U.S. plans Al Qaeda offensive (in Pakistan). (Capture Bin Laden?)

Chicago Tribune ^ | 1/28/04

[areafiftyone]

WASHINGTON -- The Bush administration, deeply concerned about recent assassination attempts against Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf and a resurgence of Taliban forces in neighboring Afghanistan, is preparing a U.S. military offensive that would reach inside Pakistan with the goal of destroying Osama bin Laden's Al Qaeda network, military sources said.

U.S. Central Command is assembling a team of military intelligence officers that would be posted in Pakistan ahead of the operation, according to sources familiar with details of the plan and internal military communications. The sources spoke on the condition they not be identified.

As now envisioned, the offensive would involve Special Operations forces, Army Rangers and Army ground troops, sources said. A Navy aircraft carrier would be deployed in the Arabian Sea.

[The_Victor]

Nice tip-off. Got the time and date of the operation?

[50sDad]

Thank God the Godless Islamics never visit the Internet, and this information will remain safe.

[ladtx]

I think we need to come up with a secret decoder ring in order to login to FR.

[Williams]

I'm sure Bin Laden will just wait there for us. In fact, Osama if you're reading this, wait there. Oy!

[VRWC_minion]

I'm sure plans for all sorts of things are made all the time. Why is this one being leaked ?

[areafiftyone]

Hey tell that to the Chicago Tribune.

[areafiftyone]

Maybe its not even true. Who knows.

[Tijeras_Slim]

Wait? Nah, let him run so he can die tired.

[VRWC_minion]

Why is this one being leaked ?

Silly, me. Its probably because it highlights that Bush is a miserable failure. I'm getting too slow on the uptake.

[KantianBurke]

pysch ops? if Osama thinks an attack is imminent, he may move out of is hole in search of a safer one. At that point, he's visible and then he's ours.

[areafiftyone]

Who knows if the info is correct or not. If it is then they should find out who leaked it.

[VRWC_minion]

Maybe its not even true. Who knows.

It better be true. I expect that we plan for contingencies so that the president has options if and when he has to react to something.

[The_Victor]

Hey tell that to the Chicago Tribune.That wasn't aimed at you. Do you suppose the CTrib wants to insure that GWB doesn't catch OBL before November?

Does a bear defecate in the woods?

[areafiftyone]

Maybe they are already there doing it and we are really just finding out about it now.

[Dead Corpse]

That was my thought reading this. Flip on a light and see which way the roaches scatter. Apply Raid as necessary.

[areafiftyone]

Thats okay. Sorry about that. I need more coffee.

[New Horizon]

I'm sure plans for all sorts of things are made all the time. Why is this one being leaked?

Probably because it's complete bull.

[areafiftyone]

Do you suppose the CTrib wants to insure that GWB doesn't catch OBL before November?

I wouldn't put it past the Chicago Tribune to do that. Why do I have this gut feeling that Bush is going to capture him very soon. Is it just me?

[cookcounty]

dis-info.

bin-Laden is dead. It serves A-Q's purposes (build the "holy warrior" mystique) to manipulate us into believing he's alive.

The problem is, we're only 98% certain he's dead. If we announce he's dead, and then he "arises from the dead", it would be a colossal PR catastrophe for the US. So lacking absolute certainty, it is also in our interest to, on a low level, suggest that he may well be getting dialysis through a Coke bottle in a cave.