The New York Times today called on President George W. Bush to apologise to the American people for going to war on Iraq after an official probe into the September 11 attacks found no evidence linking Iraq and Al Qaeda. ‘‘Now President Bush should apologise to the American people, who were led to believe something different,’’ the Times editorial said.‘‘Of all the ways Bush persuaded Americans to back the invasion of Iraq last year, the most plainly dishonest was his effort to link his war of choice with the battle against terrorists worldwide.’’A panel investigating the September 11, 2001 attacks said yesterday there was no ‘‘credible evidence’’ Iraq had helped Osama bin Laden’s extremist Al Qaeda network to attack the US and no sign of any ‘‘collaborative relationship’’ between Baghdad and the group. The conclusions of the panel dealt a blow to Bush’s justification for overthrowing Saddam Hussein’s regime, which was also charged with possessing as yet undiscovered WMDs. ‘‘This is not just a matter of the President’s diminishing credibility, although that’s disturbing enough,’’ The New York Times said.‘‘The war on terror has actually suffered as the conflict in iraq has diverted military and intelligence resources from places like Afghanistan, where there could really be Qaeda forces, including bin Laden.’’ — (PTI)
