el viajero,

My apologies. I thought people have been following the links between al-Qaeda, Hussein, and the group in northern Iraq. Apparently not, or they would have known this.

Here's a link that will show the ties as they exist. Members of the group are actually the ones who have tied them all together, after being arrested.
http://www.newsmax.com/archives/articles/2002/3/18/74151.shtml

I hope this resolves any questions you may have on the issue. Apparently your investigation failed to uncover this. There's dozens of sites out there that show the link. In fact, there are Jordanian and Iranian linked sites that indicate the ties as well.

Wolf