Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

Afghanistan: US forces attack suspected al Qaeda hideout (Osama the target?)
ABC News ^ | March 3, 2007 | Christopher Isham and Gretchen Peters

Posted on 03/03/2007 1:35:24 PM PST by West Coast Conservative

For the past two days, U.S. and NATO forces have been conducting a major attack against a compound in a remote area of Eastern Afghanistan where Osama bin Laden or another senior al Qaeda leader may be hiding, ABC News has learned.

According to eyewitnesses and local reporters in Kunar province, Coalition forces launched a fierce attack on a small enclave in the village of Mandaghel, approximately 17 miles from the border with Pakistan, on Friday afternoon. Warplanes pounded the positions ; U.S. special forces and Afghan National Army soldiers moved in shortly afterwards.

The assault appeared to meet stiff resistance from militants at the compound. Heavy artillery and gunfire could be heard for hours, local witnesses said . A handful of civilians were reportedly wounded in the strike. Though sealed off from outside access, the area now appears to be under coalition control.

U.S. officials declined to identify who the operation was targeting, but indicated they were after a "High Value Target" (HVT) . Official sources would not rule out that al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden himself was the intended victim. Afghan officials said the target could be another senior ranking al Qaeda leader.

The Coalition, which generally refuses to discuss ongoing operations, declined to make an official comment.

According to a local official, the compound under attack belongs to an Islamic militant and suspected drug trafficker named Haji Aminullah. The area of Kunar province is known as a stronghold of Wahabbists—followers of the strict sect of Sunni Islam practiced in Saudi Arabia, according to Barnett Rubin, senior fellow at New York University. Since the 1980's, the area has been a haven for Arab militants, including Osama bin Laden.


TOPICS: Foreign Affairs; Front Page News; News/Current Events; War on Terror
KEYWORDS: afghainstan; afghanistan; alqaeda; alqueda; binladin; frwn; obl; osama
Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first 1-2021-39 next last

1 posted on 03/03/2007 1:35:27 PM PST by West Coast Conservative
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | View Replies]

To: West Coast Conservative

I hope we got him this time... Bush's approval ratings would soar and it comes much easier to elect a pro-WOT candidate in 2008.


2 posted on 03/03/2007 1:37:54 PM PST by LtdGovt ("Where government moves in, community retreats and civil society disintegrates" -Janice Rogers Brown)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: West Coast Conservative

God Bless each and every one of our soldiers. They have been nothing short of heroic.



3 posted on 03/03/2007 1:38:08 PM PST by pissant (http://www.gohunter08.com/)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: West Coast Conservative

With any luck OBL's nads will be hanging from some General's staff car rear view mirror this time tomorrow.


4 posted on 03/03/2007 1:41:10 PM PST by Condor 63
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: LtdGovt
Official sources would not rule out that al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden himself was the intended victim.

They couldn't have come up with a better way of wording this?? Poor Osama.

5 posted on 03/03/2007 1:41:42 PM PST by YoungHickey ("Those who say it can't be done should not interupt those doing it.")
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 2 | View Replies]

To: West Coast Conservative
...that al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden himself was the intended victim

WTF???????

6 posted on 03/03/2007 1:42:50 PM PST by txroadkill (Free Ramos and Compean. Duncan Hunter'08)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: West Coast Conservative
They better be watching the border, they're sneaky little Qaeda creatures.
7 posted on 03/03/2007 1:43:08 PM PST by tobyhill (The War on Terrorism is not for the weak.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: West Coast Conservative

It would be interesting watching the media and the Democrats spin it into a defeat.

But they will.

The spin will go two ways: first, Bin Ladin has been irrelevant for some time now, blah-blah-blah. Second, now that we've got him, lets pull the troops out and bring them home. Spin number one will be contradicted by spin number two, but in propaganda thats not contradiction, thats a one-two-punch.


8 posted on 03/03/2007 1:43:22 PM PST by marron
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: West Coast Conservative

Nope it would be too good/s


9 posted on 03/03/2007 1:44:49 PM PST by yield 2 the right
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: West Coast Conservative
So according to ABC NEWS bin Laden might be the "intended victim." I don't think of him as a victim, nor any of the other cretins of his ilk that work with him.
10 posted on 03/03/2007 1:44:52 PM PST by elhombrelibre (Hagel, Obama, Voinovich and Biden making the world safe for Iranian terrorists.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: txroadkill

Gotta love the left wing media. Osama is as much a "victim" as Gore is a principled environmentalist.


11 posted on 03/03/2007 1:47:36 PM PST by NYRepublican72
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 6 | View Replies]

To: West Coast Conservative
Unlikely. He is very likely in Pakistan hiding in some cave and out of range of US forces. Bin laden is more useful to the jihad alive than dead.
12 posted on 03/03/2007 1:49:08 PM PST by dhs12345
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: YoungHickey

I still wich our boys would drop one of those 'Oh Damn' bombs on his suspected hideout, the one they tested in Fl just before we went into Iraq. Oh damn bomb, it goes off and you say 'oh damn'!


13 posted on 03/03/2007 1:54:01 PM PST by gulfcoast6
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 5 | View Replies]

To: West Coast Conservative

Obama Campaign Headquarters?


14 posted on 03/03/2007 1:56:58 PM PST by ClaudiusI
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: West Coast Conservative

Bush will get him!


15 posted on 03/03/2007 2:03:32 PM PST by mountainlyons (Hard core conservative)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: txroadkill

Yes, poor Osama is being victimized by US warplanes. All he ever wanted to do was to be left in peace. Poor Osama, those bad US warplanes.


16 posted on 03/03/2007 2:03:42 PM PST by MovementConservative (The US will win in Iraq. Thank you all US troops.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 6 | View Replies]

To: West Coast Conservative
ABC News shows just how biased they are and their slip was probably unintended. Osama bin Laden is a lot of things but victim is not one of them.
17 posted on 03/03/2007 2:04:13 PM PST by jazusamo (http://warchronicle.com/TheyAreNotKillers/DefendOurMarines.htm)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Condor 63

LOL! Quite a visual! We can only hope.


18 posted on 03/03/2007 2:05:35 PM PST by alice_in_bubbaland (As for me, I will remain neutral...for the time being.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 4 | View Replies]

To: West Coast Conservative

Spring offensive starting early this year?

Here's to good hunting and safe passage for our troops in harm's way.


19 posted on 03/03/2007 2:07:22 PM PST by NormsRevenge (Semper Fi ......)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: gulfcoast6

ROTFL!!!! J-Dam perhaps? Or something close........:)


20 posted on 03/03/2007 2:12:12 PM PST by alice_in_bubbaland (As for me, I will remain neutral...for the time being.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 13 | View Replies]


Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first 1-2021-39 next last

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson