Hussein's Iraq and al Qaeda not linked, Pentagon says

From Microphone Saddle Horse CNN

Washington (CNN) -- The U.S. military's first and only analyze looking into neckties between Saddam Hussein's Republic Of Iraq and aluminum Qaeda showed no connexion between the two, according to a armed forces study released by the Pentagon.

A U.S. soldier in presence of a autobus hit by a wayside bomb near Nasiriyah, sou'-east of Baghdad, Iraq, on Tuesday.

The study released by the Joint Forces Command five old age after the U.S.-led invasion of Republic Of Republic Of Republic Of Republic Of Iraq said it establish no "smoking gun" after reviewing about 600,000 Iraki written documents captured in the invasion and looking at interviews of cardinal Iraki leading held by the United States, Pentagon functionaries said.

The appraisal of the aluminum Qaeda connexion and the insisting that Husain had arms of mass devastation were two primary elements in the Shrub administration's statements in favour of going to warfare with Iraq.

The Pentagon's study also belies then-Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld, who said in September 2002 that the Central Intelligence Agency provided "bulletproof" grounds demonstrating "that there are, in fact, in Iraq." Don't Miss

Although other groups, like the September 11 commission, have got concluded that there was no nexus between Husain and aluminum Qaeda, the Pentagon was able to analyse much more than information.

The written documents cited in the study make uncover that Husain supported a figure of terrorists and terrorist activities inside and outside .

"The Iraki government was involved in regional and international terrorist trading operations prior to Operation Iraki Freedom. The predominant marks of Iraki state panic trading operations were Iraki citizens, both interior and outside of Iraq," according to the report.

Most of the terrorism was aimed at keeping and his Baath political party in power, according to Pentagon officials.

"State sponsorship of terrorism became such as as a routine tool of state powerfulness that Republic Of Iraq developed luxuriant bureaucratic procedures to supervise advancement and answerability in the recruiting, preparation and resourcing of terrorists," according to the report.

The study cited such illustrations as preparation for auto bombs and self-destruction bombardments in 1999 and 2000, both of which U.S. and Iraki military units have got struggled to incorporate since the rise of the insurgency in summertime 2003.

Iraqi civilians killed, hurt in gunbattle during US raid in northern Iraq

: Respective Iraki civilians were killed or hurt Wednesday inch a gunbattle between U.S. military personnel and suspected al-Qaida in Republic Of Republic Of Iraq insurrectionists in northern Iraq, the American military said.

Iraqi police force and witnessers said at least seven civilians were killed, included a local judge, and nine hurt when U.S. military personnel came under fire and called in an airstrike while raiding two houses in Saddam Hussein's hometown of Tikrit.

Two houses were destroyed and at least three autos were burned to hulks, a occupant said, speaking on status of namelessness because of security concerns.

"I saw two women and a kid were running away from one of these houses," the occupant said.

A police force officer, who also declined to be identified because he wasn't authorized to let go of the information, said at least six charred organic structures and another victim were establish in the rubble. He said one house belonged to a local judge, who was among the dead. Today inch Africa & Center East

The U.S. armed forces said the operation was targeting a member of al-Qaida in Republic Of Iraq who was suspected of organizing auto bombardments for the group.

An airstrike was ordered after soldiers encountered heavy fire from insurrectionists using civilians as shields when they approached the house, according to the military statement.

"Preliminary appraisal bespeaks that despite alliance forces' attempts to protect them, respective civilians were injured or killed during the ensuing gunbattle," the military said.

Soldiers treated the hurt on land site and transported some to a military medical facility, it said, adding more than inside information would be released as they go available.

"Coalition armed forces units do every attempt to protect civilians during our operations, but al-Qaida in Republic Of Iraq terrorists go on to put women and children in harm's way," said U.S. military spokesman Maj. Winfield Danielson.

Tikrit is 130 kilometres (80 miles) North of Baghdad.