TERROR SUSPECT ESCAPES

Sky News ^ | 3-20-2004

[Prince Charles]

TERROR SUSPECT ESCAPES

Pakistani forces believe al Qaeda's second in command may have escaped despite arresting 100 suspects.

Troops have carried out sustained artillery and mortar fire on suspected al Qaeda fighters near the Afghanistan border.

At first it was thought Osama bin Laden's second in command, Ayman al-Zawahri, was among up to 400 militants holding out in the South Waziristan tribal area.

The al Qaeda fighters and Pakistani tribesman holding out in well-fortified mud-brick compounds were pounded with shells and mortar bombs throughout the night.

The fierce defence the militants have mounted since the battle began on Tuesday suggests they are trying to protect a "high-value target".

Zawahri, an Egyptian doctor, is regarded as the brains of al Qaeda. He is thought to be one of the key figures behind the September 11 attacks on the United States.

The offensive, involving several thousand soldiers, is the biggest Pakistan has fought since it joined the US-led war on terror.

Last Updated: 10:35 UK, Saturday March 20, 2004

[Prince Charles]

Pakistani forces believe al Qaeda's second in command may have escaped despite arresting 100 suspects.

Thanks for nothing, Pakis.

[Russ]

Pakistan has nukes, they should have used them.

[Prince Charles]

The other day, I thought to myself what a perfect area this would be for a neutron bomb....

[ncweaver]

I was a little suspicious when the fire fight went on so long. Does anyone else think some $ may have changed hands to facilitate this "escape"? That would answer why they didn't want any US troops around.

[Russ]

One thing is for sure, if al Zawahri had a nuke he would not hesitate using it. If a couple thousand tribesmen get vaporized so be it. That would teach them not to harbor terrorists.

[Prince Charles]

You only need to look at the "punishment" meted out to Dr. Khan to see that many Pakis (particularly the ISI) have no stomach for capturing AQ or the Talibastards.

[KQQL]

Pak Govt is full of S%%t

[KQQL]

Pak real Govt is the ISI , which is run by Islamo-fascist...from all info I have read.

[CGVet58]

as soon as the fight escalated a couple of days back, I was telling my wife that the big cheese would get away - this is just like back in the afghanistan last year - we pull up when we see hard resistance, make noises about having 'em surrounded - when all that happens is that it gives the enemy time to breath and use their already prepared escape routes to get their head honchos away safely.

The next time we meet a hornets nest like this, we're going to have to storm the walls, keep 'em literally at sword's point - it will be bloody, but effective. Right now, these vermin are pretty comfortable knowing they can make alot of noise and keep us at bay long enough to get some folks away clean.

[Savage Beast]

Whether now or later--it matters little--Zawahiri will find himself with Josef Mengele in the deepest, hottest recesses of hell--the special place for the most murderous, evil, cruel, and satanic. As a physician, I hold both in particular contempt.

[mewzilla]

Well, I can't believe we'd let ourselves be Tora Boraed again. Maybe we let the guy go to see where, and to whom, he ran. Just call me Pollyanna :)

[Cap Huff]

It could be that Zawahiri has slipped out. Maybe he hasn't. Or maybe he was never there in the first place. We just don't know. Here is an opinion piece from the Pakistani press entitled "Where is Dr Ayman al-Zawahri?"

http://jang.com.pk/thenews/

The problem I have with this article is that they quote no one, certainly no one by name or relative position. Not even "a government official who spoke on condition . . . . blah blah blah . . ." Instead we have this:

"Pakistani forces believe . . . ." As though Pakistani forces is an entity that can have a collective opinion, or a collective thought.

Don't misunderstand me. I'd be very unhappy if somehow the Pakistanis somehow botched it and let Zawahiri escape. I just think a lightly sourced "news" story like this one is hard to take seriously.

[wingman1]

Look on the bright side. The Pakistanis have engaged and destroyed a large fighting unit and have rendered it ineffective. This is only the beginning of the spring offensive, with US Forces not being required to invavde another country that looks the other way (as in Cambodia).

Besides, the less places these vermin have to hide, the more likely they will be captured. They are worth much more captured than dead.

