Chief Army spokesman Gen. Shaukat Sultan admitted, "We are not into a manhunt. ... Our sole objective is not the capture of bin Laden. Our objective is to root out terrorism and we have progressed quite a lot."
It is our judgment at the end of this long trip, ISI knows exactly where he is. Escorts near our final driving destination said bin Laden has a portable dialysis machine and generator and gerrycans of fuel and water.
Musharraf loyalists do not believe in the durability of a close alliance with the U.S. past the capture or killing of bin Laden. Hence, the reluctance to conduct a manhunt in the jagged mountain range that forms the unmarked frontier between Pakistan and Afghanistan.
If this is at all true, it is time we inform Musharraf that his remaining options are to prove he is our ally or find out exactly what the world's only superpower is capable of doing to his sh*thole of a country.
Ping
It would be nice - but at this point OBL's death would be just symbolic.
Get me Zarqawi's head! (or al-Sadr's)
"Pakistani soldiers are foreign occupiers in FATA. By treaty, they have not been allowed to enter tribal areas since creation of Pakistan 58 years ago."
Explains difficulty in finding OBL.
Nice for the UPI team to remain neutral - just so long as they get their interview.
The writers comments and speculation in this article are so ill contrived it isn't even worth discussing - Their silly suggestion that they know he (UBL) has a " portable dialysis machine" is laughable -
This is a silly/phony MSM driven falsehood regarding UBL (just as the fake rapes the MSM shouted about supposedly taking place in the SuperDome have proved to be) - UBL does not need a dialysis machine - OGA's long ago (late 90's) dispelled that rumor).
As for the ISI knowing where UBL is - Yep, they do as much as we do - He is in the autonomous Afghan / Pak / India / China border region!! - And they don't have a chance in hell of locating him on their own -
Again, the notion that the ISI (or Pak Gov't) could put guns on UBL in a short period of time is absurd -
Does the ISI have some al Qeade sympathizers - They most certainly do - Does that in turn mean they are directly supporting UBL on the run (of course not) - Does that mean those sympathizers could catch UBL if they wanted to? (of course not!).
The region UBL is eking out a survival in is autonomous from not only the Pak Gov't but from the ISI as well (to a large extent).
The ISI has a long history of not being able to operate in the tribal regions of Pakistan - Operate in any coherent / effective way that is - (not just since UBL has been on the run - long before)
Do we want the Pak military to do more? Yes! (We also want about every other ally to do more as well, and most aren't).
But again, the notion that if Musharraf really wanted he could get UBL or Zawahiri is just ridiculous - And those speculating that don't have a clue about how this hunt is going -
There are reasons Mr. Goss knows the general region UBL is in?? - There are reasons after around April 2002, the CIC and SecDef were aware that UBL was indeed alive and not dead (as possibly assumed). There are reasons we wish the Pak military would do more (but at the same time understand they probably couldn't catch UBL on there own).
But you have to read between the lines some to see the real facts -
he simply can't be in a location with alot of activity associated with it - that is visible from the air or satellite recon. there can't be a large contingent of people, alot of coming and going of people and supplies to an otherwise remote area. he has to be living as part of a regular family, with a small contingent of people around him, so as not to attract attention.
That would be the Nightmare scenario if Musharraf fell out of power now. Remember: Paks have the bomb. China is their ally. India is their foe. About half of Pakistan support OBL. If Musharref falls, the first question on everyone's mind will be, "who has the nukes?" Mushararraf has them now; if OBL or an al-Quaeda friendly ally got them, ALL bets are off. WW3 (or 4).
How's that again? Status quo ante what? The ISI doesn't control the Pashtuns and never did - rather the reverse, IMHO.
The whole thing is silly. If the SOB lives to be 120 I'd still want his sorry, wrinkled ass dragged out of his hole and his brains scattered on the rocks with a .45. If anyone breathing air on this earth thinks we're going to give up before that happens they know nothing of Americans.
This is not really news. It is more or less an established fact. Where else could he be?
really serious.