Bin Laden Hunt

The Washington Times ^ | 07-20-2007 | Bill Gertz

[SevenMinusOne]

No - UBL is very much alive (Just as is Zawahiri, Mullah Omar and another half-dozen HVTs we've been after since Sept 11th)...

But we'll put guns or a JDAM on his as$ one of these days. We have warriors risking all 24/7 deep in Indian country to see that this day happens......And it will.

[Fred Nerks]

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1869243/posts

whoops!

Pakistan: Negotiating with the Taliban, again
The Fourth Rail ^ | July 20, 2007 1:37 PM | Bill Roggio

Posted on 07/20/2007 3:45:12 PM PDT by Ernest_at_the_Beach

Report: Bin Laden Already Dead
Wednesday, December 26, 2001

[SevenMinusOne]

Using a ground offensive instead of the airstrikes to capture Osama is dangerous, obvious and slow, therefore it creates a low probability of successful capture of Osama. Disposal of the evidence is still a big problem with a ground offensive. This would also create at least some American witnesses to his demise, and violates Strategy #5. The information would leak out eventually.

You don't understand the terrain of Stan all that well - It takes boots on the ground 9 our of 10 times to gather and find the needed HUMINT...Then boots on the ground still to flush an HVT into a target zone...where death from above can arrive... "Decapitation" strikes (sans any shooters on the ground) are much more Hollywood then real life...

And all those eyes in the sky, bells and whistles you give so much credit to....They are for d*ck more often then not in this region of the world....The landscape / terrain simply do not allow for such suggestions as

"We have satellites and other above-ground-level vehicles that can actually read the brand on a pack of cigarettes laying on the ground"....

...Not throughout much of the Stan/Pak Mtns & border regions we do not.....

[maine-iac7]

The “new” video has the exact same background on left and the same tree leaves in sky area...and same clothes, everything -

I can’t find the better two photos that show this now - but as an professional artist/photographer, I can tell you that the “new” clip is from the old one.

Here’s a couple links about it tho’

on MSNBC “NBC: Footage of al-Qaida leader may be from before Sept. 11 attacks”

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/19765662/

http://www.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/meast/07/14/bin.laden.video/index.html#cnnSTCVideo

http://mypetjawa.mu.nu/archives/188702.php
*scroll down on this link

http://www.prisonplanet.com/articles/july2007/180707oldfootage.htm

So as to your question. Why? I was also an investigative reporter (I’m now an old retired granny) and I have been dismayed at what passes for journalism today. It seems as tho’ no ones goes out and “gets” the story, or delves into the veracity of a story anymore. They just cop and parrot stories from other sources. Laziness.

[Daaave]

"Al Qaeda in Iran" 2,630,000 hits at google.

9/11 Commission Finds Ties Between al-Qaeda and Iran, time.com

Intercepts Show Senior Al Qaeda in Iran Played Role, foxnews.com

Iran holds Al Qaeda's top leaders, csmonitor.com

Iran admits holding al Qaeda operatives, cnn.com

Terror Watch: Mounting Evidence on Iran, More Evidence of an Iran-Al Qaeda Connection. msnbc.msn.com

[windsorknot]

The Dims are hoping that OBL remains at large (even though they say otherwise) as long as Bush is in the White House. Political power is more important to them than the capture of OBL. Of course OBL won’t be any less elusive when they (the Dims) control the WH and Congress, especially if their wish for the “redeployment” of our troops comes to pass.

[SunkenCiv]

a confident dead guy... heh...

[RTO]

OK, the tape is a regurgitation... and the Administration “admitted” (to use Prison planet’s word) that it was probably a rehash... I like how the “reporter” slips those suggestive phrases into the storyline.

But why use a source as suspect as is prison planet? Are these not the same crackpots who think America did not land a man on the moon? Are these not the “black helicopter over America” / contrail nuts? Are these not the same who believe the Pentagon was brought down by an American missile... that the WTC was a CIA demolitions project? Etc, etc... Alex Jones has less than zero credibility when he talks seriously about “owl-worshiping” pols, friend and foe alike, gathered from the four corners of the world, to some “Bohemian Grove.”

Other than that... the thing is an issue of sloppy reporting and assumptions.

RTO

[Straight Vermonter]

I think you are close on UBL’s whereabouts. I have thought he was likely in Chitral across the border from Nouristan. From this area he is <100 miles from being able to slip into Tajikistan, Afghanistan, Pakistan, China or India (Kashmir).

There is even regular airline service from Peshwar so his ISI buddies (or AQ buddies) can fly in to see him.

[Beckwith]

In 1227, Genghis Khan, a master horse rider fell from his horse during a hunt. He was severely injured and died shortly after. His body was taken back to his birthplace, northeast of Ulaanbaatar. According to legend, anyone meeting the funeral procession was killed, so no one would know of Ghengis’s death.

Obama’s, oops — sorry, Osama’s dead and his body has been hidden by Zawahiri, so as not to discourage bin Laden’s followers.

How else is his three-plus years absence explained. He’s too much of an egoist to remain hidden.

[HighWheeler]

Thanks for your comments.

When Bush proclaimed that the US would withdraw from the war if BinLaden was handed over for $25M, it implied that Bush knew Bin Laden had already been killed.

