Powell Accuses Iraq of Links to Terrorist Network

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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Thursday, February 06, 2003

Powell Accuses Iraq of Links to Terrorist Network

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United States Secretary of State Colin Powell on Wednesday accused Iraq of links to the al Qaeda terrorist network, saying members of the network were operating freely in Iraq for more than eight months and were usingBaghdad to coordinate their activities.

At an open meeting of the United Nations Security Council on Iraq, Powell said the al Qaeda network was headed up by Abu Musab Zarqawi, a high-ranking Osama bin Laden lieutenant who fled to Iraq after driven out of Afghanistan.

He said Zarqawi has been linked to the assassination of US diplomat Laurence Foley in Jordan last October and the alleged ricin plot that was broken up in London last month. Zarqawi is connected with the Ansar al-Islam, a Taliban-style group that operates in Kurdish-controlled Northern Iraq, according Powell.

Powell also accused Iraq of supporting what he called terroristgroups in the Palestinian Territory by training and providing weapons to them.

The alleged link between Iraq and al Qaeda was part of the highly anticipated presentation laying out what Powell said was evidence that Iraq was developing biological and chemical weapons,and was attempting to obtain nuclear weapons.

CIA Director George Tenet sat behind Powell at the horseshoe-shaped Security Council table. At the other end of the table, Mohammed Aldouri, Iraq's ambassador to the United Nations, listened to Powell's presentation and waited for his chance to respond.

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