The War Against Al Qaeda

A long but required read in Newsweek regarding Bin Laden, the Tribal Areas and our general efforts in that regard. Interesting that on pages two and three it mostly asserts that it was General Tommy Franks who decided to not put more forces on the ground in and around Tora Bora in 2002. Funny, I thought that, along with everything else, was Bush's fault. I'm not questioning the judgment too much either way from here. But what's clear is that there was plenty of civilian and military consultation and the strategy didn't have Frank's support, while Cheney "did not say a word."

Bin Laden, it seemed, would be cornered. Indeed, on Dec. 15, CIA operatives listening on a captured jihadist radio could hear bin Laden himself say "Forgive me" to his followers, pinned down in their mountain caves near Tora Bora.

Berntsen went to Crumpton, his boss at the CIA, who described to NEWSWEEK his frantic efforts to appeal to higher authority. Crumpton called CENTCOM's commander, Gen. Tommy Franks. It would take "weeks" to mobilize a force, Franks responded, and the harsh, snowy terrain was too difficult and the odds of getting bin Laden not worth the risk. Frustrated, Crumpton went to the White House and rolled out maps of the Pakistani-Afghan border on a small conference table. President Bush wanted to know if the Pakistanis could sweep up Al Qaeda on the other side. "No, sir," Crumpton responded. (Vice President Dick Cheney did not say a word, Crumpton recalled.) The meeting was inconclusive. Franks, who declined to comment, has written in his memoirs that he decided, along with Rumsfeld, that to send troops into the mountains would risk repeating the mistake of the Soviets, who were trapped and routed by jihadist guerrilla fighters in the 1980s (helped out, it should be recalled, with Stinger missiles provided by the CIA).

Read the whole thing. But the bottom line will not make you feel good about how a developed nation with an advanced military such as ours is doing at important points along the way. Lastly, it also leaves one with an ominous sense that we are destined to be hit again, soon - and in a big way, if they can manage to pull it off.

Comments

[Sara]

Maybe I'm too cynical or untrusting at this point, but first I have to believe Newsweek, which is asking alot of me, and then I have to believe the CIA, which is asking even more and then I have to believe that neither Newsweek nor the CIA has an agenda to make Tommy Franks, the President, and our entire military look bad. Very strange, the timing this, just when we are getting very aggressive on the Afghan-Pakistani border and apparently having success.

[Cindi]

"it also leaves one with an ominous sense that we are destined to be hit again, soon - and in a big way"

damn that would really piss Hillary off. heh

[Cindi]

Yes Sara, but remember there is a Presidential election coming up.

[Sara]

Cindi: I have no doubt that another attack will come and it will most likely be a very bad one and something no one considered. Not because we didn't "connect the dots," but because Americans cannot imagine evil in any meaningful way. Or I should say, Americans in positions to influence policy or decisions. We should be at the mental hospitals and the super max prisons asking the sociopaths and psychopaths what kind of attack they would come up with if they had the time, money and manpower to pull off such an attack. I think we've already seen that the spoiled and pampered, overeducated kids that are getting hired to be researchers and analysts to inform all levels of government from the White House, State, CIA or Congress don't have a clue. Remember it was the boots on the ground who were screaming they had him in their sights and the wooses in Washington who were afraid to make a move. We saw how their advice and policy implementations screwed up Iraq for the first four years and now the military is doing it their way and low and behold, the surge is working. I know, I know, it is the political front that is failing. Well, I would say they are doing better than could be expected considering that for more than a generation no one had any say at all, and to have an independent thought was a ticket to the torture chamber. And the Iraq government is doing better than our fledgling democracy did in its first dozen years. We are fighting the instant replay mentality where everything is tied up with a neat bow at the end of a 50 min. hour on TV and where if you lose all your men on Level II, you can just hit replay and start all over, no harm, no foul, no consequences.

But -- the big picture we forget is that al Quaeda is very very patient and is counting on the short attention span and impatience of America. I would bet they have it factored in to their battle plan. Afterall there is nothing in their experience to prove them wrong on this assumption.

[Purple Avenger]

Qui audet adipiscitur.

[robert stevens]

--->"Working with the Pakistani police, the CIA and FBI helped to capture "KSM"—Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, Al Qaeda's operations chief and mastermind of the 9/11 attacks—at a house in Quetta, a city near the Afghan border, on March 1, 2003."<---

KSM was captured in Rawalpindi, near Islamabad, not Quetta.

[Jabba the Tutt]

"...CIA operatives listening on a captured jihadist radio could hear bin Laden himself say "Forgive me" to his followers, pinned down in their mountain caves near Tora Bora."

Just for the sake of propaganda, why aren't we broadcasting Bin Laden's apology for screwing up. Everyone in the Arab and Muslim worlds ought to hear this. Another example of how pitiful our whole information effort is.

