WASHINGTON – Osama bin Laden was unquestionably within reach of U.S. troops in the mountains of Tora Bora when American military leaders made the crucial and costly decision not to pursue the terrorist leader with massive force, a Senate report says.
The report asserts that the failure to kill or capture bin Laden at his most vulnerable in December 2001 has had lasting consequences beyond the fate of one man. Bin Laden's escape laid the foundation for today's reinvigorated Afghan insurgency and inflamed the internal strife now endangering Pakistan, it says.
Full Story Link: Senate report: Bin Laden was 'within our grasp' - Yahoo! News
Senate report: Bin Laden was 'within our grasp'
Senate report: Bin Laden was 'within our grasp'
Yeah. I saw this on the news this morning ,too. It just boggles the imagination, doesn't it? We can read license plates from orbit, but can't spot an old man leaving a cave to go to the bathroom? We have smart weapons that do everything except knock on the door before entering, but we can't track down and single guy living in a cave in a country we supposedly control?!!
I read that we now outnumber the Taliban by 500 to 1 in Afghanistan. If you can't win a war with those kinds of odds, that war is basically unwinnable. I have a feeling that that the entire US military couldn't catch this jerk if they sent every single enlisted person in America ... and that a BAD THING!
It puffs Osama up and gives him a kind of "Godhood" and "Mystic" presence that is EXACTLY what radical extremists need to support their cause. The longer he goes on, the more of a "Samson vs. Goliath" problem we have.:-5
I read that we now outnumber the Taliban by 500 to 1 in Afghanistan. If you can't win a war with those kinds of odds, that war is basically unwinnable. I have a feeling that that the entire US military couldn't catch this jerk if they sent every single enlisted person in America ... and that a BAD THING!
It puffs Osama up and gives him a kind of "Godhood" and "Mystic" presence that is EXACTLY what radical extremists need to support their cause. The longer he goes on, the more of a "Samson vs. Goliath" problem we have.:-5
Senate report: Bin Laden was 'within our grasp'
I read somewhere that they didn't want to catch him. Whilst he is at large, he is considered the 'bad guy' which makes Americans feel very patriotic in their war against him. They believe fully in the war in the Middle East and have a very high faith in their government. Which means lots of troops can be sent to the Middle East to ensure that oil production remains stable and oil prices don't fluctuate.
Once Bin Laden is captured, Americans will call for their troops to be returned home and will turn ugly if their demands are not met. So the best solution for the US Government is for him to stay at large!
Saint, with the technology available to them, of course the US Government can track him down. They probably know exactly where he is! Then they can arrest him whenever the moment becomes expedient for them to do so!
Once Bin Laden is captured, Americans will call for their troops to be returned home and will turn ugly if their demands are not met. So the best solution for the US Government is for him to stay at large!
Saint, with the technology available to them, of course the US Government can track him down. They probably know exactly where he is! Then they can arrest him whenever the moment becomes expedient for them to do so!
Senate report: Bin Laden was 'within our grasp'
Ok, let me get this straight.... We know where he is, but we don't want to catch him because it inflames the passions of our people, never mind that it also inflames the passions of our enemies?!!:-5
Totally Machiavellian.:-2
It's just that kind of thing that shakes my faith in humankind. Now stop that, Rapunzel. You're scaring me.:-3
Totally Machiavellian.:-2
It's just that kind of thing that shakes my faith in humankind. Now stop that, Rapunzel. You're scaring me.:-3
Senate report: Bin Laden was 'within our grasp'
Would it be cynical to suggest that if they had caught him then there would have been no excuse to invade Iraq which is what bush & co really wanted to do regardless.
This is hardly news is it?
How bin Laden got away | csmonitor.com
There appears to be a real disconnect between what the US military was engaged in trying to do during the battle for Tora Bora - which was to destroy Al Qaeda and the Taliban - and the earlier rhetoric of President Bush, which had focused on getting bin Laden," says Charles Heyman, editor of Jane's World Armies. "There are citizens all over the Middle East now saying that the US military couldn't do it - couldn't catch Osama - while ignoring the fact that the US military campaign, apart from not capturing Mr. bin Laden was, up the that point, staggeringly effective
washingtonpost.com: U.S. Concludes Bin Laden Escaped at Tora Bora Fight
Look at the dates of the articles. It's like the UK enquiry in to the iraq war. too little too late.
This is hardly news is it?
How bin Laden got away | csmonitor.com
There appears to be a real disconnect between what the US military was engaged in trying to do during the battle for Tora Bora - which was to destroy Al Qaeda and the Taliban - and the earlier rhetoric of President Bush, which had focused on getting bin Laden," says Charles Heyman, editor of Jane's World Armies. "There are citizens all over the Middle East now saying that the US military couldn't do it - couldn't catch Osama - while ignoring the fact that the US military campaign, apart from not capturing Mr. bin Laden was, up the that point, staggeringly effective
washingtonpost.com: U.S. Concludes Bin Laden Escaped at Tora Bora Fight
Look at the dates of the articles. It's like the UK enquiry in to the iraq war. too little too late.