimed at shielding troops from roadside bombs are so maneuverable off roads that they give U.S. troops an offensive advantage..."

Weapons failing troops in Afghanistan - October 11, 2009

"Eight years into the war against the Taliban in Afghanistan, do U.S. armed forces have the best guns money can buy?"

Enemy & media propaganda

'Collateral murder' in Baghdad anything but - April 5, 2010

"Wikileaks, the website devoted to publishing classified documents on the Internet, made a splash today with a video claiming to show that the U.S. military "murdered" a Reuters cameraman and other Iraqi "civilians" in Baghdad on July 12, 2007. But a careful watching of the video shows that the U.S. helicopter gun crews that attacked a group of armed men in the then Mahdi Army stronghold of New Baghdad was anything but "Collateral Murder," as Wikileaks describes the incident."

No illegal weapons in Fallujah - December 4, 2004

"The repetition of this story on Islam Online’s led to further misinformation. Some readers did not distinguish between what had happened in the spring of 2003, during the march to Baghdad, and in Fallujah in November 2004. They mistakenly thought napalm-like weapons had been used in Fallujah, which is not true. No Mark-77 firebombs have been used in operations in Fallujah. On Nov. 11, 2004, the Nov. 10 Islam Online story was reposted by the New York Transfer News Web site, with the inaccurate headline "Resistance Says US Using Napalm, Gas in Fallujah." The headline was wrong in two ways. First, as explained above, Islam Online was incorrect in claiming that U.S. forces were using poison gas in Fallujah. Second, the New York Transfer News misread the Islam Online story to mean that U.S. forces were currently using napalm-like weapons in Fallujah. But Islam Online had never claimed this; it had only talked about napalm use in 2003."

The truth about Joe Wilson - July 12, 2004

"But now Ambassador Joseph C. Wilson IV — he of the Hermes ties and Jaguar convertibles — has been thoroughly discredited. Last week's bipartisan Senate intelligence committee report concluded that it is he who has been telling lies."

Articles from occupied Germany in 1940's - posted in 2004

Headlines and liberal second-guessing that sounds remarkably like press coverage of present-day Iraq. [Link requires paid membership]

Numbers: casualties

Iraq & Afghanistan fatalities by year - current

Coalition military fatalities by year and by nation for Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom/Afghanistan. Detailed information about Operation Iraqi Freedom here. Detailed information about Operation Enduring Freedom/Afghanistan here.

Horrific evidence of drone attacks - October 20, 2012

"According to a report last month by academics at Stanford and New York universities, between 2,562 and 3,325 people have been killed since the strikes in Pakistan began in 2004. The report said of those, up to 881 were civilians, including 176 children. Only 41 people who had died had been confirmed as ‘high-value’ terrorist targets."

Worst Marine air squadron catastrophe since Vietnam - September 24, 2012

"...the U.S. Marine Corps has suffered its worst air squadron catastrophe since Vietnam, and its prized VMA-211 squadron has taken its worst hit since its defense of Wake Island in World War II. It happened on September 14, 2012, northwest of the city of Lashkar Gah in southern Afghanistan. A team of fewer than two dozen Taliban fighters attacked the USMC's massive Camp Bastion base there, killing VMA-211 squadron commander Lt. Col. Christopher Raible and destroying or permanently disabling eight of the ten top-of-the-line harrier AV-8B attack aircraft stationed under him. Out of production for more than a decade, these aircraft can never be replaced."

Deadliest month in Afghanistan - August 30, 2011

"August has become the deadliest month yet for U.S. forces in the nearly 10-year-old war in Afghanistan, increasing pressure on the Obama administration to bring troops home sooner rather than later."

US troop deaths double in Afghanistan - March 27, 2010

"The number of U.S. troops killed in Afghanistan has roughly doubled in the first three months of 2010 compared to the same period last year as Washington has added tens of thousands of additional soldiers to reverse the Taliban's momentum."

1/3 of U.S. casualties since Obama escalated - February 23, 2010

"More than 300 U.S. soldiers have died in the war in Afghanistan since May 15, 2009, the day when the first major wave of new troops ordered by President Barack Obama arrived in the country."

Illegals kill more Americans than war in Iraq - February 22, 2007

"Illegal aliens are killing more Americans than the Iraq war, says a new report from Family Security Matters that estimates some 2,158 murders are committed every year by illegal aliens in the U.S."

