(Angus Reid Global Monitor) - A third of adults in the United States believe Saddam Hussein played a role in 9/11, according to a poll by CBS News. 33 per cent of respondents think the deposed Iraqi leader was personally involved in the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon.

Al-Qaeda operatives hijacked and crashed four airplanes on Sept. 11, 2001, killing nearly 3,000 people. In June 2004, the federal commission that investigated the events of 9/11 stated that there had been "no collaborative relationship" between the deposed Iraqi regime and the terrorist network in the planning and carrying out of the attacks.

In August 2006, U.S. president George W. Bush referred to the situation, saying, "Nobody has ever suggested that the attacks of September the 11th were ordered by Iraq. I have suggested, however, that resentment and the lack of hope create the breeding grounds for terrorists who are willing to use suiciders to kill to achieve an objective. I have made that case."

The coalition effort against Hussein’s regime was launched in March 2003. At least 3,773 American soldiers have died during the military operation, and more than 27,700 troops have been wounded in action.

In December 2005, Iraqi voters renewed their National Assembly. In May 2006, Shiite United Iraqi Alliance member Nouri al-Maliki officially took over as prime minister.

On Aug. 22, Bush linked the 9/11 attacks with the coalition effort in Iraq, saying, "If we were to abandon the Iraqi people, the terrorists would be emboldened, and use their victory to gain new recruits. As we saw on September the 11th, a terrorist safe haven on the other side of the world can bring death and destruction to the streets of our own cities."

Polling Data

Do you think Saddam Hussein was personally involved in the September 11th, 2001 terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon?

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