U.S. Says al-Qaida Plans to Strike Forces

WASHINGTON March 9:

Al-Qaida operatives are planning to strike at U.S. and allied forces taking part in a war in Iraq, according to information acquired by American intelligence agencies, counterterrorism officials said. The operatives are subordinates of Abu Musab Zarqawi, whom CIA officials describe as a senior associate of Osama bin Laden. Some are in Baghdad; others are elsewhere in Iraq, the counterterrorism officials said Saturday, speaking on condition of anonymity.

The intelligence does not suggest any kind of coordination between the government of Iraqi President Saddam Hussein and the al-Qaida operatives; instead officials believe the terrorists are looking to capitalize on the chaos created by any military conflict to strike at American and allied troops.

A CIA report, passed to senior government officials last week, warned of the potential strikes. The counterterrorism officials said operatives may be planning to use explosives or toxins to conduct the attack. The new information comes against a murky backdrop regarding whether Iraq supports al-Qaida, or to what extent there are ties. However, intelligence officials have generally agreed they have nothing to document that Saddam Hussein had a hand in the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks or that Saddam and Osama bin Laden are coordinating terrorist operations.

At the center of U.S. allegations that there are links between Iraq and the terrorist group is Zarqawi, a Jordanian terrorist operative, and some of his followers.

According to U.S. officials, Zarqawi was in Baghdad last summer, presumably with the knowledge of Iraqi officials. Some of his people are still there. Zarqawi is also linked to an Islamic extremist group in northern Iraq, Ansar al-Islam, that operates in a region outside of Saddam's control.

An agent from Iraq's government is working for Ansar, Secretary of State Colin Powell said in a Feb. 5 presentation to the U.N. Security Council. Powell said this agent had offered safe haven to some al-Qaida operatives in the region. But Powell omitted an important point: U.S. officials later acknowledged they don't know what this Iraqi operative is doing with Ansar al-Islam, and they do not know whether Ansar is aware he works for the Iraqi government. While the agent could be openly representing Saddam's government, he also could be spying on the group for Saddam's security services, officials said. According to intelligence officials, Zarqawi believes he is operating independently of al-Qaida's chain of command. But they say while he manages his own network of followers, he relies on al-Qaida money and logistical support, making him in effect if not in reality a lieutenant of bin Laden.

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