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Strategy: Crack Force Set to Prise Bin Laden from his Lair
News Telegraph - UK ^
| 9/30/01
Posted on 09/29/2001 8:18:29 PM PDT by GVnana
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To: GVgirl
I have some experience in tunnel construction. A few comments:
It is very difficult to "hide" a tunnel, because every cubic foot of rock excavated must be dumped outside somewhere on the ground. Freshly excavated rock looks quite different from normal ground and its very easy to detect on air photos or satellite photos.
The thing people in tunnels fear most is not cave-ins, it's fire. You are in an enclosed space. Dead-end tunnels need forced ventilation, otherwise the air will stagnate. If there is a fire in a dead-end tunnel you become trapped. If someone disables your ventilation and seals the entrances, you're trapped.
Tunnels with ventilation shafts or multiple adits can be even worse. If fire is introduced in one end, the air can be drawn by the fire which turns the tunnel into a blast furnace. This happened in the Caldecott Tunnel an California a while ago. A tank truck filled with gasoline was in an accident and caught fire. Everything upslope of the truck was incinerated. Bin Laden may feel safe from bombs in his little cave. He will not feel safe when fuel is pumped in his ventilation shafts and ignited.
To: GVgirl
This is a GBU-28 mounted on an F-15 Eagle. Open a hole with one of these and then drop a fuel air bomb into the hole. Oh My!
22
posted on
09/29/2001 9:09:14 PM PDT
by
blam
To: Tony in Hawaii
I thought we had sent a group of plumbers after Bin Laden... LOL! Took me a minute, but I finally got it!
23
posted on
09/29/2001 9:10:17 PM PDT
by
GVnana
To: blam
Japanese TV Fuji Television, with its military reporter, filed a story nearly three days ago detailing the arsenal that is going to be deployed, including GBU and other incredible assests and resources. They are in for sheer hell, based on seeing that file footage from Japanese TV the other day.
To: BigBobber
You know, it strikes me that the best thing we could do is wait and watch with infra-red equipment as the weather turns colder and colder. With each passing day, heat from whatever is below ground will find it's way to escape. As the special forces guys sit patiently watching, they will map every single vent to the surface and then we will have the information to employ all of the destructive weapons mentioned in previous posts.
Whaddayathink?
25
posted on
09/29/2001 9:18:09 PM PDT
by
1John
To: BigBobber
It would be justice.
26
posted on
09/29/2001 9:18:23 PM PDT
by
GVnana
To: GVgirl
Why not put our B52s to work? If they are in mountains, or in a mountainous terrain we can bomb the hell out of the mountain, just above the front door of the cave.
Landslides result, then there is no escape.
27
posted on
09/29/2001 9:25:54 PM PDT
by
super175
To: GVgirl
The problem with caves/tunnels in Vietnam (or so I've been told) was the jungle around them.
No such jungle in Afghanistan.
28
posted on
09/29/2001 9:27:23 PM PDT
by
super175
To: blam
A large tunnel complex must need a large air supply. Even if their air sources are spread over a large area, we only need to find one vent for chemical weapons to be effective. If we just approch the task methodically, as if we were spraying for insects, it shouldn't be too long before those tunnels become a death trap.
29
posted on
09/29/2001 9:27:40 PM PDT
by
PUGACHEV
To: AmericanInTokyo
"They are in for sheer hell, based on seeing that file footage from Japanese TV the other day." If it can be seen, they'll definately believe that Allah has come, that's for sure. They are expecting to be fighting 'the other' super power like they did the Soviet Union.
30
posted on
09/29/2001 9:28:25 PM PDT
by
blam
To: GVgirl
One thing about their underground fortress...they are in a fixed location and when entrances are sealed they are trapped. It would be cool if we had little ground terrain robots (like that bot war show) packed with explosives that could be sent into these caves by remote control or interactive software. Why do the dirty work when a robot can do it for you?
31
posted on
09/29/2001 9:29:40 PM PDT
by
WRhine
To: BigBobber
What would a B52 load of Napalm bombs dropped on the front door of a cave in precision manner do?
32
posted on
09/29/2001 9:30:17 PM PDT
by
super175
To: 1John
According to USAToday it is already getting down into the 40's in Kabul. In the mountains it will be much colder.
I wonder if we can locate body heat from space...
33
posted on
09/29/2001 9:36:25 PM PDT
by
super175
To: PUGACHEV
"Even if their air sources are spread over a large area, we only need to find one vent for chemical weapons to be effective. If we just approch the task methodically, as if we were spraying for insects, it shouldn't be too long before those tunnels become a death trap." They surely must have thought of that but, I don't know how they could counter it. The mines will be our biggest problem. No doubt, every vent is mined (...and maybe booby trapped) for miles around. I suppose an antipersonnel bomb could be used to explode the mines before entering the area.
34
posted on
09/29/2001 9:36:36 PM PDT
by
blam
To: hc87
Just fill all the caves and tunnels with Amonium Nitrate and Fuel oil, wire it to a triggering device and and stand back.
Comment #36 Removed by Moderator
To: 1John
I was thinking something similar this morning--eventually they will need supplies and it must be easy for a spy plane to track body heat. But I wonder if Bin Laden is even in Afghanistan now---he's had several weeks to flee to other places where he could just disappear--Kashmir, Pakistan, Chechnyia. If he's out, we're probably in a position to hurt him badly by destroying infrastructure and a cadre of fighters, but much of his network will remain in place.
37
posted on
09/29/2001 9:39:41 PM PDT
by
hc87
To: jpthomas
I wonder how many of these terrorist have ever been exposed to a flash bang grenade?
To: GVgirl
To: P-Marlowe
We have means to do this but we won't do it. Not politically correct you know. Harvard professors might write books criticizing President Bush .
Better we send in troops . They'll figure something out. Eventually. Just like last time. And the time before that.
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