Bin Laden hunters a step behind

The Australian ^ | September 09, 2005 | Rana Jawad and Danny Kemp

[SauronOfMordor]

I may be wrong, but I was pretty sure that al-Qaeda was never a big "operations organization" in and of itself. It supplied financing and logistics to a myriad of islamist groups. That is why you hear "groups with links to al-Qaeda". If the leadership is bottled up, and the flow of its money stopped, its effectiveness is nill.

Al Queda itself just works for the Golden Chain, a group of wealthy Muslims, mostly Saudi.

Think of the Golden Chain as finance and senior management, setting long-term goals. Osama is middle-management. He takes the funding and divides it among operational units, and provides coordination.

The point here is that as long as the Golden Chain is politically untouchable, they can just recruit another Osama.

[Dog]

You think its easy trying to find ONE MAN in the HINDU KUSH mountains ...why aren't you there helping then.

[Jen from Tn.]

Love it ! But make it Miller or Bud and you have a deal. Southern boys don't do Coors down here!

[bdfromlv]

or at least 20 does in burkhas

[ex-Texan]

Paul Williams was just on Michael Savage saying that Bin Laden has smuggled ten small nukes into the U.S. The alleged plan is to set them off all across the country at the same time. These weapons have supposedly been smuggled into the U.S. from Mexico by covert operatives. (Learn about border smuggling operations?) Williams has been preaching that message for the past year. Is he a just total nut case? Or, does he have good reason for his beliefs? He now has a book to sell but disclaims personal motives to push this nuke story. Savage is either a patriot or a demagogue jerk. I just don't know.

[b4its2late]

Either all of this or he's driving a cab in Seattle.

Or New York.

[ASA Vet]

I forgot to ping you.

See how you are.
I pinged you to the yesterdays identical article.

[ASA Vet]

He'll be like Elvis indefinitely

Ya think?

[dr_lew]

One key al-Qaeda suspect revealed under interrogation that bin Laden was using couriers travelling on foot or horseback instead of communicating by satellite telephone or the Internet, General Sultan said.

Yeah, "the CIA has verified that communique is in Bin Laden's handwriting."

[bygolly]

Did I say I thought it was easy? I'm helping...I'm working and paying taxes so the Navy Seals and others have what they need to do their job. You suggest he's in the HINDU KUSH, others believe he's in Iran or elsewhere. As old as OBL (or UBL if you prefer) is, he will likely die of natural causes before dying from American causes.

If I see OBL on a street corner panhandling, I'll be sure to pass the info on to the authorities.

[Bombay Bloke]

"Clearly, the Pakis are dragging their feet, milking us for weapons and money. OBL is their biggest "tourist" attraction and they don't want to lose him."

BING!

Bang on the money. Nice post.

[Bombay Bloke]

Y'know, UBL kind of reminds me of Dawood Ibrahim, the Pentagon-designated global terrorist and Indian mafia kingpin (kinda losing his grip these days) and also India's most wanted man - he's behind the 1993 serial bomb blasts in Bombay (with some help from the ISI in the form of RDX explosives) in which around 280 people were killed.

The Pakistanis say they don't know where he is. Which is funny, cos he's been living in downtown Karachi for years. Go figure!

[gandalftb]

Chitral is certainly very remote as is Nuristan and being in Pakistan makes it a more likely home for bin Laden. Chitral is a generally very open area without the forestation to make for easy movement and concealment. The Chitralis would certainly know of his presence and be highly tempted by the reward.

Bin Laden would have very limited means of escape from Chitral and that is not his way. The three passes in and out are snowed in 6 months a year and travel up the Kunar River can be easily interdicted. Bin Laden likes his back doors such as Iran or the sea.

I'll vote for a cul-de-sac valley in western Baluchistan unless you know better.

[SevenMinusOne]

100 Man Special Operations Ground Force with regular backup of 2000 regular Grunts, and Helicopter Air Support.

Not even remotely close to the man power that is needed (unless we just happen to get lucky via a snatch and grab Op that provides pinpoint Intel).

Predator Aircraft don't see sh*t with regard to most of the rugged mountainous regions along the Aghan / Pak border region -

[SevenMinusOne]

He's dead people. Figure it out.

He's most certainly not dead - Follow the shooters, we have many at the tip of the spear hunting the Afghan / Pak border region (these shooters would be in Iraq if the prime HVT wasn't alive) -

He is very much alive (as is Al Zawahiri and Mullah Omar) we have certain proof of this -

[SevenMinusOne]

he will likely die of natural causes before dying from American causes.

Nope - We'll bag him long before he dies of natural causes - It will be breaking news on every TV screen in the Country one of these days -

[SevenMinusOne]

he will likely die of natural causes before dying from American causes.

Nope - We'll bag him long before he dies of natural causes - It will be breaking news on every TV screen in the Country one of these days -

[bygolly]

Nope - We'll bag him long before he dies of natural causes - It will be breaking news on every TV screen in the Country one of these days -

Nobody would like that more that me!

[agincourt1415]

Re: Preditor A/C,

I thought the Pred A/C had FLIR sensors to show where the warm bodies are.

And by the way what are the estimates on Bin Ladens Security Force.

It cannot be more than 50 or so, or else it would make a stir in the remote areas he's hidding in.

But then there's the rumor that he's in Iran.

[SevenMinusOne]

But then there's the rumor that he's in Iran.

He is not in Iran -

UBL has never put himself at the mercy of a Country with a strong centralized Gov't (exactly what Iran has) - Nor does UBL bring any benefit to Iran....other than an assured U.S. Military strike with full backing of the majority of the American public....the last thing Iran wants or needs.

Nor does Iran offer UBL as safer hide site then does the Afghan / Pak / China / India border regions - This is some of the most brutal landscape on earth - Which makes running Ops in these areas close to impossible (especially without having staging points for logistics throughout the region).

As for UBL security force?? - Anyone's guess at this time - Though he probably has a sizable number of people who are within a few days call -