Qaeda Probably Working in Iraq, US Commander Says

By Alastair Macdonald

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Al Qaeda is probably among "terrorist" groups operating against American forces in Iraq (news - web sites), the U.S. commander in the country said Thursday.

Attacks on his troops are getting more sophisticated and more deadly, Lt. Gen. Ricardo Sanchez told a news conference in Baghdad, with "professionals" clearly involved. But U.S. forces were learning from their reverses.

Sanchez said this week that Iraq was becoming a "terrorist magnet" for anti-American groups. Asked if Osama bin Laden (news - web sites)'s al Qaeda network of radical Islamists was among those present, he replied: "They probably are operating in Iraq."

He also named Ansar al Islam, which formerly had a base in the mountainous Kurdish-controlled zone of northern Iraq, and said he thought "other extremist groups" were active too.

"There are foreign fighters that have come into this country," he said. "And some Islamic fundamentalists also."

snip...

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=578&ncid=578&e=20&u=/nm/20030731/ts_nm/security_iraq_dc

Someone should show Sanchez this page:

http://usinfo.state.gov/products/pubs/terrornet/12.htm

Countries where al Qaeda operates, published by the State Department, 10/11/01. Iraq isn't listed.

Seriously, this is bad ju-ju. Get them home.

Once again, the key word is "probably".

Shouldn't take anything at face value. BushCo gets a lot of mileage out of "probably".

do you think, the Bush-Idiots would stop to see them behind every corner in Iraq. No, I don't think so...
Buy their oil, give them dollars, sell them weapons, get the dollars back...
Greetings from Germany,
Dirk

Wasn't the Rebublican Guard a group of "professionals?"

By my best estimate, we can't account for over a 100,000 of them.

...did they see the writing on the wall, change clothes and go home, or what?

Even a pro knows when to call it quits. How many SS troopers just vanished after Germany fell?

Pants on fire!!!