Actual 2006 civilian body count in Iraq - February 2, 2007

"Iraqi civilians killed last year by Islamic Terrorists=16,791
Iraqi civilians killed collaterally in incidents involving Americans (and Islamic Terrorists)=225"

Numbers: costs

The cost of Iraq and Afghanistan - September 2, 2010

"In a January 2010 update, the Congressional Budget Office projected that additional war costs for FY2012-FY2020 could range from $274 billion if troop levels fell to 30,000 by early 2013 to $588 billion if troop levels fell to 60,000 by about 2015. Under these CBO projections, funding for Iraq, Afghanistan and the Global War on Terror could total from about $1.56 trillion to about $1.88 trillion for FY2001-FY2020 depending on the scenario."

Does 'Barely True' Mean True? - August 26, 2010

"I've been truth-checked. The St. Petersburg Times fact-checked my piece on the cost of the Iraq War. Actually, it fact-checked Mark Tapscott's quote in the Washington Examiner based on my article: "Obama's stimulus, passed in his first month in office, will cost more than the entire Iraq War." The bottom-line on the Times' Fact-O-Meter? "Barely True.""

Iraq war costs - August 22, 2010

"The correct answer to my question, according to the Congressional Budget Office, is $709 billion. The Iraq War cost $709 billion. Why Carville, Bilmes, and Nobel-winning economist Stiglitz thought the answer was $3 trillion is anybody's guess. But what's a 323% error among friends?"

Politics

Bush wrote personal notes, Obama sends form letters - October 8, 2012

"A man who lost a son to the war in Afghanistan is disappointed in the condolence letter he received from President Barack Obama. Tom Logan, a Willis resident, calls the note late, impersonal, disrespectful and essentially a form letter. "It opened up a wound in our heart you can't fix. You can't send another letter. You can't make it right," Logan said. Logan's son, USMC Cpl. Joseph D. Logan, was killed Jan. 19, 2012, along with five other men when the helicopter they were in crashed. Joey Logan was 22. "He would have been more mad about this than I am," Tom Logan said. Tom Logan said he believes Obama did little more than sign his name to the document."

Clear evidence that Iran aids Taliban - May 30, 2010

"The commander of NATO and U.S. forces in Afghanistan said on Sunday there is "clear evidence" that some Taliban fighters have trained in Iran."

Little love lost between Obama and Karzai - April 11, 2010

"If you commit 100,000 troops to a war, as President Barack Obama will soon have done, you do not want as your partner someone who says that you may be trying to poison him, who flirts with your enemy and threatens to join the very people you are fighting."

The president fiddles, Afghanistan burns - October 8, 2009

"The president told a group of congressional leaders on Tuesday that he will not approve a significant reduction in troops in Afghanistan (whatever "significant" means) and remains undecided on whether to authorize a troop increase. So no decrease, no increase but no decision either. Muddling through is the order of the day."

Strategy & tactics

Soldiers ordered to not criticize Taliban or pedophilia - December 11, 2012

"Here is a strong indicator that the Obama Administration’s crusade to appease Islam has gone too far; a new U.S. military handbook for troops deployed to the Middle East orders soldiers not to make derogatory comments about the Taliban or criticize pedophilia, among other outrageous things. It gets better; the new manual, which is around 75 pages, suggests that Western ignorance of Afghan culture— not Taliban infiltration—is responsible for the increase in deadly attacks by Afghan soldiers against the coalition forces."

Petraeus's flaw: not the affair, but his Afghanistan surge - November 13, 2012

"Petraeus was wrong – badly wrong. And more than 1,000 American soldiers, and countless more Afghan civilians, have paid the ultimate price for his over-confidence in the capabilities of US troops. And it wasn't as if Petraeus was an innocent bystander in these discussions: he was working a behind-the-scenes public relations effort – talking to reporters, appearing on news programs – to force the president's hand on approving a surge force for Afghanistan and the concurrent COIN strategy." [The Sins Of General David Petraeus.]

Obama denies air power to U.S. forces - September 28, 2012

"The soldier that wrote this letter goes on to note that the Obama Administration has confined our men to their combat outposts (COPs) and Forward Operation Bases (FOBs). The country has been conceded to the Taliban on orders from the Obama Administration. Worse, our feckless Commander in Chief has effectively abandoned our soldiers in-country, with no mission, no mobility, and no supporting firepower. The Close Air Support wing of America’s combined arms doctrine—which has saved countless lives—has been done away with in an entirely political move. He has made our military sitting ducks, allowing the Taliban to set up ambushes like that which attempted to kill Britain’s Prince Harry."