[wontbackdown]

I disagree that the big Kahunas are worth more captured. If they are in custody, their terrorist buddies will be kidnapping Americans to hold as hostages and try to negotiate their release. I say that the only good terrorist is a dead terrorist!

[Ranger]

In all likelihood, the local tribesmen used this fight to buy a few days for the HVTs to escape, then they surrendered in a negotiated deal. In a few months the Paki fighters will be released from jail and the foreigners handed over to the U.S. I also think its notable that the Paki army trucks were burned and evidently targeted by the tribesmen. My guess is to prevent pursuit. The fireworks were for the Americans. Had the Pakis leveled the placd with artillery or called in a little US air support, then I would think they were serious about finishing the fight. Its notable what didn't happen as much as what did.

[Ranger]

Karachi: Suspected vehicle seized
(Updated at 1410 PST)
KARACHI: The vehicle used during firing on Rangers force's Hi-Roof at Share-e-Faisal in Karachi was founded standing unclaimed in an area of Gulshan-e-Iqbal, sources reported on Saturday.

The police sources said they were informed on Police emergency number 15 by an unidentified caller about the unclaimed vehicle with government number plate parked under the Muna Plaza at Gulshan-e-Iqbal, Block-5. 

The police forthwith reached the indicated site and seized the said vehicle and acquired fingerprints of the suspects from it. 

http://jang.com.pk/thenews/

 

[Cap Huff]

Your scenario is plausible. I hate to think about HVTs escaping (although being now on the run has its own set of risks).

Someone here on the forum suggested that it looked like they were using tactics used in Chechnya, taking whole populations hostage. Musharraf's situation is delicate, and he could not have leveled the place killing large numbers of locals and thereby effectively taking himself out as well. Maybe for him it was rock and hard place, and he Mushed it through the middle.

[Cap Huff]

Thanks for the link. I was just on Jang a little while ago and missed that.

[ChinaThreat]

That would kind of be like us nuking Idaho wouldn't it?

[Ranger]

I hadn't seen that the population was held hostage. Did you see that? If so then my guess is that several hundred informants were just created for next winter when the HVTs migrate south to Pakistan for the winter.

[Cap Huff]

I based my comments partly on what Angelus Errare noted here:

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1101775/posts?page=14#14

I myself am not conversant about tactics used in the first Chechen war. Given the numerous reports of Chechen foreigners in the area it is plausible to me that they would lean toward tactics used in previous conflicts. I also recall the stink that was raised a couple of weeks ago when the Pakistanis fired on a van and killed about 11 people. The dead proved to mostly be locals, but the van had not stopped at a checkpoint, and there was firing from the van. It sounded afterward like a purposeful provocation to get local innocents killed. It would not surprise me to find that the terrorists now would try to get the Pakistani Army to kill Pakistani citizens (as much as tribals can be called so). The hostage scenario seems to fit what little information is getting out.

[Russ]

No, Massachusetts

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

See this:

DNA tests on corpse will reveal if it is Bin Laden's deputy

[Ranger]

THanks. Interesting observation.

[CGVet58]

good call on that, Ranger - that's how I see it. They could have levelled the place, not give the enemy a chance to breath - literally "keep the skeer in 'em", as Bedford Forrest was known to say.

That being said, Musharraf is playing a dangerous game. It's no secret that Pakistan has been one of the nation-states which contributed most to destabilization, nuke proliferation; and their efforts essentially gave birth to the taliban (which they supported as a counter-weight to India).

That this oppressive regime went to bed with the islamo-nazis shouldn't have been a surprise, either, since both ideologies (I know it's a religion, but at heart it's a totalitarian system that hates freedom and by definition, hates us) have been intertwined since before WWII - and during the war the Arabs threw their lot in with Hitler (the Grand Mufti of Jerusalem strongly supported the eradication of the jews by the nazis, spent time in Berlin during the war; Baathist ideology is nothing but Nazism riding on a camel, etc...).

Now Musharraf must decide whether he will continue to play the islam card and risk seeing his Pakistan destroyed, or try to cleanse his country of all terror-supporting forces and currents while surviving inevitable assassination/coup attempts. He chose the latter (wisely, imo) - but it's not an easy choice... just look at how much greyer his hair has become.

CGVet58