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Mr. Bush has never accused Iraq under Saddam Hussein of a direct role in the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. But he has said many times that Mr. Hussein and his followers are of the same ilk as Al Qaeda terrorists. He asserted again today that what is left of Al Qaeda - ``wounded yet not destroyed'' - knows that the overthrow of Saddam Hussein ``is a defeat for them.''
While Bush did never directly claim that Saddam had a direct role in the attacks of Sept. 11, he has sad far more than that they "are of the same ilk." He has claimed several times that they are active partners, such as this quote:
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This is a man who we know has had connections with al-Qaida. This is a man who, in my judgment, would like to use al-Qaida as a forward army.