The UK on Wednesday went further than it had ever done before in alleging ties between al-Qaeda and Iraq, although it remained more circumspect than President George W. Bush on the nature of the ties. Tony Blair, the prime minister, told a hostile House of Commons, the lower house of parliament: “We do know of links between al-Qaeda and Iraq. We cannot be sure of the exact extent of those links.” A Foreign Office statement added: “We believe there have been and are al-Qaeda operatives in the part of Iraq controlled by Baghdad. It is difficult to imagine that they have been there without the knowledge and acquiescence of the Iraqi regime.” Full Story