Friend and Ally Update. By Rowan Scarborough in The Examiner (thanks to James):
WASHINGTON (Map, News) - Al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden has surrounded himself in a protective network of Islamic supporters in the vast tribal areas of western Pakistan, complicating the hunt for America's most wanted criminal, U.S. intelligence officials say.The United States has firm evidence bin Laden is alive based on interrogations of captured al Qaeda members and intercepted communications in which known terrorists talk about him, a military intelligence source told The Examiner.
"We get a lot of chatter one or two levels of management below bin Laden that refers to him as 'the Sheik,' 'the esteemed leader,'" said the source, who asked not to be named because he is discussing sensitive intelligence. "We believe him to be alive based on some of the people we have captured who have said that."
The source said the United States has picked up no credible information that bin Laden is dead....
P.J. Crowley, a military analyst at the Center for American Progress and a former national security aide to President Clinton, said the Iraq war has diverted assets that could be used to find bin Laden.
"Now that he is in the tribal areas, I doubt that a bounty of any number will be helpful," Crowley said "Given tribal relationships, they will protect him."
What has our leadership done, seriously, to get at bin Laden? Or to try? We should have gotten him ASAP after 9/11. He's a probably HUGE propoganda boost to fanatics. He's like a legend at this point.
The only serious proposal I know of was Ron Paul's idea to use marque and reprisal to hunt the guy down.
We should have got him quickly. We'd look strong, he'd look weak.
Meanwhile, our "friendly" Pakistan government is all up in arms about how our (the West's) liking authors they dislike justifies Muslims killing us... Meh.
Crowley is either a fool or a tool. No amount of funding is going to make Pakistan open its borders. That will take an unheard of amount of testosterone on the part of this government to carpet bomb the area and let the chips fall where they may.
The huge bounty on him from the beginning did nothing.
The only thing that will get him will be decisive planning and bold tactics. Something completely missing from the lawyer and consultant infested pentagon.
If there was ever a limper dck than Bush when it comes to kicking the asses of our true enemies, it was Clinton - so please spare us the wisdom of his advisers. Personally, the only military sources I would like to hear from are dead. Where is Nimitz, Puller, Patton, Ridgeway when our country so needs them?
Instead we have losers and self aggrandizing pimps who are having trouble dealing with a bunch of 7th century cavemen. What if Al Qaeda had a navy? An airforce?
Has Bush ever made a true assessment of the USA enemies? Here they are:
Saudi Arabia
Iran
Pakistan
Syria
in that order. Starving their economies of funds
(listened to a fascinating radio report on how the US Treasury is targetting banks that deal with terror funds. It revealed how targetting a bank in Macau brought North Korea to its knees as that was the sole means by which Kim hot his jollies. But it also revealed that as weapon, it was limited, in say, putting pressure on the UAE to stop trading with Iran. UAE companies that were Iranian could have a 'sleeping partner' with 51% shares and it could trade without the USA being aware that it was Iranian business).
refusing students entrance to the USA (and territories like Puerto Rico) and othe rharsh measures should be contemplated now.
"What has our leadership done, seriously, to get at bin Laden?"
What amazes me is that be spend billions and billions of dollars on the CIA and other intellegence agencies, and we can't put agents on the ground in Pakistan to find out just where the man is hiding.
In the second world war, the British, Americans and Russians had agents everywhere, including in the German military, who fed them intellegence information.
I really believe our intellegence organizations today lack the emagination necessary to get the job done. What they need are free-booting, emaginative, creative, adventurous, cloak and dagger types who relish matching wits with advasaries -- not the dull-witted characters we rely on today.
Now that he is in the tribal areas, I doubt that a bounty of any number will be helpful," Crowley said "Given tribal relationships, they will protect him."
I hate to say this but I have a lot of respect for this kind of loyalty because unlike in the West, some things just are not for sale to the highest bidder.
If only we could learn such values before it is too late.