When the “American Taliban fighter, John Walker”, was captured in late 2001, it cemented the fact that infiltration of the Taliban would be possible by Americans, and that Bin Laden could be monitored closely, so that the huge strike in Afghanistan could wipe him out.

We saw a tape of Bin Laden a week after 9/11 talking about the WTC attacks.

However, notice that since then, we have never seen a video tape of Bin Laden that proves he has been alive anytime after the initial WTC attack and his follow up video.

The Islamofacists would love nothing better than to taunt the US with recent video images of Bin Laden proving that he’s alive.

But they can’t.

[SevenMinusOne]

When the “American Taliban fighter, John Walker”, was captured in late 2001, it cemented the fact that infiltration of the Taliban would be possible by Americans, and that Bin Laden could be monitored closely, so that the huge strike in Afghanistan could wipe him out.

Your suggestion here is tremendously far-fetched - I'll leave it at that, regarding this - Just not an accurate assessment / conclusion (we would have killed many more AQ/Taliban HVTs under your premise very early on within the first weeks...Zawahiri and Omar would neither be alive as they are today.

We saw a tape of Bin Laden a week after 9/11 talking about the WTC attacks.

Yes, we saw a video of UBL that we (U.S. SOF) recovered during an Op - It was not something released via AQ - Furthermore the reality is AQ & the Taliban never believed we had the capabilities of routing them so quickly...or of having boots on the ground hunting them so effectively - This put a tremendous scare throughout AQ & Taliban HVTs (and they ran for Pakistan in short order).

The best Intel on UBL whereabouts in late Sept, 2001 came from TRODPINT - Now a disbanded and unclassified group that used to hunt / try and keep tabs UBL early on - Both before and after Sept 11th - TRODPINT is a group of Afghan & Uzbek fighters signed up by the CIA - It was this group that helped in finding Mir Kasi - Who was wanted for killing two CIA employees - Members of this unit are confident UBL left the Tora Bora Mtns for Pakistan a week or so prior to our bombing campaign there. He did so likely through Parachinar

The Islamofacists would love nothing better than to taunt the US with recent video images of Bin Laden proving that he’s alive. But they can’t.

UBL's first concern is with staying alive. Plain and simple. Furthermore, why would UBL/AQ not want him to put out videos? Because each time in doing so he is exposing himself to additional risk. It is simple as that.

AQ does not hide their leaders deaths. They celebrate them. It is how they honor them. It would be seen as a great insult to UBL had he passed and AQ failed to recognize his passing....Again, understand for AQ and radical Islam it is much easier to spin the truth....then to hide a lie....

And what I mean by AQ could easily spin the truth of UBL death - Is that they could declare it a victory (as they have with other HVTs) - while adhering to the Muslim obligation to honor their leaders deaths....They could easily announce something along the lines of that he had died of natural causes if they wanted..

For example..... "Our great commander was kept hidden and protected by the hand of Allah and passed peacefully....All the while the infidel American's were futile in their attempts to kill him. The infidels filled our sky's with aircraft and our lands with soldiers and yet they were still shown to be no match for Allah who while protecting our Sheik from them continues to stain our sacred ground with their blood daily...And so now we announce that our Sheik has passed....He lived as long as Allah decreed, for no other way is possible....no matter of the infidels futile efforts."

Also recognize it is not in your enemies interest to show you what you want to know....AQ/UBL would be happy to think that some of us wonder at times if we are chasing a ghost..

Regarding the latest AQ video (with a segment of UBL footage within it)...It seems many are out needlessly chasing rabbits on this one -

Let's be clear - AQ never suggested this was a *new* video of Sheik Bin Laden....It was the MSM whom did (for their own political and or inherently incompetent reasons)....

The first time AQ officially releases a UBL video under the guise of it being *new* and it is later shown not to be....Then these rabbit trails many of you are running down....may actually turn into big game. Until then, many are just chasing needless rabbits....

Bottom line is where UBL and Zawahiri have eked out their survival is in a sh*t part of the world and an even sh*tter area to operate in or to bring progress to....(and they know it and choose this area because of such) -

Time was on these SOB side in the short run for staying alive & eking out a survival (no they aren't necessarily living from cold wet cave to cold wet cave.....Though at times I'll bet they have been - But they are also well aware that at any moment we just may put guns or a JDAM on their as$ - They can't communicate freely whatsoever, they must ask for protection and worry everyday that someone just may turn and provide that needed HUMINT for us to swoop in - It cannot be a comfortable life in the least).

We'll get both Zawahiri and UBL one of these days - That varible of time is now turning toward our favor - Regards,

[SevenMinusOne]

Correction - My comments should have said...The best Intel on UBL whereabouts in late Nov, 2001 (not Sept).

[RTO]

“How else is his three-plus years absence explained. He’s too much of an egoist to remain hidden.”

Perhaps, but it may also be that his desire to remain among the living is greater than his rhetoric to martyr ones self for Allah. Just a possibility ;)

[Beckwith]

He’s hard-core jihadii — he would gladly die for Allah — but to die of crappy kidneys doesn’t get you your 72 virgins.

[RTO]

“He’s hard-core jihadii — he would gladly die for Allah — but to die of crappy kidneys doesn’t get you your 72 virgins.”

How about 72 virgins with jaundice?

No?

How about one camel with dysentery?