Russian special services: Saddam preparing terrorist attacks

[He219]

http://us.news2.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/p/ap/20040617/capt.xaz11206171636.uzbekistan_security_summit_putin_xaz112.jpg

Putin: Russia Gave Bush Iraq Intelligence (http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=518&ncid=716&e=3&u=/ap/20040618/ap_on_re_eu/russia_iraq)

By BAGILA BUKHARBAYEVA, Associated Press Writer

ASTANA, Kazakhstan - Russia gave the Bush administration intelligence after the September 11 attacks that suggested Saddam Hussein's regime in Iraq was preparing attacks in the United States, President Vladimir Putin said Friday.

Putin said he couldn't comment on how critical the Russians' information was in the U.S. decision to invade Iraq. He said Russia didn't have any information that Saddam's regime had actually been behind any terrorist acts.

"After Sept. 11, 2001, and before the start of the military operation in Iraq, the Russian special services, the intelligence service, received information that officials from Saddam's regime were preparing terrorist attacks in the United States and outside it against the U.S. military and other interests," Putin said.

He said the United States had thanked Russia for the information. There was no immediate comment from U.S. officials.

"It's one thing to have information that Saddam's regime is preparing terrorist attacks, (but) we didn't have information that it was involved in any known terrorist attacks," Putin said in the Kazakh capital Astana after regional economic and security summits.

Putin said the intelligence didn't cause Russia to waver from its firm opposition to the war.

"Despite that information about terrorist attacks being prepared by Saddam's regime, Russia's position on Iraq remains unchanged," Putin said.

Putin didn't elaborate on any details of the terror plots or mention whether they were tied to the al-Qaida terror network.

A commission investigating the Sept. 11 attacks in the United States reported this week that while there were contacts between al-Qaida and Iraq, they did not appear to have produced "a collaborative relationship."

President Bush however, insisted Thursday that Saddam had "numerous contacts" with al-Qaida and said Iraqi agents had met with the terror network's leader, Osama bin Laden, in Sudan.

Saddam "was a threat because he had terrorist connections — not only al-Qaida connections, but other connections to terrorist organizations," Bush said.

[Abbyy]

Priceless gift for Mr. Bush.

From Russia with love. :)

[American Patriot]

Good lookin' out, Pootie-Poot

[usa320]

HOOAH to putin, him passing along this information may have saved countless lives.

Now we should look at the invasion differently...had saddam stayed in power, he would have gone through with these attacks, and many Americans would have been killed.

Its been said many times- Iraq isnt a distraction from the war on terror, its the main front in the war on terror.

[venture160]

yes, Putin is certainly credible.......... yes..... credible.... ( a hint of sarcasm here)

[Mark Sman]

If one was to look at the US actions as a war, and then further look for the greatest funding of the enemies in that war, then the US has taken action on the doorstep.

This action has not gone unnoticed by the Saud. Indeed not.

And in action, the house of Saud has made moves to rein in the most virulent forms of wahibism that they promulgated in their borders.

End effect?

History is to judge. Ours is but . . . .

[usa320]

Putin may not be credible, but the Russian intelligence service is probably the best there is when it comes to HUMINT.

[Gringo]

Putin may not be credible, but the Russian intelligence service is probably the best there is when it comes to HUMINT.

perhaps
"Confess you Capitalist basterd of a pig"

[MEGR]

I was wondering if Bush actually cited Putin's findings before OIF started. I honestly can't remember, if anyone knows, plz respond.

[Secret Squirrel]

you missed a few parts from the article...

"ASTANA, Kazakhstan - Russia gave the Bush administration intelligence after the September 11 attacks that suggested Saddam Hussein (news - web sites)'s regime in Iraq (news - web sites) was preparing attacks in the United States, President Vladimir Putin (news - web sites) said Friday.

Putin said he couldn't comment on how critical the Russians' information was in the U.S. decision to invade Iraq.

In Washington, a U.S. official said Putin's information did not add to what the United States already knew about Saddam's intentions.

The official, speaking on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the information, said the Russian tip did not specify a time or a place where an attack might take place.

The Bush administration in part justified the invasion of Iraq by saying Saddam had links to terror groups, including al-Qaida. The U.S. commission investigating the Sept. 11 attacks said this week there was no evidence of any collaboration between Iraq and Osama bin Laden (news - web sites)'s terror network.

Putin said Russia didn't have any information that Saddam's regime was actually behind any terrorist acts.

