A time to celebrate

Every freedom-loving, peace-loving person in the world has a reason to celebrate the capture of Saddam Hussein – a man who has, perhaps, killed more human beings than anyone else alive.

He has certainly killed more Muslims than anyone else. Perhaps now – and only now – that sad fact might begin to dawn on the Arab world.

The capture is a great Christmas present to the Iraqi people, a great gift to the world and a reason for rejoicing throughout the United States – particularly the United States.

Overshadowed in the dramatic news of his capture was the report in the London Telegraph that Mohammed Atta, the hijacker believed to be the mastermind of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, was trained in Baghdad by Palestinian terrorist Abu Nidal and met with Hussein two weeks before the attacks on the World Trade Center and Pentagon.

The memo discovered by the Iraqi ruling council is the missing piece in a jigsaw puzzle that should put to rest any doubts that Saddam Hussein was morally and legally responsible for the worst terror attack in history.

“We are uncovering evidence all the time of Saddam’s involvement with al-Qaida,” said Dr. Ayad Allawi, a member of Iraq’s ruling seven-man presidential committee, according to the London paper. “But this is the most compelling piece of evidence that we have found so far. It shows that not only did Saddam have contacts with al-Qaida, he had contact with those responsible for the September 11 attacks.”

The memo was written by Tahir Jalil Habbush al-Tikriti, the former head of the Iraqi Intelligence Service.

Dated July 1, 2001, it outlines a three-day “work program” for Atta at Abu Nidal’s base in Baghdad, the Telegraph said. Abu Nidal, headquartered in Baghdad for more than 20 years, was responsible for the failed assassination of the Israeli ambassador to London in 1982.

Habbush, according to the memo, says Atta “displayed extraordinary effort” and demonstrated his ability to lead the team that would be “responsible for attacking the targets that we have agreed to destroy.”

Now we can bring Hussein to justice – though it is difficult to imagine a punishment to suit his many crimes.

The other reason this capture is important is because of what it means to Iraq.

Now that the dictator of more than 30 years is behind bars, this nation of 26 million people can begin to heal. The specter of a return to power by Hussein is no longer looming. The man who may well have been orchestrating what I have dubbed the “Iraqifada” is no longer in a position to do so.

This is a huge psychological boost to efforts to rebuild the country as the Arab world’s first truly free state.

No more torture chambers.

No more mass graves.

No more legalized rape.

No more tyranny.

Celebrate! It’s great news. And it should give us great hope of other impending victories in the war on terror.

And it’s more clear than ever that the war in Iraq is a central component of the war on terror. Saddam Hussein supported al-Qaida. Saddam Hussein helped train al-Qaida. Saddam Hussein harbored al-Qaida. Saddam Hussein seems to have been involved in the planning of al-Qaida’s Sept. 11 attacks..

This is why the capture of Saddam Hussein means so much to Americans.

Truly, these terrorists can run, but they can’t hide forever.

Now let’s go get Osama bin Laden!