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Senior Al Qaeda Recently in Baghdad - Rumsfeld
Thu Sep 26, 3:08 PM ET
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Senior al Qaeda leaders have been in Baghdad "in recent periods," Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld said on Thursday, as the Bush administration pushed its case for possible military action against Iraq.
Rumsfeld was not more specific about the timing, but his comments at a Pentagon ( news - web sites) briefing appeared designed to allay doubts among opposition Democrats and foreign allies that Iraq was a legitimate target in the U.S. war on terrorism. However, none of the evidence has been made public.
"We certainly have evidence of senior al Qaeda who have been in Baghdad in recent periods. Whether they're currently there or not one never knows, because they're moving targets," he said, of the movement blamed by Washington for the Sept. 11 attacks on America that killed around 3,000 people.
"If you're asking if it (intelligence) is current -- in the last period of days or weeks -- the answer is yes," the secretary said. |
