This article is from the source 'bbc' and was first published or seen on . It will not be checked again for changes.
You can find the current article at its original source at http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/-/1/hi/world/americas/6348049.stm
The article has changed 4 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.
Version 2 | Version 3 |
---|---|
Pentagon 'twisted Iraq findings' | Pentagon 'twisted Iraq findings' |
(about 2 hours later) | |
The Democratic chairman of the US Senate Armed Services Committee has suggested intelligence was twisted in the run-up to the war in Iraq. | The Democratic chairman of the US Senate Armed Services Committee has suggested intelligence was twisted in the run-up to the war in Iraq. |
Carl Levin was reacting to a report by the defence department's top watchdog, Inspector General Thomas Gimble. | Carl Levin was reacting to a report by the defence department's top watchdog, Inspector General Thomas Gimble. |
The report accuses a former top Pentagon official of running an alternative intelligence operation. | |
Mr Gimble said Douglas Feith's office had not acted illegally but some of its activities had been "inappropriate". | Mr Gimble said Douglas Feith's office had not acted illegally but some of its activities had been "inappropriate". |
Sen Levin suggested Mr Feith's office had reached sought to establish a link between Saddam Hussein's regime and al-Qaeda - although the official intelligence community was more cautious - in order to bolster the administration's case for war. | |
Under repeated questioning by Sen Levin, Mr Gimble said the conclusions reached in reports by Mr Feith were not fully supported by the available intelligence. | |
'Relationship' unproven | 'Relationship' unproven |
In particular, his conclusion there was a "mature and symbiotic relationship" between Iraq and al-Qaeda could not be justified on the basis of the available intelligence. | In particular, his conclusion there was a "mature and symbiotic relationship" between Iraq and al-Qaeda could not be justified on the basis of the available intelligence. |
READ THE EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Review of Pre-Iraqi War Activities: Executive Summary [266KB] Most computers will open this document automatically, but you may need Acrobat Reader | |
And an alleged meeting between an Iraqi intelligence officer and a leader of the 9/11 attacks, Mohamed Atta, never took place. | And an alleged meeting between an Iraqi intelligence officer and a leader of the 9/11 attacks, Mohamed Atta, never took place. |
Sen Levin suggested this proved intelligence had been twisted before going to war. | |
Ike Skelton, Sen Levin's counterpart in the House of Representatives, blasted Mr Feith after the inspector general issued his report. | |
"Doug Feith and others in that office exercised extremely poor judgement for which our nation, and our service members in particular, are paying a terrible price," he said in a statement. | |
Mr Feith told the inspector general his reports never pretended to be intelligence assessments, the report's executive summary says. | |
He added that even if they had been, they would have been appropriate because they were authorised by his superior at the Pentagon. | |
Mr Feith's supporters stress that the inspector general found no evidence of illegal or unauthorised activity. | |
The inspector general's report does not recommend that any action be taken, given that the US has reorganised its intelligence services since 2002. | |
The full report is classified. Sen Levin is urging that it be made available to the public. |