Posted on 04/29/2012 5:22:33 PM PDT by yoe
BLOW TO AFGHAN PEACE HOPES AS DOCUMENTS REVEAL BIN LADEN, ZAWAHIRI AND OMAR DISCUSSED JOINT OPERATIONS AGAINST NATO.
Documents found in the house where Osama bin Laden was killed a year ago show a close working relationship between top al-Qaida leaders and Mullah Omar, the overall commander of the Taliban, including frequent discussions of joint operations against Nato forces in Afghanistan, the Afghan government and targets in Pakistan.
The communications show a three-way conversation between Bin Laden, his then deputy Ayman Zawahiri and Omar, who is believed to have been in Pakistan since fleeing Afghanistan after the collapse of his regime in 2001.
They indicate a "very considerable degree of ideological convergence", a Washington-based source familiar with the documents told the Guardian.
(Excerpt) Read more at guardian.co.uk ...
This should come as no surprise to ANYONE, check out this story that has conveniently slipped down the memory hole:
Taliban Slammed Over bin Laden Appointment
United Press International
August 30, 2001
MOSCOW — Russia’s Foreign Ministry on Thursday condemned the appointment of Saudi terrorism suspect Osama bin Laden as the commander-in-chief of the armed forces of Afghanistan’s ruling Taliban regime, the official RIA Novosti news agency reported.
Bin Laden’s appointment confirmed that a center of international terrorism is being set up in Taliban-controlled territory, the ministry said in a statement.
“Pseudo-religious values are being used as a cover to prepare a bridgehead for expansion of militant extremism and separatism far beyond the region’s borders,” added the statement.
This month, Russian media quoted Pakistan’s Nation daily as saying that the Taliban had named bin Laden commander of their troops. Afghanistan’s civil war concerns the Kremlin as hundreds of Russian border guards monitor the Afghan-Tajik border and a potential spill of violence could plunge the whole region into chaos.
Moreover, the Taliban’s aim to build an orthodox Islamic state has given rise to many Islamic extremist movements in the former Soviet republics in Central Asia. In recent years, Islamic insurgents from Afghanistan launched raids on Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan.
The Taliban’s ongoing clashes with the Northern Alliance movement backing ousted President Burhanuddin Rabbani — the leader of the government general recognized by international organizations — have alerted Russia and its partners as arms smuggling, drug trafficking, kidnapping and other crimes have flourished along the Afghan-Tajik border.
On Thursday, Moscow also condemned the appointment of Juma Namangani as bin Laden’s deputy. Namangani, an ethnic Uzbek, was liked to a number of raids on Kyrgyzstan’s Batken district over the last three years. Namangani advocates creation of an Islamic state run by a regime similar to the Taliban’s and spreading over Central Asia.
“Incorporation of the international terrorists’ leaders into the ruling structures of the Taliban shows the need to take decisive measures to collectively counter global challenges that are put forward from the Taliban-controlled territory,” said the statement.
Actually, no. I remember no such thing. If you're talking late September 2001, lots of our cluless "leaders" were toeing the "PC' line.
How many times does this connection need to be verified, anyway?
So, maybe he did say that about the Taliban. Wouldn't surprise.
....So how come this "3-way conversation" was not detected by our CIA / military etc experts when it took place....enquiring minds seek to know....
We need Sheffif Apagio on the job.
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