But he repeatedly professed his independence from the Defense Department and its leadership , saying he had been '' uncomfortable '' with the work of a Pentagon intelligence office run by Douglas J. Feith , a former undersecretary of defense , which asserted in the months before the Iraq war that Iraq had established ties with operatives for Al Qaeda in the Middle East .
Middle East /location/location/contains Iraq
Middle East /location/location/contains Iraq
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Middle East
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Iraq
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