U.S. general optimistic about bin Laden capture (HMMMMM Very interesting!)

Reuters ^ | 2/3/04

[areafiftyone]

KABUL, Feb 3 (Reuters) - The U.S. military's top general in Afghanistan expressed optimism on Tuesday that al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden and Taliban chief Mullah Mohammed Omar would be captured this year.

At a ceremony marking the shift of the U.S. headquarters in Afghanistan to Kabul, Lieutenant-General David Barno gave the most optimistic assessment yet by a U.S. commander on prospects for capturing bin Laden, the world's most wanted man.

"Their day has ended and this year will decisively sound the death knell of their movements in Afghanistan," Barno said.

"We are clearly focused on the leadership," he added at a news conference later. "This is important year, Afghanistan is coming out of a long difficult period, and I think this is going to be very very critical year for us here."

Asked whether he was optimistic about capturing bin Laden, Omar and allied militant leader Gulbuddin Hekmatyar this year, he said moving the headquarters to Kabul from Bagram air base to the north of the capital would help coordinate intelligence work.

"So I am optimistic," he said.

The whereabouts of bin Laden and Mullah Omar have remained a mystery since U.S-led troops toppled the Taliban regime in 2001 for harbouring the al Qaeda network blamed for the September 11 attacks on the United States.

U.S. and Afghan officials have said that the men are thought to be hiding out in the mountains of the rugged tribal belt between Afghanistan and Pakistan.

Barno's comments came ahead of presidential elections in Afghanistan due to be held in June as well as U.S. President George W. Bush's bid for re-election in November.

He said the aim was to hold Afghan elections on time, despite warnings from the United Nations and aid agencies that the process will be hampered by militant violence or hijacked by powerful regional leaders in President Hamid Karzai's U.S.-backed government.

The period since August has been the bloodiest in Afghanistan since the Taliban's fall, with more than 500 people killed in clashes around the country.

Barno said the 12,000-strong U.S.-led force in Afghanistan would confine its activities to Afghanistan, while the Pakistani army would pursue the same objectives on its side of the border.

[2 Kool 2 Be 4-Gotten]

In that part of the world deals are made all the time and people sell each other down the river at the drop of a hat. There was a lot of this during the Afghanistan war (boy that seems like a long time ago) when various war lords and factions sold their services to the highest bidder.

Of course I have no idea what's going on, but what if OBL were in the territory of a certain war lord and what if we were in very high level negotiations for them to turn him over for certain considerations? Maybe a context like that would make sense of the recent statements being made. The counter argument might be that such statements might tip off OBL but what if he were not in a position to relocate or change his current situation?

To me it sounds like some very high level and sensitive negotations are ongoing and OBL might find himself in the tender mercies of the US government.

[Cap Huff]

I haven't forgotten about that at all. I don't think it was OBL, nor Zawahiri (I'll go with the concensus that he's in Iran), nor that "one-eyed, one-horned, flying purple people eater." But I do think it was someone who knows where they are.

[Cap Huff]

Got that right.

[ElkGroveDan]

I think the best time to drop the net would be during the Democrats' convention this summer. Would that be a hoot or what?

[twigs]

You suggest a conceivable scenario. I definitely think something significant is going on and look forward to when we "get 'im."

[cartoonistx]

I'd tie them both to a poll in the middle of an open field, withdraw to a short distance and wait. Soon, their compatriots would seek to free one or both and when they do we kill the bastards! After a while all the fanatics would be dead, SH & OBL would have starved to death and we can bulldoze over the place to build the new Wal-Mart!

[areafiftyone]

That would be great. It would steal their thunder BIG TIME. I can't wait until the primaries are over with. I want Bush to get out there and start bashing the Dem nominee.

[RoseofTexas]

Yep! Me too. When sadDEMON was caught the base was awful quite until they sprang it on the American people early that Sunday! I think this is only hopeful wishing on everyones part. It be wonderful though, especially for those family members who lost loved ones on 9-11, our country and our president! God bless and protect our military soldiers there!

[gathersnomoss]

Bingo.

[USVet6792Retired]

Something tells me that they (USCC) know something, either they already have one of them or they know their location.

Or they have a good idea where they are and floated this story to get the bad guys up and moving in an area under observation. Flush em out and destroy em!!!!!!!! Hoooooah

[COBOL2Java]

Has there been any recent talk from the prominent DemocRATs about how "we have yet to capture Osama"? I haven't heard any.

I'm wondering whether these statements from the military have them afraid of once again being caught in another "Daschle" moment.

[SBprone]

If OBL is alive he is certainly the guest of a powerful tribal leader. They may not have been thinking of selling OBL to the highest bidder when they took him in, but they are thinking about it now. Especially if the alternative is a visit from the Paki government, backed up by the U.S. military.

The most helpless thing in the Islamic world is a "guest."

[Tallguy]

I also think this has something to do with Musharev (sp?), president of Pakistan.

HE is the key. The recent assassination attempts on the Pak leader tell me that he will step-up the pressure on the tribal leaders along the Afghan border. The Paks are going to make life miserable for any tribal chief that is even suspected of giving aid & comfort to OBL. Somebody is going to cough up OBL in the next few months -- I'm betting before the snow melts.

[Cap Huff]

"God bless and protect our military soldiers there!"

Ditto!

[LittleLassieDog]

"I just have this gut feeling that they either have him in custody or they know exactly where he is."

I have read on several other message boards and chat rooms here and there that people think we already have BL and are just waiting to trot him out at the appropriate time - election time so GW will be re-elected.

And then the democrats will be all over republicans like white on rice saying we staged the whole darn thing.

[Kaisersrsic]

I am not so optomistic that they have him or know exactly were he is. Instead, I think this may be morale building for what are expected to be major operations this Spring, or an attempt to convince OBL to expose himself by moving from one hole to another.

[Prodigal Son]

But I just can't imagine them saying things like this without real good reason.

Aye. They'd just be setting themselves up for failure if they didn't have a good reason to say it and Generals are generally a bit more clever than that.

[WV Mountain Mama]

Afraid to get my hopes up, let me know when Osama's bin leveled.

[Cap Huff]

Just exhuberant optimism? Could be. I'd not wish to get into a debate based on what little is known for sure publicly. I seriously doubt anyone on this thread is really in the know, and if they are I would wish them to keep their info to themselves.

Nevertheless, generals are sent to charm school and are taught a few things about handling the press. They don't always practice what they've learned in that area, but when they want to be positive without saying too much they know how to do so.

Based on this article (which may or may not be a very good representation of all that was said) it seems the general strongly hinted in prepared remarks that OBL et. al. would be finished this year. When the press tried to get him to state it more openly he came back with optimism but did not give anything concrete except to suggest that good intel was cause for that optimism.

[Cap Huff]

That's my thought.