MTV.COM: "U.S. Knew Source For Iraq-Qaeda Link Was Not Credible"

[sabra]

http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1513140/20051107/index.jhtml?headlines=true

U.S. Knew Source For Iraq-Qaeda Link Was Not Credible
Though his claims were used to bolster case for war, intel officials had serious doubts.

As Democrats continue to push the Bush administration to investigate the suspect intelligence information that led to the invasion of Iraq, a recently declassified Defense Intelligence Agency document casts fresh doubts on the White House's claims that there was a link between the al Qaeda terror network and Iraq.

Months before the administration began using his statements as a foundation for claims that Iraq was training al Qaeda members to use biological and chemical weapons, the information provided by Ibn al-Shaykh al-Libi was known to be useless, the New York Times reports.

The recently declassified intelligence report from February 2002 said it was probable that al-Libi "was intentionally misleading the debriefers'' about Iraqi support for al Qaeda's work with illicit weapons.

Though President Bush, Vice President Dick Cheney and then Secretary of State Colin Powell never mentioned al-Libi by name in speeches, they and other administration officials cited his information as "credible" evidence that Iraq was training al Qaeda members to use explosives, according to the Times. The report is the earliest evidence of doubts concerning al-Libi's credibility in the American intelligence community.


Senator Carl Levin speaks to the media about the Phase II investigation into pre-war intelligence in Iraq
Photo: Getty Images

Knowledge is "power". It's good to see this headline in an area where our youth can learn the truth.

[hippiechick]

1. Nice, but it's not just 'democrats' who 'continue to push', is it ??

I thought some of the Puggies were pretty pissed with George, too ...

:shrug:

[jsamuel]

2. sent this out