On ABC News TV, they reported that the captured militant made statements strongly connecting himself to Al Qaeda.
JDG Chemical Clues Special Forces Raid Turns Up Treasure Trove in Northern Iraq ABCNews.com http://abcnews.go.com/sections/world/Primetime/iraq_main030401.html B A G H D A D, Iraq, April 1 � Special Forces teams operating in northern Iraq have seized manuals on the production of deadly poison gases, chemical masks and other documentation in raids on the camps of Islamic militants with alleged links to the al Qaeda terror organization. The raids in Sargat and elsewhere in Kurdistan in Iraq's north also turned up the names of several militants believed to be living in the U.S. ABCNEWS' Jim Sciutto, who is embedded with the Special Forces units, described the documents seized as "significant." He said the documents include manuals dealing with the production of Sarin gas, cyanide and ricin. Chemical masks, atropine injectors and possible al Qaeda documents with names and phone numbers were also taken. The raids were launched on Saturday against the Ansar al Islam positions and have been ongoing with the support of local Kurdish fighters. The Bush administration has accused Ansar of having close ties to al Qaeda. Sciutto said the material seized was not the "smoking gun" they had been looking for on chemical weapons, but that it gave strong indications the group was attempting to manufacture such materials. A suspected al Qaeda operative was also arrested by the Special Forces soldiers. Sciutto said the man arrested was an Arab. And as fighting raged from Basra to Baghdad, members of the 101st Airborne Division involved in street fighting in the holy Iraqi city of Najaf were given new rules of engagement. A high-ranking military source told ABCNEWS that they were now permitted to fire upon all buildings, including residences and buildings of religious or historical value. The change in orders came about after U.S. military officials say they learned that Iraqi forces were using religious landmarks as shields and hiding anti-aircraft artillery next to mosques. _______________________________________________________ John D. Giorgis - [EMAIL PROTECTED] "The liberty we prize is not America's gift to the world, it is God's gift to humanity." - George W. Bush 1/29/03 _______________________________________________ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
