Bremer Says 19 Qaeda Fighters Are in U.S. Custody in Iraq

[bemildred]

There's that number 19 again, purely an accident of course.

WASHINGTON, Sept. 26 - The top American civilian official for Iraq said today that the United States was holding at least 19
members of Al Qaeda in custody there.

The disclosure by the official, L. Paul Bremer III, head of the Coalition Provisional Authority in Iraq, was the first public mention by an
American official of the detention of Qaeda members.

He said he did not know the nationalities of those detained, but suggested they were among the 248 foreign fighters held in Iraq, including
123 from Syria.

Mr. Bremer volunteered the number to underscore the administration's argument that the American-led occupation was an integral part of
the campaign on terrorism. "The biggest obstacle" to American efforts in Iraq, he said, "has been the need to defeat the terrorists."

NY Times

[Cappurr]

1. What Spin

How do they know they are Al Queda? Do that have it tatooed on themselves? And besides, every militant fundamentalist not already in Iraq is headed there. The country has been INVADED....by infidels -- thats us. I wonder how many countries fighters would be in the US if we were invaded? (ON EDIT: Bad example. We don't have a hell of a lot of friends right now...but you get the idea)

[frylock]

8. don't the al qaida carry yellow rags?

the terrorists in the ME will never die.. just multiply
colors c-c-c-colors

[peterh]

9. I’ve been wondering about that myself…

Anytime a terrorist is captured or killed, he or she is always labeled in the write-up as a “possible”, “suspected”, “alleged”, etc., but rarely, if ever, as Confirmed. Me thinks it’s the governments way of penetrating Joe Six-pack at home and keeping this well known boogieman front and center.

I mean, if you said Abdul was from the Bedouins Benevolent Front, the impact would be completely lost. We must keep the sheeple focused….Saddam..Bad…Al-Qaeday…Bad….Bedouins Benevolent Front….WTF…

[markses]

2. I dub thee foreign fighter "Al Quaeda!"

And thus King bremer made it so.

[Skip Intro]

3. This WP article says al qeada suspects

US Forces Hold 19 Al Qaeda Suspects in Iraq-Bremer

Reuters
Friday, September 26, 2003; 5:04 PM


WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. military forces in Iraq are holding 19 al Qaeda suspects among 248 foreign fighters captured there, the U.S. administrator of the troubled country said on Friday.


"The number is 19 to be precise," Paul Bremer told reporters. The United States has said that foreign fighters moving into Iraq to oppose U.S.-led coalition forces there have become a major "terrorist" problem.

----------

http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn/A6400-2003Sep26?language=printer

[bemildred]

5. Perhaps they were not carrying their al Qaeda membership cards

at the time of arrest. Mr. Bremer will have that tracked down
shortly. I'm sure it's already and action item for his staff.

[Paschall]

4. In the past the administration has tried to count among "Al-Qaeda"...

...the Islamic fundamentalist fighters who were based in US/UK protected "no-fly zone" northern Iraq, autonomous home to Iraqi Kurds and "off-limits" to Saddam. I've forgotten what these guys called themselves, but they have been battling the Kurds for years. We bombed two villages of these alleged "Al-Qaeda sympathizers" there (where we killed a reported 900 people) during "major combat operations."

[Zhade]

15. I believe you mean Anwar al-Islam, if I'm not mistaken.

Ties to al Qaeda, based in Iraqi Kurdistan, not connected to Hussein (actually worked against him).

[karlschneider]

16. I think you're right, but I've been wondering...what's "Anwar" mean in

Arabic? Thinking of Anwar Sadat...

Edit: I guess I meant what does it mean in English...
:eyes:

[KeepItReal]

6. He didn't mention that they probably arrived *after* the invasion...

Little piece of info that he maybe overlooked?

Thanks NYT for really going in-depth and finding that out <sarcasm y'all>

Bush & Co. have destabilized a country and made our troops bait for any fool with a grudge against the USA. I'm sure our troops didn't sign up for that.

[pink_poodle]

7. Why is it always 19???? What gives??? 19 on Sept. 11th, then............

19 here in Canada and that has completely unravelled - they are all innocent. And now another 19. Geez, if I was suspicious before, I am ever more suspicious now. The official spin has just spun out of the range of credibility.

[BashMan]

10. DUH!!!

Al Qaeda members and affiliates aren't exactly rare in the terrorist community these days. Why shouldn't these scumbags be Al Qaeda? It's not as if Al Qaeda doesn't have the resources to send members everywhere in the world. DUH!!!

[Name removed]

11. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[alfredo]

12. Anybody can say they are al Qaeda. Whoever they are,

they got caught and will have to pay the price. the point is, were they al Qaeda supporters before the invasion? Did we create them by attacking Iraq?

Because of the dubious nature of this war, we must question everything.

[0007]

13. Where does this administration

find these meat heads that make stupid statement like this?

"I don't have it broken down by date of capture," Bremer added when asked whether all of the 19 had been captured since the war ended.

[sattahipdeep]

14. What is wrong with the Senators?

Why are the Senators not bringing this information out about Bremmer?
Of course the one that did try to bring this out was attacked.

Prior to being in Iraq, Bremer was Chairman and Chief
Executive Officer of Marsh Crisis Consulting Company, a crisis
management firm owned by the financial services firm Marsh &
McLennan. From 1989 to 2000, he was Managing Director of
Kissinger Associates, a strategic consulting firm headed by former
Secretary of State, Henry Kissinger.

Henry Kissinger WAR CRIMES
http://www.zpub.com/un/wanted-hkiss.html