I wouldn't trust a modern-day French general to be able to find his arse with both hands in his back pockets.
Posted on 06/02/2004 11:06:39 AM PDT by areafiftyone
KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) - U.S.-led forces in Afghanistan had Osama bin Laden "within reach" on at least two occasions, but were unable to prevent him slipping away, France's top general said Wednesday.
French chief of staff Gen. Henri Bentegeat, said the al-Qaida leader had evaded capture several times since 2002, but not recently. He didn't say where bin Laden had been tracked down, and refused to comment on whether French special forces operating in southern Afghanistan were involved.
"Several times the coalition has had Osama bin Laden directly within reach," Bentegeat told reporters during a visit to the Afghan capital. "But between locating a person and arresting them there is a gap tied to all the uncertainties of all operations of this kind."
A spokeswoman for the U.S. military in Kabul had no immediate comment on the general's remarks.
Bentegeat said several of bin Laden's top lieutenants also evaded capture. "At least two times they managed to escape," he said. "That's absolutely inevitable, normal in the conditions in which these kind of operations are carried out.
"I'm not saying there was an incident of this kind recently," he added. "To my knowledge, that's not the case."
Bentegeat made similar comments in an interview in March to France's Europe-1 radio station, saying bin Laden narrowly escaped capture by French troops in Afghanistan, perhaps several times. He did not specify when or where the escapes took place.
Some 200 French troops work with the 20,000-strong U.S.-led coalition in Afghanistan in the drive to track holdouts of the former ruling Taliban regime and bin Laden's al-Qaida terrorist group.
You mean France has a general?
I wouldn't trust a modern-day French general to be able to find his arse with both hands in his back pockets.
we have 20,000 there, they have 200, so it's highly likely they had OBL cornered several times. Not.
"...refused to comment on whether French special forces operating in southern Afghanistan were involved."
Involved in what? Helping Bin-Laden escape, perhaps?
I didn't even know they had an army. I did know they had an air force that likes to try to wreck Israeli airliners.
Why, Marshal Petain, we have not even discharged our rifles! Why are we surrendering?
Henri Phillipe Petain:
As I told my colleague Mr. Churchill on the shoals of Dunkirk: "We have not yet begun to surrender!"
Must have heard this from Geraldo.
This reminds me of DeGaulle criticizing Ike's invasion of Normandy.
"...Charles, once you're gone we'll discuss your suggestions..."
Did he say this before or after he wet his pants and dropped his rifle? Screw the frogs, bunch of worthless, gutless bastards.
OBL is still DEAD!
Has anyone checked under the general's desk?
Yes, these intolerable conditions! No joint pastry support; no Chardonnay re-supply; no crepes or Grey Poupon; how can any modern, civilized army possibly succeed under these... conditions!
Leave it to the French to make utterly worthless comments about utterly worthless information. Leave it to AP to publish it as though it had significance. [Of course, AP publishes it to make US look bad.]
The French know so much because they probably helped Osama get away.
French general = end of story.
The French warned Osama.
That s.o.b. would have been cryin' for his mama. I wasn't scout reporter for "The Young Lords" for nothing, ya' know.
That creep Bin Laden ain't nuthin' to me, you hear me sonny? I've thrashed Charlie Manson, for f***k sake! Yeah, so he's only 5'3, so what? You got a problem with that?
You think those KKK bastards, or those malicious retard-bashers over at Willow-brook want to tango with the G Man again? Thought not!
If Osama thinks he take me, he better just check himself. Al Capone knows what it's like to feel the cold, steely wrath of Geraldo Rivera.
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