Saddam Hussein's philanthropy of terror

A picture may be worth a thousand words, but not if you have dial-up. In my case, it'd be much faster to download a thousand words. Anyone able to get this page to load who'd like to summarize the high points for me? And since we all know what Saddam, Madeleine Albright and Ted Kennedy look like, btw, why create a page like that? Sigh.

libbysmom -

dial-up is a bummer . . .I hope this helps you - I've taken the liberty to copy and paste (without formatting) the content :

Saddam Hussein's Philanthropy of Terror

by Deroy Murdock

Media Fellow

Hoover Institution at Stanford University

Adapted from a September 22, 2004 presentation at the Hoover Institution

Introduction

Saddam Hussein, after being captured by

U.S. forces in Iraq on December 13, 2003

Here he is, the man they called “The Butcher of Baghdad,” Mr. Saddam Hussein, shortly after U.S. soldiers pulled him from his so-called spider hole in Iraq. How bewildered he must have felt. Not so long before, he was sitting pretty.

Hussein, while still in power

Here he was in his glory days, perhaps relishing the fact that he had invaded Kuwait, burned its oil fields in a dastardly act of eco-vandalism, killed some 5,000 of his own people with chemical weapons at Halabjah, and stuffed another 400,000 or so of his constituents into mass graves.

Did he still possess Weapons of Mass Death? Seemingly not, at least not in the quantities America and its allies expected. But wasn't there another reason America and its Coalition partners invaded Iraq? Didn't Saddam Hussein have ties to terrorism?

The notion that he did not is an article of faith among the critics of President Bush, Tony Blair and their allies. Saddam Hussein, they argue, knew little if anything about terrorism, especially al-Qaeda. Listen to a few of these more notable detractors:

“I never believed in the link between Saddam Hussein, Osama bin Laden, al-Qaeda and Islamist terrorism,” former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright flatly declared in an October 21, 2003 essay published in Australia’s Melbourne Herald Sun.1

Former Secretary of State, Madeleine Albright >

“Iraq was not a breeding ground for terrorism. Our invasion has made it one,” Senator Ted Kennedy said October 16, 2003.2 “We were told Iraq was attracting terrorists from Al Qaeda. It was not.”

In August 2003, former vice president Albert Gore reassuringly stated: “The evidence now shows clearly that Saddam did not want to work with Osama bin Laden at all.” 4

* * *

Actually, Saddam Hussein knew plenty about terrorism. In essence, he owned and operated a full-service general store for global terrorists, complete with cash, diplomatic aid, safe haven, training, and even medical attention. Such assistance violated United Nations Security Council Resolution 687. The results not only broke international law, but also were deadly, as this chart demonstrates:7

The public evidence of Saddam Hussein’s cooperation with and support for global terrorists is abundant and clear. The Baathist government’s contacts and collaboration with terrorists in general, al-Qaeda in particular, and even the September 11 conspirators should make all Americans highly grateful that President Bush led an international effort to remove Saddam Hussein from power.

Funds for Terrorists

Let’s start with money. At a minimum, we know that Saddam Hussein’s government supported terrorism by paying "bonuses" of up to $25,000 to the families of Palestinian homicide bombers. How do we know this? Tariq Aziz, Hussein's own deputy prime minister, was stunningly candid about the Baathist government’s underwriting of terrorist killings in Israel.

“President Saddam Hussein has recently told the head of the Palestinian political office, Faroq al-Kaddoumi, his decision to raise the sum granted to each family of the martyrs of the Palestinian uprising to $25,000 instead of $10,000,” Aziz, announced at a Baghdad meeting of Arab politicians and businessmen on March 11, 2002, Reuters reported the next day.8

Ousted Iraqi deputy prime minister Tariq Aziz >

Saddam Hussein

Aziz simply echoed the policy his boss established one week earlier. As Saddam Hussein put it on Iraqi TV on March 4, 2002:

"We are glad of the Istishhadiyyah [suicide] and heroic spirit of the Palestinian people. By Allah, what the Palestinian people does is beyond my expectations…” 9

Saddam Hussein’s vice president, Taha Yassin Ramadan, is the man who Israeli intelligence believes was directly involved in funneling money from Baghdad into the hands of the families of homicide bombers. Documents that the Israeli Defense Force captured in the Palestinian town of Ramallah indicate that Vice President Ramadan used the Arab Liberation Front, the Palestinian Liberation Front, and the Palestinian branch of the Iraqi Baathist party to pass these funds into the hands of terrorists’ families.

