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Too awful to check: CIA passed on bin Laden hit in 1999?
Hot Air ^ | 8/29/2012 | ED MORRISSEY

Posted on 08/29/2012 9:48:05 AM PDT by middlegeorgian

According to a new book released this summer from a former member of Polish intelligence and reported by McClatchy today, an anti-Taliban guerilla group offered the CIA a perfect opportunity to end the threat of al-Qaeda’s inspirational leader, Osama bin Laden, in 1999 — after the Khobar Towers attack in 1996 that killed 19 Air Force personnel, and after the twin embassy bombings in Kenya and Tanzania in 1998 that killed 12 Americans and more than 200 people overall. All the CIA had to do was green-light an assassination mission by the group run by Ahmed Shah Massoud, as they already had the route and locations bin Laden planned to use in his journey to Kandahar, and assure them that the group would get the $5 million reward if they succeeded. The CIA flat-out refused, citing existing American law, and said that either OBL was to be captured alive or not at all, according to the intelligence officer involved in the negotiations:

"“They gave us the exact location of the houses where bin Laden would be staying in Kandahar, the route he would be taking between his living quarters, his meeting place, and what kind of transportation he would be using,” Makowski told McClatchy in a recent interview, referring to the city in southern Afghanistan that was the Taliban’s seat of power. The Afghans planned to use car bombs to kill the Saudi-born leader of al Qaida.

But on Oct. 14, 1999, a CIA officer whom Makowski identified as “Jim” flew to Warsaw with a response. “I would like everyone here to be absolutely clear on one thing: We do not have a license to kill,” “Jim” told top officials at the headquarters of Polish intelligence. Makowski, at the time a businessman, said he was at the meeting."

(Excerpt) Read more at hotair.com ...


TOPICS: Foreign Affairs
KEYWORDS: billclinton; binladen; taliban

1 posted on 08/29/2012 9:48:15 AM PDT by middlegeorgian
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To: middlegeorgian

“Are there no men in Washington?”


2 posted on 08/29/2012 9:53:41 AM PDT by Tennessee Nana
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To: middlegeorgian

Doh!


3 posted on 08/29/2012 10:05:43 AM PDT by Wally_Kalbacken
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To: Tennessee Nana

“Are there no men in Washington?”

Clinton turned down OBL more than once also.


4 posted on 08/29/2012 10:10:24 AM PDT by mountainlion (I am voting for Sarah after getting screwed again by the DC Thugs.)
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To: mountainlion

Don’t you remember the remark that George Bush made about Clinton sending missiles to do nothing but hit a camel in the butt? He was referring to the raid that gave Bin Laden time to get away before the missile was fired.


5 posted on 08/29/2012 10:12:10 AM PDT by Eva
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To: Tennessee Nana

Not in any positions of influence. Only Lawyers.

The one that got me was at the start of Afghanistan. An armed drone found a convoy with bin Laden’s wives and kids in it, with armed escorts, etc. The Al Qaeda bodyguards and their vehicles were perfectly legal targets and bin Laden’s bimbos and brats would have just been lovely “collateral damage” icing on the cake.

And the Pentagon lawyers said “No.”


6 posted on 08/29/2012 10:15:43 AM PDT by Little Ray (AGAINST Obama in the General.)
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To: Eva

Didn’t fearless leader C blow up an aspirin factory also?


7 posted on 08/29/2012 10:22:49 AM PDT by mountainlion (Live well for those that did not make it back.)
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To: middlegeorgian

Somehow, I just think that the puke Jamie Gorelick was involved in the cowardly decision!


8 posted on 08/29/2012 10:34:59 AM PDT by Noob1999 (Loose Lips, Sink Ships)
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To: mountainlion

Yes, the aspirin factory was right before he sent missiles into Bin Laden’s camp, after everyone left.


9 posted on 08/29/2012 10:38:05 AM PDT by Eva
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To: middlegeorgian

There were several time where Clinton or his aides passed on the chance to capture or kill Bin Laden.


10 posted on 08/29/2012 10:45:43 AM PDT by Blood of Tyrants (Never believe anything in politics until it has been officially denied.)
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To: mountainlion

Didn’t fearless leader C blow up an aspirin factory also?


And bombed the Chinese Embassy in former Yugoslavia...


11 posted on 08/29/2012 11:31:27 AM PDT by Hotlanta Mike (Resurrect the House Committee on Un-American Activities (HUAC)...before there is no America!)
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To: Blood of Tyrants

When I was on a Tiger Cruise on my son’s submarine, the fire control chief said that when he was on the Scranton back in the 90’s, bin Laden’s location was targeted and he was ready to push the button, waiting for the order to come down to fire the missile. The order never came.


12 posted on 08/29/2012 1:12:50 PM PDT by rwa265 ("This is My Beloved Son, Listen to Him.")
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