The Saddam containment myth

Harold Hutchison:

"I thought the containment worked remarkably well, and it was a tribute to our troops and how they handled it." Gen. Anthony Zinni, USMC (ret.) Meet The Press, April 2,2006 http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/12067487/page/7/

One of the biggest claims from opponents of the liberation of Iraq is that Saddam Hussein was "contained" as a result of sanctions, the no-fly zones, and other measures. However, this is a myth that has continued despite the presence of documents suggesting that Saddam Hussein was actively working with al Qaeda – a terrorist organization that had proven it could attack American interests, as well as other actions.

The first such action was the 1993 assassination attempt on former President George H. W. Bush. This was probably the first real effort by Saddam to break out of the containment that had been established in the wake of the 1990 invasion of Kuwait and the 1991 cease-fire that ended Operation Desert Storm. More would come.

Prior to the liberation of Iraq in 2003, and in the wake of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, there were indications that Saddam's regime was at least talking with al Qaeda. The most publicized (and hotly debated) were reports from the Czech government that Mohammed Atta, the ringleader of the 911 hijackers, met with an Iraqi intelligence agent in Prague in April, 2001. Less publicized, and far more damning, is the case of Ahmed Hikmat Shakir. Shakir was an attendee at the January, 2000 al-Qaeda summit in Kuala Lampur, Malaysia, after escorting at least one of the 911 hijackers through Malaysian customs while working as a greeter for Malaysian Airlines. Shakir got that job through the Iraqi embassy, which also controlled his work schedule. Six days after 911, Shakir was caught with information pertaining to the 1993 World Trade Center attack and a 1995 al Qaeda plan to destroy multiple airliners over the Pacific Ocean. In November, 2001, the London Observer reported the presence of a terrorist training camp in Salman Pak, which is about 15 miles southeast of Baghdad. There, men were trained in how to hijacking airliners, using knives and the bare hands. This is similar to the methods used in the attacks as well. The coincidences were clearly piling up.

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There is much more.

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