Deposed Iraqi Vice President

Taha Yassin Ramadan

Here’s the sort of thing Ramadan bought with Saddam Hussein’s money: On March 9, 2002, Fuad Isma’il Ahmad al-Hurani blew himself up in a Jerusalem restaurant called the Moment Café.

The devastation was extensive inside the eatery.

Far worse, of course, was the human toll. Eleven Israelies were murdered while 52 were wounded.

A little over three months after that carnage, Mrs. Khaldiya Isma’il Abd al-Aziz al-Hurani collected a check for $25,000 as a bonus for her son’s suicide and his homicide of nearly a dozen others. The following check was a “President Saddam Hussein’s Grant” paid via the Palestine Investment Bank. These funds were transferred on June 23, 2002.

In another case, Usama Muhammad Id Bahr and Nabil Mahmud Jamil Halbiyyah blew themselves up in Jerusalem's Zion Square on December 1, 2001. Before setting off to "martyrdom," they also left a car bomb set on a timer two blocks away. It exploded just as rescue workers and emergency personnel arrived on the scene.

Emergency personnel examine terrorist

casualties in Jerusalem's Zion Square

Here again, the physical damage was extensive, but largely reparable. Alas, the human toll was far more severe, what with 11 deaths and 188 injuries.

A secondary car bomb explodes, left behind by terrorists who

blew themselves up in Zion Square moments earlier

The deceased were all between ages 14 and 21. They were out for a night of fun after the end of Sabbath.

Victims of the December 1, 2001 Zion Square terrorist bombing

The only people who benefitted from this barbarism were the relatives of these two bombers who received President Saddam Hussein Grants here, as well.

The following document, captured by the Israeli military in Ramallah, shows a list of Iraqi-subsidized homicide bombers and their atrocities. It mentions the name of Raghib Ahmad Izat Jarradat.

On April 10, 2002, Izat Jarradat boarded a crowded bus strapped with explosives. As the bus approached the busy Yagur junction near Haifa, he blew himself up. Here is his handiwork. This vulgarity killed eight Israelis and wounded 15 others.

A demolished bus, surrounded by victims

of an April 10, 2002 terrorist blast at Yagur Junction

Not all of these victims are Israeli. American Abigail Litle, the daughter of a Baptist minister, was just 14 years old when she was killed on an Israeli bus on March 5, 2003.

Abigail Litle, terror victim

Litle is not alone in that distinction. Between the time Saddam Hussein boosted his bonus payments to the families of Palestinian terrorists and the March 20, 2003 launch of Operation Iraqi Freedom, 28 homicide bombers injured 1,209 people and killed 223 more, including at least eight Americans. These bonus checks were handed out at ceremonies where banners proclaimed the friendship of the PLO’s Yasser Arafat and Saddam Hussein.

At a ceremony celebrating suicide terror bombings, a poster honors

the relationship between Yasser Arafat (left) and Saddam Hussein (right).

Family members of homicide bombers received “certificates of merit,” such as this one handed to the relatives of a killer in Gaza on July 18, 2002.

Here it is, up close.

Certificate recognizing a suicide bomber's "martyrdom." Note the attached

"President Saddam Hussein's Grant" check in the lower right-hand corner.

These families showed their thanks for these cash infusions, even as their sons (and occasional daughters) blasted themselves to bits.

The Palestinian newspaper, Al Hayat, in December 2000 featured this letter expressing gratitude and appreciation to President Yasser Arafat and to President Saddam Hussein from the family of Imad Al-Dib Badir Al-Dayah.

