Posted on 07/06/2005 10:03:36 AM PDT by robowombat
'Bring me the head of Bin Laden'
The CIA sent a team to Afghanistan days after 9/11 with orders to kill Osama Bin Laden and bring back his head, a former agent has revealed. Gary Schroen flew out soon after the attacks on New York and Washington, helping to set up the 2001 invasion, he told US National Public Radio.
He recalled his orders from the CIA's counter-terrorism chief.
"Capture Bin Laden, kill him and bring his head back in a box on dry ice," he quoted Cofer Black as saying.
As for other leaders of Bin Laden's al-Qaeda network in Afghanistan, Mr Black reportedly said: "I want their heads up on pikes."
Contacted by the radio network, Mr Black would not confirm that these were his exact words but he did not dispute Mr Schroen's account.
I don't know what I'll do about dry ice to bring the head back - but we'll manage something Gary Schroen to his commander
The agent told NPR he had been stunned that, for the first time in 30 years of service, he had received orders to kill targets rather than capture them.
But he says he replied: "Sir, those are the clearest orders I have ever received.
"I can certainly make pikes out in the field but I don't know what I'll do about dry ice to bring the head back - but we'll manage something."
One more mission
Mr Schroen, 59 when the planes crashed into the World Trade Center, the Pentagon and a field in Pennsylvania, had just begun the CIA's retirement transition programme but he was asked to put it on hold two days after the attacks of 11 September 2001.
MISSION EQUIPMENT Laptops and hand-held radios $3m in $100-bills Instant coffee
As a former station chief in both Kabul and Islamabad, he was considered to be ideally placed for the Afghan mission.
According to NPR, there was no doubt at CIA headquarters that the 9/11 attacks were the work of Bin Laden.
Mr Schroen was given a double brief, it reported: to liaise with anti-Taleban warlords on the ground as preparation for the overthrow of the regime, and to then assassinate Bin Laden and other top al-Qaeda figures.
The agency allowed Mr Schroen to pick his own six-man team and, exactly one week after 9/11, they were on a plane flying to the region, equipped with laptops, hand-held radios, instant coffee and $3m in $100 bills.
Mr Schroen has released memoirs called First In, a reference to the fact that he and his team were the first US government personnel on the ground.
He says he is surprised that the CIA has still not managed to track down Bin Laden after nearly four years.
Published: 2005/05/04 10:27:32 GMT
© BBC MMV
"NO ONE other than the leftist America haters in the media are going to find this outrage-worthy"
All the more reason to continue running the story, let the American people see them whine about it.
"Capture Bin Laden, kill him and bring his head back in a box on dry ice," he quoted Cofer Black as saying."
LIBERAL
"I've resisted pronouncing a sentence before guilt is found," Dean said. "I still have this old-fashioned notion that even with people like Osama, who is very likely to be found guilty, we should do our best not to, in positions of executive power, not to prejudge jury trials. So I'm sure that is the correct sentiment of most Americans, but I do think if you're running for president, or if you are president, it's best to say that the full range of penalties should be available. But it's not so great to prejudge the judicial system."
At least. I first read the story in the Woodward book "Bush at War" 18 months ago and it was already an old story then. ;)
"Capture Bin Laden, kill him and bring his head back in a box on dry ice," he quoted Cofer Black as saying."
LIBERAL
"I've resisted pronouncing a sentence before guilt is found," Dean said. "I still have this old-fashioned notion that even with people like Osama, who is very likely to be found guilty, we should do our best not to, in positions of executive power, not to prejudge jury trials. So I'm sure that is the correct sentiment of most Americans, but I do think if you're running for president, or if you are president, it's best to say that the full range of penalties should be available. But it's not so great to prejudge the judicial system."
If you can fit that onto a t-shirt, I'd like to think you could sell millions of them.
Just not spending much time thinkin' about him.
They should be.
Just my opinion, of course, but bin Laden escaped because we never really had the full cooperation of Pakistan.
I'm sure Dubya threatened Musharraf on 9/11; we've read what I think are credible articles to that effect. That's why the guy cooperated with us to the extent he did. It was unprecedented. Unfortunately, the tone of those threats must've dropped off somewhat, and thus the heat on bin Laden lessened and he was able to find lasting sanctuary in western Pakistan.
We would've had him by now if we had pushed Mushy a little harder.
Note for the Bushies here -- of whom I am one -- I did not say Bush made a mistake! Bush had good reason to reward Musharraf for his cooperation. I just wish he hadn't seen it the way he saw it... At least, that is, until we had bin Laden's head on ice.
I'll pay $20 for a peek.
I'll bet plenty more would too.
But, when the guy you want is being coddled by your self-proclaimed 'allies', what else are you gonna say?
Not much, I guess.
It burns me that we know who blew a hole in the skyline of my city, who tried to strike fear into our hearts with his murders and yet we don't go get him.
I wish that finding him was a higher priority than protecting the Saudis. Our dead demand nothing less.
I just finished reading this book. Its worth reading, it focuses on the nuts and bolts of fielding his team, connecting up with his opposite numbers in the Northern Alliance, and generally making everything work.
His was the team that came in, established the relationships, and generally paved the way for the A-teams that followed soon after.
I say we should put it on the Mexican border to discourage any copycats.
And why don't we have Zarqawi in Iraq then? - Who haven't we pushed hard enough to get him?
Nonsense. (IMO)
The Pakistan border region is basically autonomous from the rest of Pakistan (has been for over a century) - Additionally people just don't have a clue as to the terrain in this region of the World to suggest we could simply catch him (UBL) if only the Pak's put more soldiers there. The terrain just doesn't allow for Operations like that, nor would those troops lead to any guarantee of capture (at all) - Nor would the Pakistan public stand for any long term, large, occupying Pakistan military operation within this region to boot.
Again, we control 90% of Iraq, we have over 125,000 soldiers there, we have 85% support from the new Gov't and yet we still are hunting down Zarqawi. These Ops are much more involved and fluid then 90% of those discussing them understand.
I think Dick Durbin's pager just went off!
ROTFLMAO. Adapt, overcome, improvise.
We should all be sick by now of the constant defeatism we hear from the left and not allow ourselves to fall victim to it. "The Pakistani public would not stand for it," "it's inevitable that terrorists will hit us again harder than before," "the arab street blah, blah, blah" . . . Tired old leftist platitudes, every one of them. Aren't you sick of that lame crap by now?
Trying to equate what the silly Democrats do in this Country to what the Pakistan public would stand for is foolishness. They having nothing to do with each other.
The fact remains that the Pakistan Border region has been autonomous from the Pakistan Gov't for close to a century. That is reality. There is not much Musharraf can do about this "directly" (without going in to a full scale occupying military action. Which simply isn't going to happen because the will of the Pakistan public will be against it).
Now we could go to war in that region, that is an option. But not a great one in terms of the reward / risk.
Furthermore, I have to insist you simply don't have a clear understanding of the terrain in this region. It makes working and looking for someone in Iraq (Zarqawi) seem easy.
"our" actions (not "are") - Long morning -
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