When Bush first attacked Iraq , it argued there was a Hussein - al Qaeda connection . Peter Bergen : Exhaustive research found absolutely no evidence of a connection . Ironically , the U.S. military provoked the creation of an al Qaeda arm in Iraq , Bergen says . The combination of the Sunni militias ' on-the-ground intelligence about their onetime AQI allies and American firepower proved devastating to al Qaeda 's Iraqi franchise . Bergen : U.S. military fought back against al Qaeda in Iraq , but now it has lost .
When Bush first attacked Iraq , it argued there was a Hussein - al Qaeda connection . Peter Bergen : Exhaustive research found absolutely no evidence of a connection . Ironically , the U.S. military provoked the creation of an al Qaeda arm in Iraq , Bergen says . Bergen : U.S. military fought back against al Qaeda in Iraq , but now it has lost .