Pentagon unit developed 'dubious' pre-war intel

Washington, Feb 9: Former US defense policy chief DouglasFeith developed and issued ''dubious'' intelligence that was used tobolster the Bush administration's case for the invasion of Iraq, aPentagon watchdog agency said in a report to be released today.

The conclusion by Feith's office that there was a ''maturesymbiotic relationship'' between Iraq and al Qaeda was inconsistentwith the view of the U.S. intelligence community, according to excerptsof the Pentagon inspector general's report released by Sen.

Carl Levin, chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee.

''An alternative intelligence assessment process was establishedin the office of Under Secretary for Policy Doug Feith ... that waspredisposed to finding a significant relationship between Iraq and alQaeda. His staff then conducted its own review of raw intelligencereports, including reporting of dubious quality and reliability,'' thereport said.

''They arrived at an 'alternative' interpretation of the Iraq-alQaeda relationship that was much stronger than that assessed by the IC(intelligence community) and more in accord with the policy views ofsenior officials in the administration,'' the report concluded.

An unclassified summary of the report is to be published today, when Levin's committee is briefed on its findings.

Top Bush administration officials cited alleged ties between Iraqand al Qaeda as a justification for the US-led invasion of Iraq in 2003.

The bipartisan commission which investigated the Sept. 11 attackson the United States in 2001 later reported that no collaborativerelationship existed between the two.

Levin said the inspector general's report supports his ownconclusion that the office, under Feith, a strong advocate of deposingSaddam Hussein, twisted intelligence information to suggest linksbetween Iraq and militants from al Qaeda.

''Those activities supported the Bush administration's misleading case for war against Iraq,'' Levin said in a statement.

''Senior administration officials, including Vice PresidentCheney, made numerous public statements that reflected the views of theFeith alternative analysis, which were inconsistent with the analysisand judgments of the intelligence community,'' Levin said.

'Alterbative Intelligence Estimates'

The report concludes Feith'soffice had done nothing illegal or unauthorized but that some of itsactivities were ''inappropriate,'' two US defense officials said.

The Pentagon took issue with the finding that the office hadproduced ''alternative intelligence estimates,'' believing Feith'soffice had given a critique of intelligence information but notproduced intelligence products, one official said.

Both officials spoke on condition of anonymity as the report has not been released.

The inspector general's office declined to comment on its report ahead of the Senate briefing.

But the report was made available to the Senate IntelligenceCommittee on Thursday and its chairman, a Democrat, was swift to speakout.

''The IG (inspector general) has concluded that this office wasengaged in intelligence activities. The Senate Intelligence Committeewas never informed of these activities,'' Sen. John Rockefeller of WestVirginia said in a statement.

''Whether these actions were authorized or not, it appears thatthey were not in compliance with the law.'' He said he would consultwith the committee's vice chairman, Republican Kit Bond of Missouri, todetermine whether any further action was warranted.

Reuters

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