Iraqis, Seeking Foes of Saudis, Contacted bin Laden, File Says

WASHINGTON, June 24 � Contacts between Iraqi intelligence agents and Osama bin Laden when he was in Sudan in the mid-1990’s were part of a broad effort by Baghdad to work with organizations opposing the Saudi ruling family, according to a newly disclosed document obtained by the Americans in Iraq.

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The document states that Iraq agreed to rebroadcast anti-Saudi propaganda, and that a request from Mr. bin Laden to begin joint operations against foreign forces in Saudi Arabia went unanswered. There is no further indication of collaboration.

I suppose we went to war over broadcasting anti-Saudi propaganda now, right?

We really aren’t going to win the battle over Iraq/al Qaeda ties, as Kevin Drum noted the other day. The Bush administration can throw out unconfirmed intelligence report after unconfirmed intelligence report and there’s no way they can all be debunked, even if they were all false.

We know it was going to be tough for bin Laden and Saddam to work together, as they aren’t really predisposed to friendship. They’ve had contacts, but there’s no collaboration to speak of. Their best evidence is Zarqawi and we know how thin that is. I don’t think you can find a government in the Middle East that hasn’t talked to bin Laden.