Soldiers ordered to not shoot Taliban planting mines - July 18, 2011

"Soldiers were ordered not to open fire on Taliban fighters planting mines in case they disturb local people, it has been claimed. U.S. military chiefs ordered troops to exercise 'courageous constraint' and even warned them they could be charged with murder if they shot any Taliban without permission from above."

Trials & persecutions

Last Haditha trial ends: no murder, no jail - January 24, 2012

"On Monday, Wuterich agreed to a plea deal in which he admitted guilt to one count of Negligent Dereliction of Duty in return for the government dropping 13 other charges, including nine counts of Voluntary Manslaughter, two counts of Aggravated Assault, and two other charges of willful dereliction of duty." [More here and here.]

Military court upholds Behenna conviction - July 27, 2011

"A military appeals court has upheld Lt. Michael Behenna's conviction of unpremeditated murder in a combat zone, unanimously rejecting his claims that he received an unfair trial for killing an Iraqi man he suspected of being a terrorist."

Wounded Iraq vet jeered at Columbia - February 20, 2011

"Columbia University students heckled a war hero during a town-hall meeting on whether ROTC should be allowed back on campus. "Racist!" some students yelled at Anthony Maschek, a Columbia freshman and former Army staff sergeant awarded the Purple Heart after being shot 11 times in a firefight in northern Iraq in February 2008. Others hissed and booed the veteran."

Clemency denied for Sgt. Hutchins - February 15, 2011

"The plan to kill an Iraqi was developed as a warning to other Iraqis not to attack Marines with sniper shots or buried roadside bombs. In the months after the killing, attacks on Marines in the region dropped."

PFC David W. Lawrence accused of murder - December 2010

"PFC David W. Lawrence is an American soldier from Indiana. He is the son of Brett and Wendy Lawrence. David is 20 years old. PFC Lawrence is accused of premeditated murder for the alleged shooting of Mullah Muhibullah on Oct. 17 while guarding him in Kandahar province, Afghanistan. Mullah Muhibullah was a senior Taliban commander and had been captured by U.S. forces the day before his death. Muhibullah's death was announced by an angry Afghan President Hamid Karzai on Oct. 19. Formal charges were filed against PFC Lawrence the same day, Oct. 19."

Eating our own - September 3, 2010

"American soldiers serving prison time for having done their jobs in Iraq and Afghanistan than at any other time in our nation’s history. In fact, there may be more than in all of World War II, Korea and Vietnam combined - 114 cases, according to the website of the United American Patriots, a nonprofit organization dedicated to helping U.S. military hire and pay for civilian defense counsel."

Navy SEAL McCabe found not guilty - May 6, 2010

"Navy SEAL Officer 2nd Class Matthew McCabe was found not guilty Thursday evening on charges of assaulting detained terrorist Ahmed Hashim Abed, dereliction of duty, and impeding an investigation based on a false statement."

2nd SEAL cleared - April 23, 2010

"A U.S. military judge on Friday cleared a Navy SEAL of any wrongdoing in the alleged beating of an Iraqi prisoner suspected of masterminding the grisly 2004 killings of four American contractors."

Navy SEAL cleared in Iraq abuse case - April 22, 2010

"A U.S. Navy SEAL was cleared Thursday of charges he covered up the alleged beating of an Iraqi prisoner suspected of masterminding the grisly 2004 killings of four American security contractors."

Lying charges dropped against 2 Navy SEALs - April 7, 2010

"Prosecutors have dropped lying charges against two Navy SEALs implicated in a detainee abuse case. Petty Officer 1st Class Julio Huertas and Petty Officer 2nd Class Jonathan Keefe still face courts-martial for allegedly not protecting a reputed terrorist after his capture in Fallujah, Iraq. Huertas faces a second charge of impeding an investigation."

Case against SEALs weakens - March 29, 2010

"Cracks are beginning to appear in the military's prosecution of three Navy SEALs accused of striking a most-wanted terrorism suspect they had captured in Iraq."

Marine still faces court-martial in killings - March 27, 2010

"A military judge Friday rejected a defense request to throw out charges against the last Marine accused in the killing of 24 Iraqi civilians in Haditha in 2005."