"After Sept. 11, 2001, and before the start of the military operation in Iraq, the Russian special services, the intelligence service, received information that officials from Saddam's regime were preparing terrorist attacks in the United States and outside it against the U.S. military and other interests," Putin said.

"It's one thing to have information that Saddam's regime is preparing terrorist attacks, (but) we didn't have information that it was involved in any known terrorist attacks," Putin said in the Kazakh capital Astana after regional economic and security summits.

He said President Bush (news - web sites) personally thanked one of the leaders of Russia's intelligence agencies for the information.

At the White House, National Security Council spokesman Sean McCormack would not directly address Putin's remarks. "We have excellent cooperation with Russia in the war against terrorism and a big part of that is the sharing of intelligence information," McCormack said. "We don't typically comment on intelligence matters."

Putin said the intelligence didn't cause Russia to waver from its firm opposition to the war.

"Despite that information about terrorist attacks being prepared by Saddam's regime, Russia's position on Iraq remains unchanged," Putin said.

Putin didn't elaborate on any details of the terror plots or mention whether they were tied to the al-Qaida terror network.

The Sept. 11 commission reported this week that while there were contacts between al-Qaida and Iraq, they did not appear to have produced "a collaborative relationship."

Bush, however, insisted Thursday that Saddam had "numerous contacts" with al-Qaida and said Iraqi agents had met with the terror network's leader, Osama bin Laden, in Sudan.

Saddam "was a threat because he had terrorist connections — not only al-Qaida connections, but other connections to terrorist organizations," Bush said.

Also Thursday, a top Russian diplomat called for international inspectors to conclusively resolve the question of whether Iraq had any weapons of mass destruction — one of the main reasons Bush used to justify the war. No such weapons have been found since Saddam's fall.

"This problem must be resolved ... because to a great extent it became the pretext for the start of the war against Iraq," Deputy Foreign Minister Yuri Fedotov said in Moscow, according to Interfax news agency.

He said such a finding would allow the U.N. Security Council to "turn a page and finally close the dossier on Iraqi weapons."

[He219]

Sorry if my link and post didn't meet with your approval, Secret Squirrel.
;)

try this one:

ASTANA, Kazakhstan (*******) - Russian President Vladimir Putin, in comments sure to help President Bush, declared Friday that Russia knew Iraq's Saddam Hussein had planned terror attacks on U.S. soil and had warned Washington.

Putin said Russian intelligence had been told on several occasions that Saddam's special forces were preparing to attack U.S. targets inside and outside the United States.

"After the events of September 11, 2001, and before the start of the military operation in Iraq, Russian special services several times received information that the official services of the Saddam regime were preparing 'terrorist acts' on the United States and beyond its borders," he told reporters.

"This information was passed on to our American colleagues," he said. He added, however, that Russian intelligence had no proof that Saddam's agents had been involved in any particular attack.

The Kremlin leader's comments were certain to bolster Bush, whose campaign for re-election in November is under pressure from the Iraq crisis.

The U.S. leader has been on the defensive at home for insisting -- against the findings of an independent commission -- that Saddam had links with al Qaeda, the militant group behind the 2001 airline attacks in the United States that killed 3,000 people and prompted the U.S. war on terrorism.

Putin's remarks were all the more unusual since Russia had diplomatic relations with Saddam's Iraq and sided with France and Germany in opposing the invasion.


POSITION UNCHANGED ON IRAQ INVASION

Speaking to reporters in the capital of ex-Soviet Kazakhstan, he went out of his way, however, to say that Russia's view of the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq was unchanged.

"Our position has not changed. We indeed passed this information on to our American partners but we consider that there are rules, defined by international law, for using force in international affairs and these procedures were not observed," he said.

It is not the first time that Putin, who has forged a strong personal bond with Bush despite opposing him diplomatically over Iraq, has come to his defense on the issue.

At a summit of G8 world industrialized powers at the U.S. resort of Sea Island last week, where he met Bush separately, Putin stepped into the U.S. campaign by chastising U.S. Democrats for attacking the Republican president on Iraq.

He said they had "no moral right" to do so since it had been the Democratic administration of Bill Clinton that had authorized the 1999 bombing of Yugoslavia by U.S. and NATO forces.

Bush, speaking in Washington Thursday, strenuously asserted there was a link between Saddam and al Qaeda even though the independent September 11 commission reported, a day before, that there was no such evidence of collaboration.

