Saddam's Camel bombs

The latest document translation
suggests that Saddam was planning to take a page out of Stalin's handbook by using bomb-strapped animals to kill our guys.

The document also details a foreign fighter training program:

In the memo, they are described as "estishehadeyeen", Arabic for suicide martyrs, and would almost certainly have been foreign volunteers.

This should not be news, as defectors and even regime members had been hinting at this for a long time.

On the surface this still doesn't rise to smoking gun justification for invading, since Saddam could say he was using these dupes as ordnance to save his own neck. What this does show, and rather conclusively, is that Saddam wasn't averse to using religious fanatics to do his dirty work. Let's see, religious fanatics--what's their most glorious claim to fame so far??

Let me go back a moment. I posed this question a few months ago:

"In light of the recent foiled terror attack by Algerians against America, and with definitive proof Saddam was facilitating terrorism, weren't we justified in taking out Saddam's regime even without WMDs being present? Remember, no WMDs were present in Afghanistan."

The answer is coming a little bit more into focus with each passing day.

15 MAY AND MOHAMMED RASHID 3/26

Speaking of links between Iraq and terrorism, the WaPo has a story about Palestinian terrorist Mohammed Rashid, who was on trial for killing a Japanese teenager aboard a Pan Am airliner over the Pacific in 1982. Although he's been in custody since the late 80s, we're just now able to try him locally. The judge in the case is the now familiar Royce Lamberth.

For a quick recap, Rashid boarded the aircraft in Baghdad, placed the bomb under his seat, then disembarked in Toyko. The bomb exploded on the next leg of the flight to Honolulu. Fortunately the plane didn't crash. This same type of MO was used by super terrorist Ramzi Yousef, and was apparently the backbone of the foiled Bojinka plot.

Rashid was associated with the 15 May Organization. Guess where they were based? Yep:

Location/Area of Operation: Baghdad until 1984. Before disbanding, operated in Middle East, Europe, and East Asia. Abu Ibrahim is reportedly in Iraq.
External Aid Probably received logistic and financial support from Iraq until 1984.

Another brick in the wall.

THE LETTER 3/26

A new letter purportedly from Saddam to a member of the Arab League has been captured, warning that America actually desires the sectarian violence we now see in Iraq because it will allow us to split Iraq into sectors. The letter calls on members to support his insurgency, which is funny because it's already causing all the sectarian violence. Sounds like a 'heeeello, McFly' moment, right?

Not. Saddam cares less about a fractured Middle East than he does about Arabs losing control. If the divide-and-conquer strategy was his true worry then a stronger Iran would be perfectly fine, since they already openly support the Palestinian cause. For that matter, simple logic alone says Iraq could become a stable republlic overnight simply by having the Sunni Ba'athists drop their weapons and embrace the political process. But that would leave a Shi'ite dominated government.

Therefore, his concern is more about Persian control than American hegemony. Saddam still fashions himself in the mold of great Arabian heroes like Saladin or Nebuchadnezzar, and the latest turn of events severely diminishes the legacy he fashions for himself.