Posted on 07/13/2007 10:57:42 AM PDT by Ancient Drive
WASHINGTON - The US Senate Friday doubled the bounty on Osama bin Laden to 50 million dollars, reflecting frustration that the Al Qaeda mastermind remains free and rising anxiety over possible future attacks.
The vote followed a flurry of reports that the group behind the September 11 strikes in 2001 had rebuilt its safe haven, leadership and capacity to plot terror operations, and was trying to sneak operatives into the United States.
The Senate voted by 87-1 to boost the price on Bin Ladens head under the State Department Rewards for Justice program, which has already paid out millions of dollars for top US targets, including Saddam Husseins sons.
It directs Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice to authorize a reward of 50 million dollars for the capture or death or information leading to the capture or death of Osama bin Laden.
The bill also addresses frustration among some lawmakers that the Bush administration has still not caught bin Laden, despite launching a massive manhunt after the September 11 attacks, nearly six years go.
It requires the secretaries of state and defence and the director of national intelligence to produce a report to Congress every 90 days on progress towards bringing bin Laden and other terror leaders to justice.
North Dakota Senator Byron Dorgan, who wrote the amendment to a defence policy bill, said it has been six years, and Al Qaeda is now rebuilding its terrorist training camps, along with the Taleban, in a safe harbor.
It has been six years and they are reconstituting their ability to attack us, he said.
Dorgan warned Al Qaeda remains the greatest threat to the United States, even after these six long years; after two wars ... after trillions of dollars spent on those wars and for homeland security, after the deaths of thousands of our military, and after the wounding of tens of thousands of our military. Senators who spoke on the amendment mentioned a leaked draft of a new National Intelligence Estimate, which reportedly warned Al Qaeda had rebuilt a safe haven and leadership structure in Pakistani border areas.
As debate about a possible future attack by Al Qaeda on US territory mounted in Washington, Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff said this week that he had a gut feeling there was a heightened current risk of an attack.
President George W. Bush on Thursday denied reports that the intelligence assessment found Al Qaeda was back to its pre-September 11 strength.
There is a perception in the coverage that Al Qaeda may be as strong today as they were prior to September 11th. Thats simply not the case, Bush said.
White House deputy spokeswoman Dana Perino said Friday that the new national intelligence estimate was expected to be delivered to Bush within weeks.
The Washington Post reported Thursday that the group had rebuilt itself despite extensive US efforts to destroy the network.
The CIAs deputy director for intelligence, John Kringen, told a congressional committee on Wednesday that Al Qaeda appears to be fairly well-settled into the safe haven in the ungoverned spaces of Pakistan.
The Rewards for Justice Program has so far paid out 62 million dollars in bounties leading to top US terror suspects or for the prevention of terror attacks, the State Department says.
Among the top payouts were the 15 million dollars each for Saddams sons Uday and Qusay Hussein, killed by US troops in Iraq in 2003.
Now if they throw in an iPhone that might work
fortress
With the bounty this high (even at 25 mil), would it have been worth it for some terrorists to turn over his dead body for the sake of adding 25 (now 50) million to Al Qaeda’s coffers?
Although I do kinda lean towards him being dead becasue of the lack of new video’s from him, but last time I thought that, he showed up in a new video/audio tape.
Let’s see:
1) 20,000 Pakistani troops amass in northern tribal area for a significant confrontation with Al Qaeda. Bush putting more pressure on Musharif?
2) Musharif reverses course and takes a more aggressive stance with terrorist inside Mosque.
3) London bomb attacks.
4) FBI discovers new significance to old emails thought unimportant becuase of new evidence from London attack bombers.
3) Ayman Al-Zawahiri’s last tape concerns FBI because of repeated remarks considered unusual. FBI wonders is this an attack signal.
4) Bush admin. gives FBI two weeks to follow up and act on 700 leads in this country (100 leads in NY city).
5) Chertoff all of a sudden not so tight lipped about gut feeling.
6) Terrorists noise is at very high volume. Some in law enforcement considers this the “summer of chatter”
7) Bin Laden bounty now becomes 50 million.
Conclusion: Something’s up
oops...forgive my misnumbering. LOL
Hmmmmmm?
Price of gold per oz. in September of 2001= $285
Price of gold per oz. in July of 2007= $655
$25M * 655/285 = $57M
That’s about right, but it still looks like it’s about $7M short.
When it gets up to $100 million, I’m buying a plane ticket for Pakistan.
lol. Probably the funniest 10 minutes of on-screen time in movie history.
I understand they cannot comprehend how much $50 million is.
Give them something they WILL understand. The person who gives the location of Osama will receive their WEIGHT IN GOLD COIN.
Then watch them scramble.
throw in a a dozen mountain goats wearing pink thongs and the locals will turn him in
Like those idiots know the difference between 25 and 50 million.
Add to it a full pardon for however they gotta get the job done.
Nope, just the Senate trying to look like they're doing something when they're really doing nothing. Show me the raghead for which 25 mil was not enough, but 50 mil is.
He’s been in Iran and they don’t want the money.
Make it a billion apiece for him and his deputy Zawahiri. It would be money well spent.
I don’t know. $50M bones for a dead man? I would put that bounty on the #”2” a$$hole instead!
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