Bush special office 'justified war'

After the revelations that both Jack Straw and Colin Powell were concerned about the flimsy nature of intelligence on Iraqi weapons of mass destruction, attention has focused on the US unit set up to make the case for war.

The office of special plans was created by the deputy secretary of defence, Paul Wolfowitz, late last year in what was seen as an effort to justify the war. Led by Abram Shulsky, the office had a small staff charged with exploring intelligence from "outside the box".

The intelligence, based largely on that from Iraqi exiles, went directly to George Bush, who used some of it to justify war. Mr Wolfowitz became frustrated that the CIA and the defence intelligence agency were failing to uncover any evidence of a link between al-Qaida and Saddam Hussein. Seymour Hersh, writing in the New Yorker magazine, said that most intelligence experts derided the office's information.

Other American commentators have also challenged its integrity. "What set them apart from the intelligence agencies was that they relied heavily on information from the Iraqi national congress," wrote Harold Myerson in the Washington Post.

The office also suggested that Saddam had weapons of mass destruction, but did not give location details.

Since the office's claims have so far not been backed by facts, its credibility looks damaged. A recent report from the office suggested that military action against Syria was reportedly not taken seriously by the White House.