Intelligence reports of a link between Saddam and al Qaeda were part of Bush's rationale for the invasion of Iraq where more than 830 U.S. soldiers have died after 14 months of violence after freeing millions of Iraqis from a brutal and murderous tyrant.

[Secret Squirrel]

Sorry if my link and post didn't meet with your approval, Secret Squirrel.
;)

Nothing to do with approval; just thought you'd post the entire article in your initial post. woot

[seruriermarshal]

It's a strong proof !

[OB Kenobi]

yes, Putin is certainly credible.......... yes..... credible.... ( a hint of sarcasm here)

I wonder what sort of favor Bu$h promised him in return for spreading this propaganda?

http://www.boydtoons.com/images/PutinDobby.jpg

[SeanAshi]

I wonder what sort of favor Bu$h promised him in return for spreading this propaganda? maybe somthing todo with Chechnya ;) And when you use the word "propaganda" why in such a negative way?

[Pooga]

I love how information you don't want to believe is propoganda.

[usa320]

**** secret squirrel.

[Operation Ivy]

yes, Putin is certainly credible.......... yes..... credible.... ( a hint of sarcasm here)

I wonder what sort of favor Bu$h promised him in return for spreading this propaganda?

http://www.boydtoons.com/images/PutinDobby.jpg

blah blah god damn man stop talkin out of your ass

[anonymous individual]

I love how information you don't want to believe is propoganda.

To extend that futher, anything can be propoganda.

[Secret Squirrel]

f*** secret squirrel.

Not in this life time Bubba. rofl

[OB Kenobi]

I wonder what sort of favor Bu$h promised him in return for spreading this propaganda? maybe somthing todo with Chechnya ;) And when you use the word "propaganda" why in such a negative way?

Because Bu$h stole my pension and I want him arrested.

[OB Kenobi]

yes, Putin is certainly credible.......... yes..... credible.... ( a hint of sarcasm here)

I wonder what sort of favor Bu$h promised him in return for spreading this propaganda?

http://www.boydtoons.com/images/PutinDobby.jpg

blah blah god damn man stop talkin out of your ass

You potty mouth.

[Abbyy]

OB Kenobi is right, morons.

I guess it is exchange profitable for both sides.
Russia helps US to link Iraq with War on Terror
US helps Russia to link Chechens with Iraq (Now read: War on Terror)

Remember all recent articles about Chechens involvement in Iraq. :)

[Pooga]

Abbyy is a SUPER SLEUTH! Da-da-da-DA!

So, what else can you tell us? Are there aliens on Mars?

[aktarian]

Russian 'warning' on Saddam puzzles US

The US State Department expressed bafflement after Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Friday that his country had warned the United States after the September 11, 2001 attacks that Iraq's Saddam Hussein planned to hit targets on US soil.

The State Department said say they knew of no such information from Russia.

Mr Putin said Russian intelligence had been told on several occasions that Saddam's special forces were preparing to attack US targets inside and outside the United States.

"After the events of September 11, 2001, and before the start of the military operation in Iraq, Russian special services several times received information that the official services of the Saddam regime were preparing 'terrorist acts' on the United States and beyond its borders," he told reporters.

"This information was passed on to our American colleagues."

He added, however, that Russian intelligence had no proof that Saddam's agents had been involved in any particular attack.

State Department spokesman Adam Ereli told reporters he did not know anything about the information that Mr Putin said Russia passed on, saying no such information was communicated from Russia through the State Department.

"Everybody's scratching their heads," one State Department official said, who asked not to be named.

The Kremlin leader's comments seemed certain to bolster Mr Bush, whose campaign for re-election in November is under pressure from the Iraq crisis.

Mr Bush has been on the defensive at home for insisting - against the findings of an independent commission - that Saddam had links with Al Qaeda, the group behind the 2001 airline attacks in the United States that killed nearly 3,000 people and prompted the US war on terrorism.

Mr Putin's remarks were all the more unusual since Russia had diplomatic relations with Saddam's Iraq and sided with France and Germany in opposing the invasion.

It is not the first time that Mr Putin, who has forged a strong personal bond with Mr Bush despite opposing him diplomatically over Iraq, has come to his defence on the issue.

At a summit of G8 world industrialised powers at the US resort of Sea Island last week, where he met Mr Bush separately, Mr Putin stepped into the US campaign by chastising US Democrats for attacking the Republican president on Iraq.

Intelligence reports of a link between Saddam and Al Qaeda were part of Bush's rationale for the invasion of Iraq where more than 830 US soldiers have died after 14 months of violence.


http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/200406/s1135600.htm