[lentulusgracchus]

So why are we reading about this in the press?

Reminds me of the days when turncoat blowhards like Peter Arnett used to love to announce new American operations in Vietnam.

Then there were the guys who liked to do live TV shots from Dhahran, with heavily-loaded F-15E's and SEPECAT Jaguars taking off in the background bound for (obviously) Baghdad.

[chadwimc]

This might be a plan. Remember during the Iraq war, every time some ragheaded bastard general was supposed to have surrendered or defected? Within hours some building or neighborhood erupted in explosions from our aircraft. When the turds figured out the US could hear their cell phones, they swithced to regular old land lines. Then the Bagdad phone exchange blew up. The anti -American press could be very useful...

[Prodigal Son]

So why are we reading about this in the press?

Because the Pentagon wants us to?

[Central_Floridian]

This is just speculation, but it seems to me that an intelligent commander will use all means available to achieve his goal.
Therefore, utilization of the media to achieve something could be thought of as an effective tactic.
One way the media could be used is as a "diversion."
The news media has been used for disinformation and psychological warfare for a long time.

[DugwayDuke]

Why all this press coverage? Perhaps a ruse designed to entice Osaama to do something stupid like move or communicate? Or, then it could be a ruse to make him think we want him to move or communicate? Or, then again, it could be nothing at all? Time will tell.

[commish]

So why are we reading about this in the press?

HMm Let's thnk about this. Curerent intel and reports indicate Osama and company to be hiding out in the mountains along the border. Most likely in caves.

They already know they cannot use Cell Phones, etc because we have every line of communication bugged, jammed or monitored. Very unlikely that they have CNN or any type of TV -- This would require Power Gens and Sat hookups which would give away thier positions.

SO, what are we left with. Osama has no comm except HUMAN CONTACTS. They see the reports, they have TO GO TO OSAMA to report this to him. That means they will be tracked and followed.

OR Scenario 2 -- Osama does have Sat Linkup. Know he know we are closing in. So he has to make a run for it. We are monitoring, so as soon as he moves we have him

Make sense now? We WANT him to know that we are on to him, so either he or his followers make a mistake and put us on his exact location.