Airborne officer serving 20-year sentence - December 8, 2009

"On July 31, 2008, Lieutenant Behenna was charged with the premeditated murder of Ali Mansur, a known Al-Qaeda operative operating in the area of Albu Toma, north of Baghdad. Seven months later, the 26 -year-old leader of the 18-member Delta Company, 5th platoon of the Army 101st Airborne Infantry Division, was sentenced to 25 years confinement at Fort Leavenworth after being convicted by a military court-martial panel of unpremeditated murder... largely due to the fact that a forensics expert whose testimony likely would have exonerated him was never allowed to be heard during the court-martial."

SEALs face year in prison for alleged punch - December 4, 2009

"The Navy Seals facing court martial for the alleged abuse of a terror suspect arrested for killing four Americans face up to a year in military confinement, discharge for bad conduct, and forfeiture of two-thirds of their pay for a year, if convicted, according to defense attorneys."

SEALs capture terrorist, face assault charges - November 30, 2009

"Ahmed Hashim Abed, whom the military code-named "Objective Amber," told investigators he was punched by his captors — and he had the bloody lip to prove it. Now, instead of being lauded for bringing to justice a high-value target, three of the SEAL commandos, all enlisted, face assault charges and have retained lawyers."

Will Marine face more "political persecution?" - June 25, 2009

"But now the Thomas More Law Center said nearly four years after the firefight, following an investigation by more than 65 Naval Criminal Investigative Service and the expenditure of millions of dollars provided by U.S. taxpayers, the government continues to pursue Chessani."

Supreme Court ends Plame case against Cheney et al - June 22, 2009

"The Supreme Court announced Monday it will not give further consideration to a lawsuit brought by a fired CIA agent and her husband against high ranking Bush administration officials, including former Vice President Dick Cheney. The decision is a victory for Cheney and his former chief of staff, I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby, former White House Chief of Staff Karl Rove, and former Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage."

Troop morale issues

Father of fallen SEAL talks about rules of engagement - October 10, 2012

"...the father begins to describe the situation that led to his son’s death, and much of it had to do with the current rules of engagement that he called “criminal”. And he begs for some high ranking officer to have the courage to risk everything and tell the truth about these rules of engagement and what’s really happening with our warriors. Watch..."

Truth, lies and Afghanistan - February 2012

"To a man, the U.S. officers in that unit told me they had nothing but contempt for the Afghan troops in their area... In August, I went on a dismounted patrol with troops in the Panjwai district of Kandahar province. Several troops from the unit had recently been killed in action, one of whom was a very popular and experienced soldier. One of the unit’s senior officers rhetorically asked me, “How do I look these men in the eye and ask them to go out day after day on these missions? What’s harder: How do I look [my soldier’s] wife in the eye when I get back and tell her that her husband died for something meaningful? How do I do that?” One of the senior enlisted leaders added, “Guys are saying, ‘I hope I live so I can at least get home to R&R leave before I get it,’ or ‘I hope I only lose a foot.’ Sometimes they even say which limb it might be: ‘Maybe it’ll only be my left foot.’ They don’t have a lot of confidence that the leadership two levels up really understands what they’re living here, what the situation really is.”"

Catch-&-release of Taliban angers troops - December 6, 2010

"More than 500 suspected Taliban fighters detained by U.S. forces have been released from custody at the urging of Afghan government officials, angering both American troops and some Afghans who oppose the policy on the grounds that many of those released return to the battlefield to kill NATO soldiers and Afghan civilians."

Troops chafe at rules of engagement - October 19, 2010

"To the U.S. Army soldiers and Marines serving here, some things seem so obviously true that they are beyond debate. Among those perceived truths: Tthe restrictive rules of engagement that they have to fight under have made serving in combat far more dangerous for them, while allowing the Taliban to return to a position of strength."

Ready, aim, hold your fire - March 6, 2010

"The rules of engagement are probably the most restrictive ever seen for a war of this nature. NATO forces cannot fire on suspected Taliban fighters unless they are clearly visible, armed and posing a direct threat. Buildings suspected of containing insurgents cannot be targeted unless it is certain that civilians are not also present. Air strikes and night raids are limited, and prisoners have to be released or transferred within four days, making for a 96-hour catch-and-release program."

Unbelievable rules of engagement - December 13, 2009

"New military rules of engagement ostensibly to protect Afghan civilians are putting the lives of U.S. forces in jeopardy, claim Army and Marine sources, as the Taliban learns the game plan based on the rules' imposed limits."

