Richard Clarke gets played the fool by foreign Al Qaeda operatives in Iraq.
News today on the capture of Khaled Abdul-Fattah Dawoud Mahmoud al-Mashhadani in Iraq makes Richard Clarke, the former national security operations coordinator, look dim and foolish. (Photo Roggio)
The discredited Richard Clarke published his analysis today on the latest National Intelligence Estimate, or NIE, that was released this week.
This is what he had to say about Al Qaeda in Iraq:
Second, the NIE notes that Al Qaeda may use “regional terrorist groups” and cites, as an example, “Al Qaeda in Iraq.” What it does not say, but can be read between the lines: “Al Qaeda in Iraq” is a different organization than the folks in Pakistan and Afghanistan who attacked us. Put another way, the President is wrong when he claims that we are fighting in Iraq the people who attacked New York and Virginia. “Al Qaeda in Iraq” did not even exist until after we invaded Iraq.
No, Richard Clarke, you are wrong.
The news earlier today shows how far off you are on the Al Qaeda organization in Iraq. This is what was reported just today:
Khaled Abdul-Fattah Dawoud Mahmoud al-Mashhadani, also known as Abu Shahid, was captured in Mosul on July 4, said Brig. Gen. Kevin Bergner, a military spokesman.
“Al-Mashhadani is believed to be the most senior Iraqi in the al-Qaida in Iraq network,” Bergner said. He said al-Mashhadani was a close associate of Abu Ayub al-Masri, the Egyptian-born head of al-Qaida in Iraq.
Bergner said al-Mashhadani served as an intermediary between al-Masri and Osama bin Laden and al-Qaida No. 2 Ayman al-Zawahri.
“In fact, communication between the senior al-Qaida leadership and al- Masri frequently went through al-Mashhadani,” Bergner said.
“Along with al-Masri, al-Mashhadani co-founded a virtual organization in cyberspace called the Islamic State of Iraq in 2006,” Bergner said. “The Islamic State of Iraq is the latest efforts by al-Qaida to market itself and its goal of imposing a Taliban-like state on the Iraqi people.”
“In his words, the Islamic State of Iraq is a front organization that masks the foreign influence and leadership within al-Qaida in Iraq in an attempt to put an Iraqi face on the leadership of al-Qaida in Iraq,” Bergner said.
You see, Mr. Clarke, these terrorists in Iraq ARE the same people who attacked New York and Virginia.
Today we learned that Al Qaeda tried to fool the people in Iraq by putting an Iraqi face on the foreign run organization.
It looks like someone was fooled.
They fooled you, Richard Clarke.
