Revealed: How Bungled US Raid Came Close To Disaster

The Guardian ^ | November 6, 2001 | Luke Harding, Julian Borger, Richard Norton-Taylor

[MHGinTN]

The head of the Joint Chiefs stated flatly that none of the twelve casualties were cause by enemy fire. The raid was a smashing success for what the man didn't tell the fool, Russert ... the Delta dudes took possession of massive amount of data from Omar's offices! Files, puter hard drives, etc. all removed during the raid. The Rangers offered cover, Delta collected the intel. Smooth and efficient, and the operation only ran three minutes over on ground.

[Liberal Bob]

These guys have lied and lied and they still find some nitwit to believe them. And what is the proof, why they have a wheel from a helicopter. And blood from where 20 of their own solders died.

Do you really think that the Army could or would hide the death of a solder that occurred on an announced mission? And for what purpose? We were told at the get go to expect to see heavy US casualties.

Dip

Liberal Bob's liberal board

[yooper]

"Sorry Bushies, this administration is just as corrupt as the one before it, and its propaganda machine is just as good if not better."

A close second..... Cheddar?

[Theresa]

This war is NOT about oil. But here are a few reason not to be so PRISSY about fighting for oil. Oil is the blood of civilzation. It runs ambulances, it gets goods to market, it gets medicines to hospitals, it gets food to your pantry so you can eat!!! What do you exist on... high ideals? FOOL.

[wayne_shrugged]

Are you also kookoo for Cocoa Puffs?

[gatex]

"...for the sake of lucrative oil drilling and transportation contracts, a lifetime of profits for America's big oil companies."

Then you are a hypocrite if you use the oil products.

[doug from upland]

I officially recognize your comments and hereby name you:

WEENIE OF THE WEEK

Don't you dare compare Clinton to Bush. This is only partially about oil. These Islamist bastards have done what the Nazis, Imperial Japanese, Fascists, and Soviets never did --- they killed over 5,000 of our citizens in an invasion of our largest city.

[jwh_Denver]

Nice! Good hearing that. Thanks!

[kim r.]

post #11 well-said!

[11B3]

Your attempted counterattack for your liberal hack friend won't cut it. Let's ask one question here - I'd like for you to explain exactly why a senior Delta Force officer would even consider speaking to anyone from the New Yorker? Except maybe to ask that person if he wanted to see his heart while it was still beating as it was being pulled out of his chest. (Pumping a vile smelling yellow substance.)

[Terrorista Nada]

Regurgitated Taliban propaganda originally written by discredited liar Seymour Hersh in the New Yorker magazine. He's the same guy that accused U.S. Army General Barry McCaffrey and his 24th Division of massacring thousands of Iraqis during the Gulf War after the cease fire. This story proved to be totally false in four investigations, including two by the Army Inspector General and the Army's Criminal Investigation Division. And the Pentagon has denied his most recent lie as well. Hersh wrote the "My Lie" story, as well, in Vietnam.

U.S. Air Force

[dandelion]

I have no doubt that the Taliban may have been waiting for the Delta Force when they landed - but that would point a bloody finger at the fifth column press who trumpeted the raid before they even hit the ground. No fault can be laid on the military, when every move they make is revealed by a press so willing to spill the blood of soldiers for the sake of a dime...

[dandelion]

See post #32 for a rehash of why Hersh was discredited...

[ForGod'sSake]

You have been a member since 1997?

I'll tell you something mighty strange. I have run across several of these dim bulbs over the last week or two spewing garbage in our living room whose postings show NOTHING prior to say, 11/01. And yet they have been registered on the forum for 2 - 3 years? Somehting is amiss here; as in something stinks.

FGS

[Leisler]

Another Serb idiot.

Mark Twain said it, A lie is halfway around the world before truth gets out of bed. But you knew this and also knew that this "story" has been shreaded and yet you posted it, thus exposing your pathetic loser nature. Thanks for stepping out into the light.

[Rokke]

Here you go Mert. Stop believing everything you read in the liberal press.

1. "This is no war for Special Operations," one officer said
Nobody actually in the U.S. military would even think that, never mind say it. In any context.

2."The Rangers' parachute jump took place only after an Army Pathfinder team—a specialized unit that usually works behind enemy lines—had been inserted into the area and had confirmed that the airfield was clear of Taliban forces."
This is controversial?!?! Try standard operating procedure. We learned in WWII the importance of putting scouts on the ground before inserting a large number of troops by parachute.

3. "Why would you film it? I'm a big fan of keeping things secret—and this was being driven by public opinion."
Such a big fan of secrecy that he chooses to blab to some lying POS reporter. Crappy source.

4. "They operated strictly in secret," Bowden wrote. "You'd meet this guy hanging out at a bar around Bragg..."
Amazingly, all that secrecy is now in the past, as many members of Delta Force currently deployed in unknown locations are calling all their buds to fill them in on how screwed up their last mission was. Nice try Seymour.

5. "The mission was initiated by sixteen AC-130 gunships, which poured thousands of rounds into the surrounding area..."
Considering we only have 21 in the whole Air Force, and most of those remain in the U.S., I find it absolutely AMAZING we put 16 of them over a single compound. Not to mention that 16 AC-130's would lay down such a carpet of lead the guys on the ground would need a week with heavy equipment just to unbury the target compound.

6. "It was like an ambush. The Taliban were firing light arms and either R.P.G.s"—rocket-propelled grenades—"or mortars." The chaos was terrifying. "
Light arms and RPG's shot at night by non-NVG equipped Taliban against a "100 soldier" Delta Force "squadron", would be like a few mosquitoes on a moose. To imply that this was something men trained to the level of Delta Force commandoes couldn't handle is idiocy.

7. "Don't put us in an environment we weren't prepared for."
Apparently, the author would have us believe Delta Force isn't prepared to raid enemy compounds at night. THAT'S THEIR WHOLE F*#^$ING JOB.

8. "On Sunday, October 21st, the day after the raids, the London Sunday Telegraph reported that the United States had requested the immediate assignment to Afghanistan of the entire regiment of Britain's élite commando units, the Special Air Service..."
Gee, after-action reports weren't even in the system, and we already decided we needed to call the SAS to the rescue. Could it be, that just maybe, we'd already requested the SAS troops. Besides, I thought "military sources" had already determined that "this is no war for Special Forces."

[droberts]

I would argue we all use oil products as much as we do because any viable alternative gets suppressed.

[droberts]

It's because people like him put up contrarian points of view that we do have a free nation.