ENDNOTES:

1. Madeleine Albright, “How we tackled the wrong tiger.” Melbourne Herald Sun, October 21, 2003, page 19.

2. Anne E. Kornblut, “Kennedy to assail Bush over Iraq war.” Boston Globe, October 16, 2003.
http://www.boston.com/news/nation/washington/articles/2003/10/16/kennedy_to_assail_bush_over_iraq_war
3. Richard Cohen, "Iraqi chaos product of Bush’s consistency." Columbia (Missouri) Daily Tribune, May 29, 2004.
http://www.showmenews.com/2004/May/20040529Comm003.asp
4. CBS News, “Gore Takes Aim At Bush: Former Veep Addresses New York Audience.” August 7, 2003.
http://www.cbs2chicago.com/topstories/topstories_story_219150214.html
5. John Kerry, Speech at Temple University, September 24, 2004.
http://www.johnkerry.com/pressroom/speeches/spc_2004_0924.html
6. CNN.com, Key points of Thursday's debate. October 1, 2004.
http://www.cnn.com/2004/ALLPOLITICS/09/30/debate.key.points
7. Deroy Murdock, “Saddam Hussein’s Philanthropy of Terror.” The Hudson Institute: American Outlook, Fall 2003, page 50.
http://hudson.org/files/publications/murdocksaddamarticle.pdf
8. Reuters, “Hussein vows cash for martyrs.” March 12, 2002. Published in The Australian, March 13, 2002, page 9.
9. Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs, “Iraqi Support for and Encouragement of Palestinian Terrorism,” September 30, 2002. This online document provided most of the background on Baathist Iraq’s sponsorship of the anti-Israeli Intifada.
http://www.mfa.gov.il/mfa/mfaarchive/2000_2009/2002/9/iraqi+support+for+and+encouragement+of+palestinian.htm
10. Ibid.
11. United Press International, untitled dispatch by Rome, Italy correspondent, Paula Butturini. October 14, 1985. Cited in Paul Crespo, “Evidence Supports That Hussein Had Strong Links With Terrorists,” Miami Herald, June 1, 2004
http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/news/opinion/8807118.htm
12. Dan Murphy, “Iraq to ‘outsource’ counterattacks. Baghdad is using embassies to forge ties with extremist groups to attack US facilities, say Filipino officials.” The Christian Science Monitor, February 26, 2003.
http://www.csmonitor.com/2003/0226/p01s03-woap.html
13. Sameer N. Yacoub, “Iraq claims terrorist leader committed suicide.” August 21, 2002 Associated Press dispatch published in Portsmouth Herald, Portsmouth, New Hampshire, August 22, 2002.
http://www.seacoastonline.com/2002news/08222002/world/20426.htm
14. Associated Press, “Palestinian officials say Abu Nidal is dead.” Posted on USAToday.com, week of August 19, 2002.
http://waqarkhan.com/FAMILY/WAQAR/USAToday.htm
15. Sheila MacVicar, “‘America’s Most Wanted’ – Fugitive Terrorists.” ABC News’ “Day One,” July 27, 1994.
16. Ravi Nessman, “Marines capture camp suspected as Iraqi training base for terrorists.” Associated Press, April 6, 2003, 4:14 p.m. EST. Posted by St. Paul Pioneer Press
http://www.twincities.com/mld/pioneerpress/2003/04/07/news/nation/5574507.htm
17. PBS Frontline, “Gunning for Saddam: Should Saddam Hussein Be America’s Next Target in the War on Terrorism?” November 8, 2001. Read interviews and other information at:
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/gunning/interviews
18. Nessman, supra.
19. Stephen F. Hayes, “Dick Cheney Was Right: ‘We don’t know’ about Saddam and 9/11.” The Weekly Standard, October 20, 2003.
http://weeklystandard.com/Content/Public/Articles/000/000/003/238dkpee.asp
20. “Saddam’s Files,” (Staff editorial), The Wall Street Journal, May 27, 2004, page A20.
21. Hynek Kmonicek, Czech Ambassador to United Nations, Letter to James Beasley, Jr. February 24, 2003.
http://www.americanoutlook.org/articleimages/fall-2003/czech.pdf
22. CBS News, “Court Rules: Al Qaida, Iraq Linked.” May 7, 2003.
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2003/05/08/uttm/main552868.shtml
http://www.husseinandterror.com/

* * *

CONTACT INFORMATION

Please direct media inquiries and appearance requests to: media@husseinandterror.com.

