Iraq Had Nothing To Do With 9/11

In case you were wondering, Bush now admits that Iraq had nothing to do with 9/11.

President Bush was last week explaining how the attacks of 9/11 inspired his "freedom agenda" and the attacks on Iraq until a reporter, Ken Herman of Cox News, interrupted to ask what Iraq had to do with 9/11.

"Nothing", Bush answered.

To justify the war, Bush informed Congress on March 19, 2003 that acting against Iraq was consistent with "continuing to take the necessary actions against international terrorists and terrorist organisations, including those nations, organisations, or persons who planned, authorised, committed, or aided the terrorist attacks that occurred on September 11, 2001."

QUESTION: A lot of the consequences you mentioned for pulling out seem like maybe they never would have been there if we hadn't gone in. How do you square all of that?

BUSH: I square it because imagine a world in which you had Saddam Hussein, who had the capacity to make a weapon of mass destruction, who was paying suiciders to kill innocent life, who had relations with Zarqawi.

You know, I've heard this theory about, you know, everything was just fine until we arrived [in Iraq] and — you know, the stir-up-the-hornet's-nest theory. It just doesn't hold water, as far as I'm concerned.

The terrorists attacked us and killed 3,000 of our citizens before we started the freedom agenda in the Middle East. They were..

QUESTION: What did Iraq have to do with that?

BUSH: What did Iraq have to do with what?

QUESTION: The attacks upon the World Trade Centre.

BUSH: Nothing. . . . .Except for it's part of — and nobody's ever suggested in this administration that Saddam Hussein ordered the attack. Iraq was a — Iraq — the lesson of September the 11th is: Take threats before they fully materialise..

Watch the clip here "Nothing"

Trial Adjourned

Saddam Hussein's trial for genocide against the Kurds has been adjourned for three weeks until September 11.

Worse Than Hitler

Saddam Hussein's second trial continues. During Tuesday's session, Ali Mostafa Hama, a survivor of the Anfal campaign, told the court that he saw 8 to 12 planes drop bombs on his village during the incident.

He went on to say that he saw a green gas leak from the bombs, which caused people to vomit and be blinded as they inhaled the gas. He watched a baby die.

Today Najib Khudair Ahmad, a Kurdish woman, testified before the judges. Her face had been scarred by a chemical weapon attack on her village of Sheikwasan, which also made her blind.

She described Saddam as being "worse than Hitler".

"Saddam Hussein used to shout about 'the Iraqi people'

If we were his people, why did he bomb us with all sorts of weapons?"

The prosecutor said that over one thousand testimonies from victims had been recorded, and "65 to 75 witnesses will testify".

It is expected that the proceedings of the Anfal trial will last around four months.

Saddam Refuses To Enter A Plea

Saddam Hussein's second trial began yesterday. He is accused of genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity in the alleged anti-Kurdish Anfal campaign in late 1980's.

However, he refused to enter a plea.

He was in the dock with six co-defendants, including; his cousin Ali Hassan al-Majid, popularly known as "Chemical Ali," for allegedly ordering poison gas attacks against Kurds, especially Halabja attack, former Defence Minister Sultan Hashim Ahmad, former intelligence chief Saber Abdul Aziz al-Douri, former Republican Guard Commander Hussein al-Tirkiti, former Nineveh Provincial Governor Taher Tafwiq al-Ani and former top military commander Farhan Mutlaq al-Jubouri.

The prosecution accused Saddam of ordering the Anfal campaign, and charged all the defendants with war crimes and crimes against humanity for their involvement in the Anfal campaign aimed at clearing the Kurdish along the border with Iran.

Saddam claimed that the special tribunal was illegal and refused to state his identity, only identifying himself as "the president of the republic and commander-in-chief of the armed forces."

He also refused to enter a plea when asked by chief judge Abdullah al-Amiri.

Al-Majid also refused to plead.

Al-Amiri, a Shiite, then entered a plea of not guilty on behalf of them.

The verdict of Saddam's first trial will be given of October 16th. Saddam will face death penalty by hanging if found guilty.

It is unclear whether the sentence would be carried out before the Anfal trial is concluded.

It would have been far better to conduct a Nuremberg style trial, where all crimes would have been placed before the court in one trial.

Second Trial Begins Today

Saddam Hussein starts his second trial today, this time in connection with an anti-Kurdish offensive in 1987 and 1988.

About 100,000 people are thought to have died in Operation Anfal ("spoils").

Seven defendants face charges of war crimes and/or genocide.

Saddam and seven different defendants have already been tried for the killing of 148 Shias in Dujail in 1982. A verdict on that is due on 16 October.

Saddam To Face Genocide Charges

Saddam Hussein returns to court on Monday, to face genocide charges relating to the 1987-1988 repression of Iraq's Kurdish minority.

The verdict in the recently finished trial against Saddam is still pending. However, attention is now being focussed on the "Anfal Campaign" (anfal is Arabic for "spoils"). It is alleged that around 100000 Kurds were killed, and 3000 Northern Iraqi villages destroyed.

A panel of Iraqi judges sitting in the Iraqi High Tribunal will hear the case, others are expected to follow.

Chief prosecutor Jaafar al-Mussawi will open proceedings on Monday.

Saddam and his six co-defendants will be defended by 12 defence counsel.

Facing charges alongside Saddam will be; Chemical Ali, intelligence director Sabir al-Duri, Mosul governor Taher al-Ani, Anfal commander Sultan Hashim al-Tai, operations chief Hussein Rashid al-Tikriti and intelligence officer Farhan al-Juburi.

AWB Faces Tax Inspection

AWB, the Australian wheat firm at the centre of a multi million dollar kickback scandal involving Saddam Hussein, has more problems. They are likely to be subject to a tax inspection.

Australian tax commissioner, Michael D'Ascenzo, has released the office's compliance program for 2006-2007.

In the document is the phrase:

"We will check systems to ensure bribes and facilitation payments are not wrongly claimed as tax deductions."

In the Cole inquiry earlier this year an AWB financial officer, Paul Ingleby, said that the company had claimed up to $300M in kickbacks to the regime of Saddam Hussein as a tax write-off.

Ingleby alleged that the payment of "trucking fees", kickbacks demanded by Saddam, was treated by AWB as an expense and therefore a tax deduction.

The tax office will review significant, one-off, regular or embedded payments by Australian firms in "jurisdictions where bribes or facilitation payments are said to be part of doing business".

What goes around, comes around.

Saddam Hussein's Second Trial

Judge Abdullah al-Amiri, a Shiite jurist, has been appointed to preside as chief judge in the second trial of Saddam Hussein and six others.

This trial will cover their role in the 1980's campaign that killed approximately 100,000 Kurds.

Judge Abdullah al-Amiri will head a five member panel that will convene on August 21st.

Munqith Takleef al-Firuan has been appointed chief prosecutor.

Saddam and his acolytes could face the death penalty if convicted.

The Legacy

The legacy of the invasion.

Give a Dog a Home

Uday Hussein, the odious and dead son of Saddam, once owned a dog called Rocky.

Rocky is a Great Dane that was saved by Security consultant Willem van der Waal from being stoned to death in Iraq.

Van der Waal paid £1000, to stop the dog being killed near a former presidential palace in Amadya.

The dog was then flown to the UK, and has spent the last 6 months in quarantine.

Now Van der Waal is going back to Iraq, and Rocky needs a home.

Anyone want to give Rocky a home?