[Fred Beloit]

Say, Purp, I just read one of the most DUH-inducing paragraphs ever in an LA Times piece by a human named Tina Susman, seemingly sent to Iraq to cover The War no matter how totally unqualified to do so. She is writing that troop morale is now low in Iraq. She hilariously points out some of the tough conditions being faced by the fighting soldiers "outside the wire", i.e., not in garrison or FOBs:

"But these posts often lack basic amenities such as running water, flush toilets, telephones and Internet access, which troops at the forward operating bases enjoy, along with food courts and athletic facilities. Being on the front lines, troops in outposts also face greater danger than those at bases."

What, no AC, no plasma TV? The horror.

[Purple Avenger]

"running water, flush toilets, telephones and Internet access"

(seriously) All the sites I've worked at in the last year lacked those things too. If I didn't hump it in, I didn't have it. As compensation, they were however infested with large hungry alligators who were always eyeballing you like a potential snack. Its a distinctly different feeling to be somewhere where you're NOT at the top of the local food chain ;->

[bloodrage bob]

in one of michael crichton's books, he makes a good point about how the po' folks who aren't blessed by living in america aren't too caught up in the whole "back to nature" crapola. when you live with no running water, air conditioning, supermarkets, etc etc, you learn pretty quick that mother nature is a *bitch* who will *kill you* if you don't take lots of precautions.

liberals in malibu want the natives of new guinea to keep on living in their mud huts because it's natural. the natives know better, and they get out when they can. (the book also featured a lovely little vignette in which a famous hollywood liberal with a great resemblance to martin sheen is devoured by nature-loving cannibals.)

also, osama is dead. has been for quite awhile.

[Fred Beloit]

It's true, living in the open also takes a hell of a lot of time and discomfort just to do the basics. But the way this lady seems to think that flush toilets, running water, internet access and not too much danger are the norm for patrolling on a battlefield and that somehow this time it is different is hysterically funny, to me anyway.

[Sara]

Susman reminds me of a cousin of mine and his wife. As a result of a joint mid-life crisis, they bought his and hers Harleys and outfitted themselves in full leather. They joined a motorcycle club, which as it turns out, sometimes includes riders like Jay Leno and Neil Diamond. Neither of these two had ever shown any interest in anything but the life of a financially comfortable yuppy and no interest in the great outdoors. They announced they were joining the club in a two week ride across the country, Calif. to Washington, DC. Now, my vision was a group camping event, similar to the way my family has always taken our vacations. But no, as it turned out, they would ride all day, with brief stops for sight-seeing at interesting places, but at night it was the best 5-star hotels. I expressed some surprise at this and my cousin's wife said in all seriousness, "I don't do no hair dryers."

[Phoenix]

"Maybe I'm too cynical or untrusting at this point, but first I have to believe Newsweek,..." Don't.

And you have it right about their timing.

[chris]

Wait a minute, didn't the 'Decider' give Laura's old boyfriend Tommy a fancy medal for all of his valiant SERVICE??? Oh, here it is!

http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2004/12/20041214-3.html

Thanks Tommy, you did a heckuva job - just like Brownie!!

[Fred Beloit]

We have differing views, Mr. christamfordmum. SURPRISE! I would like to see Tommy Franks as President. Have to admit it doesn't appear to be in the cards. Of course it doesn't seem to be in the cards that you will someday replace Chris Dodd, either. That must initiate a feeling of great relief to both of us.

[George W Bush]

Who's this Bin Laden guy? Hehe.

[Rich Casebolt]

Who's this bin Laden?

Well, in the past he had free run of Afghanistan, and he used that sanctuary to plan the worst attack on American soil in 60 years.

The problem was, he waited to spring that attack on us until after the political Brat Pack was replaced with grown-ups.

Now, his attacks on America are reduced to an occasional grainy video tape, as he wanders Waziristan, always having to look over his shoulder now as he sends his commands by courier ... one step above carrier pigeon, or tin cans and string ... never even picking up a satphone for the well-justified fear of winding up on the receiving end of a PredEx (that's Predator Express, when it absolutely has to be wiped out overnight) delivery ...

... that is, if he is not wandering Hell, existing in this plane only on that grainy video tape.

He has been diminished to only a symbol ... and he isn't the only enemy we must concern ourselves with. Focusing all our efforts on that symbol would leave more significant threats alone ... just like we left bin Laden alone ... to plan and plot the next 911.

We can go back and do the ground-pounding necessary to collect his head, when it is PRUDENT to do so.

We have more important things to do.

[seekeronos]

Hammer meets nail, square on its head.

Thanks, Rich, for that concise and accurate take on OBL.

He's either in hiding, or he's fertilizer by now.

[shweta]

hi imp