Posted on 10/30/2004 5:01:31 PM PDT by Saberwielder
Pakistan ‘gives Al-Qaeda refuge’
Nicholas Rufford
OSAMA BIN LADEN is being given safe haven with the help of Pakistani officials, British security sources believe.
Recent intelligence reports coming from remote tribal areas of Pakistan have indicated the Al-Qaeda leader is being given refuge by senior figures in the regional government.
America has given Pakistan tens of millions of dollars since the start of the war on terrorism and the hunt for Bin Laden. There is growing impatience in Washington at the failure of the military to capture him.
He is believed to be hiding along the mountainous 1,500mile frontier between Pakistan and Afghanistan, where many people are hostile to America.
A senior British source said the growing view in the British and American intelligence communities was that Bin Laden was in the area and receiving support. “It’s the kind of help that suggests he is being protected or he has bought influence,” said the source.
A videotape broadcast last Friday by Al-Jazeera confirmed that Bin Laden was in good health, despite reports that he was dying of kidney failure. His gestures also contradicted rumours that he had lost the use of an arm. He was dressed in a golden cloak and white turban at a lectern, in a pose similar to those adopted by the candidates in the US presidential debates.
Bin Laden claimed President George W Bush had misled electors by saying America was safer now than it was three years ago. He taunted the president for giving the hijackers more time than they expected to carry out the September 11 attacks, claiming Bush continued to read the book My Pet Goat to schoolchildren in Florida when told that a plane had hit the World Trade Center.
“A little girl’s talk about her goat and its butting was more important than the planes and their butting of the skyscrapers,” Bin Laden said.
“The best way to avoid another Manhattan” was for the US to change its Middle East policy. “Your security is not in the hands of Kerry, Bush or Al-Qaeda. Your security is in your own hands,” Bin Laden said.
Magnus Ranstorp, a St Andrews University terrorism expert, said the tape could signal another attack: “There has often been a correlation between Bin Laden appearing and attacks being launched.”
The tape’s main purpose would be to undermine America’s sense of security and damage Bush. “What he’s saying is less important than the fact he appears at all,” Ranstorp said.
For the same reasons you stated, I don't buy that the Pakis are sheltering him either. No more than we "sheltered" Atta and those 18 other pigs.
We are not in a position to invade Pakistan nor are we going to risk american lives to go up in those caves.
Kerry would still be dithering and the Taliban would still be murdering everyone in sight if he had his way.
Arafat was going to be the last Muslim extremist to die. Look what happened -- dementia.
Yep, I've been duly smacked! :)
Oh wait - I forget the article was written in the UK. They speak English there.
The distinction you make is correct and is important and you're right some Freepers carelessly miss it. However, it is the Times that wishes to blur the distinction -- in English.
Start with the headline:
Damn misleading in my book...
Tell them "No soup for you!"
If I rob a 7-Eleven for $20, I'm doing 5 years in the slammer. Arafat has orchestrated thousands of murders, the destruction of hundreds of millions of dollars in property, and has stolen over a billion dollars for himself. He's given godly status and his family will be able to spend a fortune for several generations. What a load of crap that is. /rant off
The article alleges that a local government is sheilding al-Qaeda. That's a hell of an accusation and it needs to be backed up with something besides anonymous sources and a vague reference to some arm of a regional government somewhere along a 1500 mile border.
Welcome aboard my FRiend! ; )
If I rob a 7-Eleven for $20, I'm doing 5 years in the slammer. Arafat has orchestrated thousands of murders, the destruction of hundreds of millions of dollars in property, and has stolen over a billion dollars for himself. He's given godly status and his family will be able to spend a fortune for several generations. What a load of crap that is. /rant off
You can blame it on the Europeans, especially the French. They resumed their traditional anti-semitic stance and started supporting (ie: excusing and courting) Arafat and his terrorism shortly after the 1967 war. To bad the Europeans didn't just leave the Ottoman Empire in place after WWI instead of inventing a lot of artificial countries in the middle east and then walking away when they realized it wasn't going to work. Once again, as in WWI, WWII and Vietnam, we are stuck with dealing with a problem created by the Europeans.
You guys need a sense of humor.
"senior figures in the regional government" -- I think this has been known. Pakistan is bursting at the buttons. Bin Laden will be rounded up, and a bunch of his collaborators will be tried, found guilty, and executed by Pakistan.
Pakistan is the darkest deepest hole in the world
Well at least Bin Laden is where he ought to be while still alive.
You do (I hope) understand that in Pakistan's outer regions "local government" is a group of tribal elders who meet in a mud hut.
I agree. The title was very misleading. Regional figures being pro-Al Qaeda in Pakistan is not suprising.
Humor? Okay you got it.
"Take my wife for instance.....please!"
Pakistan's outer regions "local government is a group of tribal elders who meet in a mud hut.
That is, there is no government or law there as we know it. That's why we can't get at him without invading Pakistan. It's a very difficult situation and Kerry knows it but he freely criticizes knowing Bush cannot really respond.
Gee, you mean South Waziristan isn't the center of civilization?
What ever made you think I thought it was anything but a bunch of semi autonomous tribes in the mountains hard up against Afghanistan?
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.