Al Queda links to Saddam before the war?

Wait just a minute.   I thought Saddam's Iraq had absolutely nothing to do with Al Queda and that the war in Iraq was just a distraction from the war on terror?   Then why is ABC News, of all people, printing stuff like this?!   Haven't they been reading their NY Times?

During the 1990s, Zarqawi trained under bin Laden in Afghanistan. After the fall of the Taliban, he fled to northwestern Iraq and worked with poisons for use in potential attacks, officials say.

During the summer of 2002, he underwent nasal surgery at a Baghdad hospital, officials say. They mistakenly originally thought, however, that Zarqawi had his leg amputated due to an injury.

In late 2002, officials say, Zarqawi began establishing sleeper cells in Baghdad and acquiring weapons from Iraqi intelligence officials.

(Hat tip to Captain's Quarters.)