With the upcoming Senate Intelligence report due shortly, perhaps the question of where and how Ansar al Islam received CBW know-how (which included ricin, botulinum and possibly cyanide) and equipment will finally be answered.

Initial reports from American media outlets mentioned the findings of the Ansar al Islam camps in Northern Iraq included directions on making high grade explosives and Iraqi military grade TNT in addition to the CBW starter kit. As mentioned by both the 9-11 Commission and Senate Intelligence Committee, the group's support from Saddam Hussein's regime included various types of weaponry with the likely intention being the group's targeting the anti-regime Kurds in the region.

Answers to what U.S. special forces and investigators found at the camps (regarding CBW) weren't fully answered in Western media outlets, likely due to the sensitive nature of findings.
In Germany's media, one journalist, said to have excellent contacts within German Intelligence, did reveal some of the findings. Over 3 years ago, Bruno Schirra of the German weekly Hamburg Die Zeit, (who's article was recently made available to Regime of Terror by someone with access to foreign media outlets) revealed that Baghdad's contributions to Ansar al Islam were not limited to conventional weapons.

Schirra reported that hundreds of bottles of acetone, labelled as coming from Baghdad; weapons, including anti-aircraft missiles (both of which also reportedly came from Baghdad); 30 kg of potassium cyanide, stored in hermetically sealed barrels; chemical measuring instruments; lab equipment; gas masks and C4 loaded suicide vests were among the items recovered at the camp. Also recovered was "a handbook, which, on more than 50 pages, contains exact instructions for building chemical bombs and grenades."

Schirra concludes "it is clear that essential parts of the laboratory substances came from Baghdad." Likely referring to the Ansar al Islam laboratory suspected as the source of attempted CBW attacks in the UK and elsewhere.

The idea that Baghdad's contributions to al Qaeda and it's affiliates included unconventional training was stated by Mansoor Ijaz a few weeks before U.S. forces entered Iraq. In his National Review article "Hand in Glove", Ijaz, calling on his experience and knowledge of Middle Eastern affairs, asserted that Iraq has long provided members of al Qaeda (and its affiliates) with manuals and recipes for CBW and other poisons (as well as access to the scientists who know how to use and acquire ingredients).

Since former CIA director George Tenet first told the Senate Armed Services Committee in 2003 that intelligence reports indicated that Iraq had provided al Qaeda with training in poisons and gases, multiple fighters, who have been captured on the battlefield in Iraq and Afghanistan, have confirmed this cooperation.

Charles Duelfer also saw evidence of Iraqi involvement in al Qaeda's CBW quest in Afghanistan, saying "There's a lot of (intelligence) collection going on in those caves and mountains... "We're going to hear about more ties between al-Qaeda and Iraq, particularly when it comes to al-Qaeda's efforts to get chemical and biological weapons."

Understandably, the intelligence surrounding al Qaeda's CBW programs was once highly sensitive (and quite justifiably in the classified realm), but now, with Afghanistan having been liberated nearly 5 years ago, and Iraq 3 years ago, the need to classify the CIA and FBI reports on the origins of al Qaeda/Ansar al Islam's poison and CBW capabilities would seem to be greatly diminished.

The upcoming Senate Intelligence report, with a mandate including an examination Baghdad's prewar links to terrorists, would seem to be an appropriate time to address these issues.