The Pentagon has released two new photos that they argue prove a clear link between Osama bin Laden and Saddam Hussein. Having displayed last week a photo of the two men as teenagers at a dance competition in the seventies, the Pentagon now claims it has proof of their collusion at a much more recent date.

The two photos, the media was told, were taken in 1992 at one of Saddam's Palaces. "It appears Saddam was celebrating his birthday and invited a large number of his cronies, including Osama bin Laden and Yasser Arafat," stated Pentagon spokesperson Gary Richtbecker. "It also appears," he continued, "The party was fancy dress. Basically all the guests seem to be dressed as super heroes."

One of the photos shows three individuals posed with their arms around each other. One is dressed as Spiderman, another as batman and the other's costumes is a strange mish-mash of super hero paraphernalia, including a cape, tights and a pink lasso, which the figure holds in his right hand.

While the costumes obscure most of their faces, aspects of their facial features are still identifiable. Batman is Saddam Hussein, looking slightly camp in his skin-tight outfit and large moustache. The oddly dressed individual with the lasso seems to be Yasser Arafat. Osama bin Laden's long beard is evidentially very important to him as he has cut a hole in the chin of his otherwise highly authentic looking spiderman costume to let it fall down his chest.

"You must understand that the Pentagon is very careful not to make intelligence mistakes," Richtbecker told the media gallery, "We have held off on releasing this photo until we are absolutely certain that the figures in the photo are Saddam, bin Laden and Arafat. However, we have had confirmation from other sources that this photo is authentic."

While not confirmed by the Pentagon, it seems that the "other source' is Saddam's former aide and adviser, Hussar al Nasri, who fled Iraq in 1995 after falling out with the former Iraqi dictator when he was discovered applying some of Saddam's personal stash of moustache conditioner to his own face.

Al Nasri, who now lives in Greenwich Village in New York, admitted to media sources that he had been at the party and had spoken to the CIA about the night. "I remember it clearly," he said. "I dressed up as Wonder Woman you know, because she's always been my favourite and I have such clear skin, so I could pull it off. They were all there, Osama, Yasser, even the Taliban leader Mohammed Omar, though he didn't like pictures taken of him. We were all dancing around like crazy fools. Osama went off. He doesn't drink you know, but he didn't realize the goat's milk was fermented and it went to his head."

According to Al Nasri, it was at this party that a feud originated between the Al Qaeda leader and former Iraqi dictator.

"Osama was so off his head I think he really thought he was Spiderman," he told journalists. "Suddenly he starts climbing the walls and throwing string around. It wrecked Saddam's newly refurbished State Room. Saddam just lost it and started screaming and the two actually started swinging punches."

It appears Bin Laden was a poor match for the robust Saddam and took a pounding. He was spirited away by supporters, and only reappeared in Sudan a few months later.
However, it would seem that the debacle of that evening was always fresh in his mind.

"One of the reasons I think he was so tenacious a terrorist," Al Nasri commented, "was because he was pissed off at Saddam. His attacks on New York are his own way of saying 'Bugger you Saddam, I can smash America way better than you can.' He must be having a good laugh now, considering the Americans went after Saddam for something he did."

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