Al Qaeda in Iraq

In explaining the decision to invade Iraq and oust Saddam Hussein from power, the Administration asserted that the regime of Saddam Hussein had a working relationship with the Al Qaeda organisation. The Administration assessed that the relationship dated to the early 1990s, and was based on a common interest in confronting the US.

As of mid-2008, there are indications that AQ-I leaders are relocating from Iraq to join Al Qaeda leaders believed to be in remote areas of Pakistan, near the Afghanistan border. That perception, if accurate, could suggest that AQ-I now perceives Afghanistan as more fertile ground than is Iraq to attack U.S. forces. The relocation of AQ-I leaders to Pakistan could also accelerate the perceived strengthening of the central Al Qaeda organisation.

Preface
Al Qaeda in Iraq: Assessment and Outside Links
Iraq: Post-Saddam Governance and Security
Index.