Bin Laden's Iraq Plan (Newsweek)

Newsweek ^ | 12/08/03 | Sami Yousafzai, Ron Moreau and Michael Hirsh

[ChipShot]

During the muslim holy month of Ramadan, three senior Qaeda representatives allegedly held a secret meeting in Afghanistan with two top Taliban commanders.

AT THAT MEETING, according to Taliban sources, Osama bin Laden’s men officially broke some bad news to emissaries from Mullah Mohammed Omar, the elusive leader of Afghanistan’s ousted fundamentalist regime. Their message: Al Qaeda would be diverting a large number of fighters from the anti-U.S. insurgency in Afghanistan to Iraq. Al Qaeda also planned to reduce by half its $3 million monthly contribution to Afghan jihadi outfits.

[ChipShot]

Such negative spin to this article. Don't we want these idiots to move around and get out in the open where we have people that know how to deal with them.

Over there and not over here.

I did a search and could not believe that this was not already posted, so if this is a double post please forgive me.

[sonsofliberty2000]

Bin Laden knows where Iraq is? I thought there was no connections at all? < /sarcasm>

Patriot Paradox
Anxiety Closet

Please vote for my blog and for King of Fools (Chewed Gum on FR) at the 2003 Weblog Awards. I am in Large Mammal category, and he is in Best New Weblog

[Coop]

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[syriacus]

If true, bin Laden’s shift of focus could be unsettling news for George W. Bush.

Meanwhile, it might sound like good news to the folks in Afghanistan.

[KellyAdmirer]

So was bin Laden at the "Hate Bush" meeting too? Is it so terrible to face the terrorists where we are increasingly prepared for them, Iraq, instead of in Afghanistan, which we just want to settle down and not cause any problems?

[syriacus]

Bin Laden knows where Iraq is? I thought there was no connections at all? < /sarcasm>

It would be interesting to see exactly where his men head in Iraq. Maybe their choices of destinations will help us answer some questions about pre-war Iraq.

[sonsofliberty2000]

My guess is Tikrit.

Patriot Paradox
Anxiety Closet

Please vote for my blog and for King of Fools (Chewed Gum on FR) at the 2003 Weblog Awards. I am in Large Mammal category, and he is in Best New Weblog

[ASA Vet]

All this was on the orders of bin Laden himself

He's been dead for two years so didn't issue any orders.

[Rebelbase]

How can this be true? The leftist documentary "Uncovered" seen by thousands at house parties last night said the Alqaeda-Hussien connection was complete fiction, never happened.

[syriacus]

Judging from bin Laden’s taped messages over the years, his strategy has always been to sap America’s will and drive U.S. troops out of Arab lands altogether.

If he wanted to drive the U.S. troops out of Muslim lands he's failed miserably.

We're there in greater numbers than we were before 9/11.

[smith288]

Iraq has a much easier terrain to fight in. Plus, I dont think Iraqis take kindly to outsider terrorists and will not support them as actively as local insurgents.

[xzins]

Both Time and Newsweek spinning for the terrorists.

These magazines are reprehensible traitors.

They actively seek to encourage the enemy.

They even frame it for them in terms of Bush and the election.

We need a call for ALL patriotic Americans to stop buying these 2 magazines.

[DrewsDad]

Line them all up in Iraq
where we have a license to kill them in packs.

[Numbers Guy]

Don't we want these idiots to move around and get out in the open where we have people that know how to deal with them.

Yup.

What I learned from this article if we take everything at face value (other than that Newsweek will swallow anti-American spin whenever possible): 1) bin Laden (or whoever's running things now) has very limited financial resources, thus can't afford to fully fund the Taliban *and* get people over to Iraq. 2) bin Laden has a very limited number of active fighters. 3) bin Laden is afraid his western networks have been thoroughly penetrated and thus sees his best opportunity to kill Americans isn't with suicide bombs in the west, but by taking on heavily armed, young healthy American troops who would love to take out Al Qaeda members.

[syriacus]

Keen insights.

[ClearCase_guy]

I like your analysis. Occam's Razor in action. What you identify are the only facts that we can be reasonably sure of. And it's all good news for us.

[cookcounty]

"During the muslim holy month of Ramadan, three senior Qaeda representatives allegedly held a secret meeting......"

---from alleged "reporters" at Newsweek, an alleged "newsweekly."

[ASA Vet]

Way back in high school my govenment teacher required us to read a news weekly.
He recommended US News & world report because in his words
"both Slime and Newsweak were anti-American commie crap."

(Bet that wouldn't happen in a public school now.)

[syriacus]

We need a call for ALL patriotic Americans to stop buying these 2 magazines.

I've rarely been tempted to buy either of the magazines in the past few years.

Buying them (and certain left-leaning newspapers) is equivalent to contributing to the election campaigns of Democrats.

Subscribers might as well contribute cash directly to the DNC.

[StriperSniper]

They even frame it for them in terms of Bush and the election.

That's to give cover to the Dim's new talking point that every war related decision is now election driven.