Repost: US seeks alliance with Moscow for raid on bin Laden

WorldTribune.com ^ | 22 November 2000 | Ahmed Rashid

[mrsmith]

THE United States is seeking Russian help to launch military action against the bases of the wanted Islamic terrorist Osama bin Laden and other extremist groups in Afghanistan.

According to counter-terrorist experts in Washington, the Clinton administration has determined that he was behind the bombing of the destroyer Cole last month in Aden, in which 17 American sailors died.

A counter-terrorism expert in Washington said America was seeking help from Russia and a number of central Asian states in launching reprisal raids against Bin Laden's bases in Afghanistan. Intense diplomatic activity was also under way around the region to garner support for a US-Russian initiative to impose further sanctions on the Taliban, the extremist Islamic movement in Afghanistan, through the United Nations Security Council.

But agreement for joint military action has been hard to reach. The American expert said: "Coalition building is important, but it's proving difficult." The United States believes it has enough evidence to link bin Laden, a Saudi, to the Cole attack.

American and British intelligence have been working intensively to uncover evidence against the terrorist planners since that incident and bomb attacks against British targets in Yemen and Saudi Arabia. In the most recent, a British engineer, Christopher Rodway, was killed by a car bomb.

The expert said: "What is now being determined is if bin Laden specifically set up the operation, provided the explosives and gave the direct order for the bombing, or if he just gave the order some months ago and local groups carried it out."

But Washington is unlikely to make any public disclosure until it initiates a military strike against bin Laden. An American diplomat involved in the investigation said: "Retaliation is inevitable, nobody gets away with killing 29 Americans."

Twelve Americans were killed in 1998, when bin Laden's forces bombed two embassies in Africa, resulting in a missile strike on his camps in Afghanistan. Although American officials are wary about discussing the military options, counter-terrorism experts in Washington say Russia is being pressed to co-operate in any military action.

Moscow is also worried about developments in Afghanistan, where the Taliban runs most of the country. Russia has close political and military ties to the former states of Soviet central Asia, which feel threatened by the Afghans and the rebel movements based on their territory.

America hopes to use ties established under Nato's Partnership for Peace agreement with Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan as part of any multilateral force. Commandos from the three central Asian states are training with US Special Forces in Montana and Alaska. But all the Central Asian states are nervous of encouraging Russian influence in the region and of provoking Taliban revenge attacks against their territory. More than 100 troops from the three states have died in fighting with Afghan-backed Uzbek exiles.

Unlike in 1998, when American ships in the Gulf fired 80 cruise missiles into Afghanistan, the United States is now expected to attack from bases in central Asia. It would need access to bases in Uzbekistan, particularly the Soviet-era air base in Tashkent and the military base in Termez, on the border with Afghanistan.

Experts say the United States would plan to bomb over several days and even perhaps organise commando raids on key locations from Termez . Most of the targeted locations, which include other terrorist groups, are based in northern Afghanistan - in Mazar-i-Sharif, Kunduz and Taloqan - from where they are fighting for the Taliban in its offensive against the anti-Taliban forces led by Ahmad Shah Massoud.

But any talk about the precise targets of American forces should be treated with caution. Bin Laden and his Afghan hosts will be expecting an American response and Washington will hope to create uncertainly in the minds of its enemies.

Likely targets include units of bin Laden's 55 Arab Brigade, the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan, which wants to topple the Uzbek regime and is funded by bin Laden, Chechen militants wanted by Russia and Kashmiri groups wanted by India. Several Pakistani radical groups are also working with bin Laden. He is reported to have moved his headquarters from Kandahar to an inaccessible mountainous area.

[mrsmith]

Clarke sure had some big ideas, that never went anywhere.

[mrsmith]

Some more old Clarke threads:

Time Magazine's 'Clinton Plan' Fish Story
Anout the Time story in Aug. 2002 that Clarke responded to.

Bush Aides Deny Getting Plan to Fight Al Qaeda [Another 'BUSH-KNEW!!' campaign]
Clarke's response to the Time article

Taliban Official Warned U.S. in 1999
Another Clarke failure.

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

Thanks for digging these up!

[marron]

That's right. Few of Clarke's ideas for direct action got any traction at all with Clinton in the White House. It was Bush that took his ideas, pronounced them not-ambitious-enough, and acted. Clarke wanted a commando raid on Osama and couldn't get Clinton's attention even for that. Bush took down the Taliban, chased Al Qaeda into hiding, and determined to drain the swamp that produced and funded and protected them.

That is the bottom line. Clarke could not get Clinton to focus; Bush thought Clarke was too timid. Clarke and Clinton did not act. Bush did.

[mrsmith]

History: Clinton and Clarke ineffectual.
They both lack an ability to get outside of themselves. To rise above ego.

Despite the "urgency" Clarke says they had about the AlQueda threat, a reasonable person could think other matters, like women's and children's issues, were put first at the insistence of the future junior senator from NY: Benazir Bhutto at 1995 Washington visit
"recently, we had the First Lady and the First Daughter visit Pakistan, and we had an opportunity to discuss women's issues and children's issues with the First Lady. And we found the First Daughter very knowledgeable. We found Chelsea very knowledgeable on Islamic issues. I'm delighted to learn from the President that Chelsea is studying Islamic history and has also actually read our Holy Book, the Koran Shariah. "

The whole SE Asia foreign policy doctrine of Clinton had to be replaced before any action could be taken.