6 years after 9/11 and the farce of US referring to saudia arabia and pakistan (the true axis of evil) as staunch allies still continues. These two nazi-entities that preach the extermination of all infidels should be publicly declared as top two enemies of the civilized world (before Iran) and sought actively dismantled: pakistan ("the land of the pure") declared as illegal occupied Hindu territory and saudi wiped out from the face of the earth.
If "the solution to peace" in the middle east is returning to 1967 borders then the solution to peace in South Asia is returning to 1947 borders.
rational:
What amazes me is that be spend billions and billions of dollars on the CIA and other intellegence agencies, and we can't put agents on the ground in Pakistan to find out just where the man is hiding.
How?
Any US agent that does not look Pakistani or Afghani and with the right accent would be suspect. They would stand out. And they would be killed. So that means a Pakistani or Afghani national has to be recruited. And that is hard to do as collaboraters are also killed.
Money, goods, relocation offers might do it.
(saw this the other day)
OBL the camera whore laying low???
Every single time that happend something was DEFINITELY in the works...and went down about 3 weeks later.
If I were President I'd be putting all forces to battle stations on or about...07/07/07.
(A REALLY REALLY BIG CLUE)
The only serious proposal I know of was Ron Paul's idea to use marque and reprisal to hunt the guy down.
To the contrary, that's a pretty damn silly proposal. Osama bin Laden isn't, to the best of my knowledge, operating on the high seas, so letters of marque and reprisal (which authorize a vessel to prey upon the enemy's shipping, with the incentive of being allowed to keep as lawful prize whatever enemy ships and cargo the privateer captures) won't do anything to help get Osama. The reward of $25 million that we've already offered is much more likely to be helpful.
...low lifes often lay low.....
The US gov't prol know where Binnie boy is held up, and will probably nab him at the right time. they pehaps need him alive to keep the war alive. but its not the binnie boy who is the main problems, its islam period.
"How?
Any US agent that does not look Pakistani or Afghani and with the right accent would be suspect. They would stand out. And they would be killed. So that means a Pakistani or Afghani national has to be recruited. And that is hard to do as collaboraters are also killed.
Money, goods, relocation offers might do it."
UK Infidel Lover,
Doesn't have to be Pakistani or Afghan nationals. The world is full of non-Muslim peoples who would pass easily as Pakistanies, Afghans, Arabs, and any number of Eastern or Far eastern peoples. Women would be especially effective in an operation of this type. Given proper training in Islam and the customs and culture of the region, and choosing the right personality types for the job, and I believe we could have many operatives in that part of the world.
The problem is modern intelligence agencies lack the emagination to think outside of the box. They rely entirely too much on high tech, which is not going to nab us Bin Laden.
UK Infidel Lover said
No, they haven't. No, they won't. The $25M reward on Bin Laden hasn't led to anything. The reward on Saddam didn't help find him. The bounty on Al-Sadr hasn't led to his capture. Going back to Somalia, the bounties there didn't turn up Mohamed Aidid.
Some people value something above money. Money will get them only 50-60 years of having many material goods. Dying in battle with infidels will get them an eternity of virgins, grapes, wine, and the admiration of Allah. It's not even a close call for them.
It's another case of assuming that our values can be projected onto the Muslims. They can't.
Keep in mind that many of those tribesmen don't even know what money IS...lol. They trade mostly by barter, not currency-and since most of the tribesmen don't know what a radio or TV is, most aren't even aware there's a price on durkaboy's head.
You've gotta larrrrrf
"OUR STAUNCHEST ALLY" indeed.
We could have got him a few weeks into Afghanistan - the SAS wanted to go into the Tora Bora caves pronto and nab the bounder but were called off by the US - BIG ERROR - and ever since , it's been the case of the ISI keeping Binnie Boy under wraps and at the same time Dubya grovelling to the knucklescrapers in Islamabad.....
Pitiful or what
Give Dubya some credit , he sure knows how to stick his tongue up Islamists' bums
Mushi won't last much longer. The next dictator/despot of Pukistan will not be as 'friendly' (corrupt) as Mushi.
I daresay that he will be a proper Muhammedan headbanger with nukes.
Not going after OBL while we still can is inexcusable.