Rules of engagement a dilemma for troops - December 11, 2009

"As part of the new American counterinsurgency strategy in Afghanistan, soldiers and Marines must work first to protect the Afghan population. Given the choice between killing the enemy or risking civilian lives, they have been willing to let the enemy go."

American troops in Afghanistan losing heart - October 8, 2009

"American soldiers serving in Afghanistan are depressed and deeply disillusioned, according to the chaplains of two US battalions that have spent nine months on the front line in the war against the Taleban."

Obama's new tactical directive for Afghanistan - July 6, 2009

"We must avoid the trap of winning tactical victories..."

WMD's and justifications for war

UK to help Iraq destroy last of chemical weapons - July 30, 2012

"The British Embassy in Baghdad says it will help the Iraqi government dispose of what's left of deposed dictator Saddam Hussein's chemical weapons. The remaining munitions are stored in two bunkers in southern Baghdad."

Syria's WMDs came from Iraq - July 19, 2012

"The irony here is that the chemical weapons stockpile of Syrian thug Assad may in large part be the legacy of weapons moved from Hussein's Iraq into Syria before Operation Iraqi Freedom. If so, this may be the reason not much was found in the way of WMD by victorious U.S. forces in 2003. In 2006, former Iraqi general Georges Sada, second in command of the Iraqi Air Force who served under Saddam Hussein before he defected, wrote a comprehensive book, "Saddam's Secrets." It details how the Iraqi Revolutionary Guard moved weapons of mass destruction into Syria in advance of the U.S.-led action to eliminate Hussein's WMD threat."

Condee sets Katie straight on WMD's - December 14, 2010

"Katie Couric versus Condoleeza Rice. Wow. Rarely is an intellectual shellacking so thorough as what happened when these ladies went high-heel to high-heel over the intelligence behind the deposing of Saddam. Only the video delivers full pleasure, but suffice it to say that Katie should stick to Barbie-doll interviews. Her spin on "weapons of mass destruction" and "what we knew" is so thoroughly shredded that the word which springs to mind is.... exhilarating."

WikiLeaks vindication of George W. Bush - December 9, 2010

"The WikiLeaks de facto declassification of privileged material makes it case closed: Saddam Hussein possessed weapons of mass destruction -- and intended to restart his program once the heat was off."

Chemical weapons WERE found in Iraq - October 23, 2010

"Shachtman analyzes the Wikileaks trove... Remnants of Saddam’s toxic arsenal, largely destroyed after the Gulf War, remained. Jihadists, insurgents and foreign (possibly Iranian) agitators turned to these stockpiles during the Iraq conflict — and may have brewed up their own deadly agents..."

Saddam Hussein's Philanthropy of Terror - January 4, 2006

"Saddam Hussein knew plenty about terrorism. In essence, he owned and operated a full-service general store for global terrorists, complete with cash, diplomatic aid, safe haven, training, and even medical attention. Such assistance violated United Nations Security Council Resolution 687. The results not only broke international law, but also were deadly..."

Evidence of relationship between Iraq and al Qaeda - June 30, 2005

"Conveniently, such analyses ignore statements like this one from Thomas Kean, chairman of the 9/11 Commission. "There was no question in our minds that there was a relationship between Iraq and al Qaeda." Hard to believe reporters just missed it--he made the comments at the press conference held to release the commission's final report."

Detailed relationship between Saddam and Osama - November 24, 2003

"OSAMA BIN LADEN and Saddam Hussein had an operational relationship from the early 1990s to 2003 that involved training in explosives and weapons of mass destruction, logistical support for terrorist attacks, al Qaeda training camps and safe haven in Iraq..."

Congressional resolution on Iraq - October, 2002

"The President is authorized to use the Armed Forces of the United States as he determines to be necessary and appropriate in order to (1) defend the national security of the United States against the continuing threat posed by Iraq; and (2) enforce all relevant United Nations Security Council resolutions regarding Iraq."

Who Is Lying About WMD In Iraq? - October 2, 2002

H.J.Res. 114: "Whereas Iraq's demonstrated capability and willingness to use weapons of mass destruction, the risk that the current Iraqi regime will either employ those weapons to launch a surprise attack against the United States or its Armed Forces or provide them to international terrorists who would do so, and the extreme magnitude of harm that would result to the United States and its citizens from such an attack, combine to justify action by the United States to defend itself..."