[GeronL]

The more the merrier I'm sure. How many peices can we rip Ossama in?

[mrsmith]

Courtesy ping to the original poster.

[mrsmith]

You're welcome!

I wish I'd added "Clarke' to the title LOL!

[mrsmith]

MRC Tuesday August 6, 2002
"CBS and NBC on Monday night jumped on a Time magazine cover story about how the outgoing Clinton administration provided a plan to fight al-Qaeda which the Bush team failed to implement until after the 9-11 attacks. “The battle over history,” Dan Rather teased at the top of the August 5 CBS Evening News before declaring: “Veterans of the Clinton administration say the Bush team didn't take their al-Qaeda warnings and plans seriously enough.”
Rather set up the story by referring to how “controversy is swirling over what did or did not happen concerning terrorism in the early months” of the Bush presidency. Rather ominously intoned: “The controversy centers around serious questions raised by a counter-terrorism expert who worked for Presidents Reagan, Bush Sr., and Clinton.” "

CBS thought Clarke was the source for the Time article.

[mrsmith]

"Could 9/11 Have Been Prevented?" -- Time Magazine, Aug 12, 2002, Vol. 160, No. 7, Pgs. 29-42. Also available in summary on the internet at: http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,333835,00.html

[mrsmith]

Clinton Audio Exclusive: Pre-11 Bin Laden Strike Wouldn't Have Worked
"Flatly contradicting Time magazine's claims this week that his administration turned over workable plans to capture or kill Osama bin Laden to the Bush White House, ex-President Clinton confessed earlier this year that his administration's plans had a "high probability" of failure. "

Clinton: I Tried to Warn Bush about Bin Laden
Continuing the Big (mixed up) Lie.

[mrsmith]

CBS & NBC Hyped How Clinton Gave Bush Anti al-Qaeda Plan
Thread on the MRC report of coverage of 2002 Time article.

[mrsmith]

"We have defeated the Taliban, and we are in the process of smashing al-Qaeda."
Richard Clarke Dec. 4 2001
bsa.org/security (pdf)

Charlie Rose interview June 25 2003
Real Media

Tuesday, February 9th, 1999
"The Clinton administration last week announced a new policy against terrorism, threatening to bomb government facilities in countries that the U.S. considers to be harboring terrorists. Clinton's coordinator for counter-terrorism, Richard Clarke, said that in addition to striking terrorist strongholds, the U.S. "May also choose to retaliate against the facilities of the host country, if that host is a knowing, cooperative sanctuary." "
Or they may not as it turns out LOL! democracynow.org

[mrsmith]

10/09/01
Transcript: Two New White House Posts for Combatting Terrorism Announced
(Dick Clarke for Cyber Security, Gen. Wayne Downing for NSC post) (2390)
National Security Advisor Condoleezza Rice and the Director of Homeland Security, Governor Tom Ridge, announced the creation of two new anti-terrorism posts at a White House ceremony October 9.
Richard A. Clarke was named as Special Advisor to the President for Cyberspace Security and General Wayne Downing as the National Director and Deputy National Security Advisor for Combatting Terrorism. usembassy-australia.state.gov

A lifelong bachelor, he admits to no hobbies

[mrsmith]

From 1999:
The Man Who Protects America From Terrorism The New York Times ^ | February 1, 1999 | TIM WEINER (FR)
"...He helped drive the decision to fire cruise missiles at Afghanistan and Sudan in August, trying to strike at Osama bin Laden, overpowering dissenters at the State Department and the CIA... "

[mrsmith]

Repost of one of yours.

Forgot you (quite correctly)changed your name.

[Nita Nupress]

Thanks for the ping. Good find about Clark.

[mrsmith]

PBS Frontline Program #2103 "The Man Who Knew" Air date: October 3, 2002
"RICHARD CLARKE: Certainly, after the embassy bombing in Africa in '98, it was very obvious that what John was saying was right, that this was more than a nuisance, that this was a real threat. But I don't think everyone came to the understanding that it was an existential threat. Question was, "You know, this group is more than a nuisance, but are they worth going to war with? After all, they've only attacked two embassies, and maybe that's a cost of doing business. This kind of thing happens. Yes, we should spend some time and some energy trying to get them, but it's not the number-one priority we have." "

[mrsmith]

Lots of FAS hits for "Richard Clarke"
"10/08/91 *
U.S. OFFICIAL SAYS SADDAM HUSSEIN LYING ABOUT WEAPONS (Clarke says Iraq ignoring U.N. accords) (890) By M. C. Jaspersen USIA Staff Writer" is a hoot.
""All across the board, they've been lying, they've been hiding, they've been distorting, and they're attempting to maintain a residual weapons capability," Clarke said in an October 7 WorldNet television interview.
Clarke explained that Iraq is obligated to divulge its nuclear, chemical, biological and missile capabilities because "it agreed under U.N. (Security Council) Resolution 687 to allow this access by the United Nations."
...Clarke said the United Nations inspections team has discovered the same pattern of non-compliance exists in the Iraqi chemical weapons field. "Inspections have already revealed that they had chemical weapons of an advanced type that they did not declare to the United Nations."
Furthermore, Clarke said, "They had many more weapons than they've declared, and we suspect that they have weapons hidden away throughout the country that they have not yet yielded up for destruction." "