More Documents Released.

It just keeps getting more interesting:

"First, a recap of what was learned before the big document dump:

April, 2003: Toronto Star reporter Mitch Potter discovers a memo in the bombed-out wreckage of Mukhabarat headquarters. The memo discussed bringing an envoy from Osama bin Laden to Baghdad for the purpose of "discussing the future of our relationship with him."

May, 2004: Three Fedayeen rosters are leaked to the Wall Street Journal's editorial page, which apparently showed that Ahmed Hikmat Shakir, the Iraqi who attended the January 2000 al-Qaeda summit in Kuala Lampur, Malaysia, was a lieutenant colonel in that organization.

October, 2004: A number of documents were leaked to CNSNews.com. These show Iraq not only having terrorist connections (English translation here), but attempting to acquire mustard gas and anthrax, and seeking a means to attack American forces in Somalia.

Also, Czech counter-intelligence recovered an appointment book belonging to Ahmed al-Ani, the Iraqi intelligence officer who apparently met Mohammed Atta in Prague in April, 2001, which stated that he had a meeting with a "Hamburg student" (which Atta identified himself as on a Czech entry visa application). This report backs up an eyewitness account via that service of the meeting that has been hotly disputed.

This is what was known for sure. Now, for a rundown of what has now been learned.

Perhaps the most incriminating is a letter detailing a meeting with a Taliban consul (Document CMPC-2003-001488, possibly changed to ISGP-2003-00014127). This indicates that Saddam's regime had a relationship with the Taliban and al-Qaeda.

Another pair of documents, CMPC-2003-001950 and CMPC-2004-001117, indicated that Saddam's regime paid off the Russian ambassador to provide intelligence data. The ambassador is suspected of having received $1.5 million worth of bribes from the Oil-for-Food program. There is no evidence that his actions were sanctioned by President Putin or the Russian government.

Another document, CMPC-2003-0014647, shows that Saddam Hussein ordered payments to the families of Palestinians who carried out murder-suicide bombings against Israel.
Document number CMPC-2004-000404 is from an Iraqi chemical platoon. This could back up the earlier leak to CNSNews.com that indicated Iraq was attempting to acquire mustard gas and anthrax.

Document IISP-2003-00038100 reports that Iraq was training the PLO in Iraq. It also reports that Saddam was using ambulances to deliver weapons and explosives to the Palestinians -- a violation of the Geneva Conventions.

The documents released so far suggest that those who assert Saddam Hussein had no connection to terrorism are wrong in making that assertion. These documents are being translated by many, and the information is slowly petering out through the Internet. The decision to topple Saddam's regime is being justified with the regime's own documents."

H/T BigDog