Readers may send comments to: feedback@husseinandterror.com.

Saddam's legacy to Iraq has been TERRORISM & MORE TERRORISM, reinvigorating it for years into the future, in Iraq and far beyond. Contemporary, megacidal Islamist terrorism now melds his own, cruel "secularist" Arab Fascism seamlessly with arch-totalitarian Jihadism; a spot where this foul brew's now thriving in Iraq is in the town of FALUJA.

Despite the pleas of kidnappee, Margaret Hassan, detachments of the British Army are now shifting into Iraq’s Babel (Babylon) district, freeing American units up to proceed north, to take part in the shaping fight for Faluja. - Or not: this ISN’T the first time Faluja’s been surrounded, “blockaded”, strafed and threatened with storming in the last 18 months.

However, it IS the first time a PM of Iraq (albeit Interm) is the one giving the city the ultimatum. This puts his Government’s credibility and resolve - and hence those of the US - vitally at stake. If there’s to be a battle there this Ramadan, it’d BETTER be a decisive Victory for the USA.

Faluja, in the middle of the “Sunni Triangle”, has been fully transformed nowadays, reportedly, from a notorious hotbed of Saddamist “Arab Socialism” into a (mini) “Islamic Emirate”, like the Taleban’s Afghanistan. Its reeking, squalid precincts are run today by a pack of heavily-armed Jihadi gangs, made up of Iraqi and foreign Arab fanatics, vehemently imposing their blood-cult’s brutal rule.

Further, the Islamo-fascist militias and gunmen - who LOVE VIOLENCE - have been keenly readying Faluja for a siege &/or invasion, for well over a year. They’ve stockpiled munitions & supplies, feverishly preparing the twisting, fœtid casbahs of every quarter there with booby-traps, bomb-rigged buildings, mines, enfilades of fire, pit-falls, choke-points, decoys, blind alleys, tunnels, bunkers, sniper-posts, spiderholes, etc, stacking the town with human shields.

The contest for Faluja (if it DOES proceed) is liable to be BITTER INDEED, most probably quite as appalling as the USMC’s island-combat against Imperial Japan on Guadalcanal, Saipan, Iwo Jima or Okinawa - but most of all, akin to the Battle of Manila in 1945, or in the conflict in Hué, South Vietnam, in Tet, ’68 (each a densely-urban killing-field, for both sides).

As in these major clashes of the past, in Faluja, America CANNOT AFFORD to lose. Likewise, it can’t afford to win with a HIGH TOLL in US casualties (which would encourage the Jihadis to carry on their predations and murders, purely for the sake of inflicting more bloodshed).

Accordingly, if it looks as though the Marines (accompanied by their Iraqi National Guard auxiliaries) are UNABLE to make “rather easy” progress in Faluja, effectively, expeditiously pacifying the place, then, alas - because the fate of Faluja counts extensively in Iraq and in the “War on Terror” (WWIV!) generally - it could be time to resort to more radical means, literally flattening the site, in toto. The question arises of how BEST to do so....

Here are three methods, all in a lingo that won’t leave much ambiguity in the militants’ psyches, across the Arab sphere. The particular way in which Faluja gets destroyed would elicit distinct impacts psychologically, delivering different messages and creating various repercussions “on the ground” - of diverging degrees of desirability (ranging from the Islamo-fascists’/Jihadis’ prompt, Unconditional Surrender, to them stepping up their defiance, terrorism & recalcitrance).

First, there’s the old Hafez el-Assad school, levelling a city with artillery barrages, as the late President of Syria did in Hama in 1982, massacring at least 20,000 of his own citizens in his cannonades, then covering over the charred ruins, plus the heaped corpses, with tonnes and tonnes of cement; second, there’s standard, ærial carpet-bombing, with conventional, dumb-ordnance, like Dresden, WWII, or, alternately, a targeted, concerted series of “smart” missile-strikes, as hit Bagdad, 2003. Third, the TRUE “Shock and Awe” of a thermonuclear burst....