Report: Al Qaeda Group Bungled Test of Unconventional Weapon

fox news ^ | 1/20/2009 | Eli Lake, Washington Times

[tobyhill]

An Al Qaeda affiliate in Algeria closed a base earlier this month after an experiment with unconventional weapons went awry, a senior U.S. intelligence official said Monday.

The official, who spoke on the condition he not be named because of the sensitive nature of the issue, said he could not confirm press reports that the accident killed at least 40 Al Qaeda operatives, but he said the mishap led the militant group to shut down a base in the mountains of Tizi Ouzou province in eastern Algeria.

[patton]

“So it didn’t bother you to deny Christ then? Wow.”

That was a leap - I said, I didn’t bring a Bible. All of my paperwork still said “Catholic.”

And yes, when I was under arms, in the service under Reagan, life was easier.

[Lurker]

All of my paperwork still said “Catholic.”

Did you witness for Christ in the face of His enemies? Did you try to 'disabuse' them of their hateful ways?

Or did you keep your mouth shut and go along to get along?

I know as when we were done digging the bodies of my brothers out of the rubble we had no problem forming a good old fashioned prayer circle, and there WAS a Bible.

And anyone trying to give us any more 'death penalty' than we already had that day would have found themselves in Hell toot sweet.

Thank you for your service, sir.

L

[patton]

Thank you also for your service.

[Alas Babylon!]

You forgot one very important thing: Bush is no longer in charge. Now that Obama is el supremo the government would never do such a thing.

It is now Karl Rove’s Fascist Jesus Army that would do it.

< / NY Times liberal worldview >

[Travis McGee]

If smallpox is let out, all bets are off. Mad Max or Martial Law, the two end points.

[Travis McGee]

Hey, copy and send me all the really cool classified stuff. You can use my PO Box. I’m sure it will be okay.

[Travis McGee]

“You can’t handle the truth!”

(Elites and the MSM, to us.)

[Travis McGee]

Mad Mo was much more clever than Adolf. He called his insane totalitarian ideology a “religion,” so he gets a pass.

[hiredhand]

They were probably under surveillance the whole time and (as you know), the nature of the intel game is that sometimes we have to let bad things happen in order to stop badder things from happening.

...go out into the courtyard of the compound, look up and smile for the nice man at Langley. :-)

[Uncle Ike]

” look up and smile for the nice man at Langley. :-) “

Enjoy it while we have it — looks like we’re taking our Intel philosophy back to the days of “Gentlemen don’t read other people’s mail”....

[hiredhand]

Actually... I was thinking... I'm not doubting that 40 bad guys died. I read that this was confirmed from sources separate from any U.S. entity.

However, one must consider the way in which this information was released. If it were released as only 40 dead terrorists and the facts as the host nation knew them, then that would be one thing.

But this isn't what happened. It was reported that WE intercepted a communication. This sort of information isn't released for no reason. Think about it. A normal thinking person would think that this would be to reveal a tactical advantage by one side (being us!).

There was a reason that the information was released in the manner which it was...particularly the details about the interception and times and descriptions. I'm not sure what the motives were...possibly rooted in psy-ops. But there's more to this than we think.

[Travis McGee]

I’d like to think, and would not rule out, that at oh dark thirty, a special forces guy and maybe an ex SF type from the CDC wandered into camp, and set a cooker going full blast, or otherwise released the critters, in such a way that everybody there would die asap and seal the place off.

Good fiction, anyway. And sometimes, truth is stranger than fiction.

[Uncle Ike]

hiredhand wrote: “ But there’s more to this than we think “

Travis McGee wrote: “ And sometimes, truth is stranger than fiction “

Given the previous administration’s propensity (abetted by the Media) to downplay these hints of Terrorist uber-capabilities, and the new administration’s “What, me worry?” attitude —

Occam’s Razor would suggest that this is an independent leak, which would probably have been to the NYT, if they would print such a thing....

[Travis McGee]

The timing, on the cusp between administrations, makes me think more than coincidence is at work. W might have given a go-ahead, knowing the mission would likely be scuttled by Obama.

[hiredhand]

You just had to say it! :-) So I'll write what I was going to say...

I was going to suggest that similar characters to what you've stated released something altogether different that might be a little easier to control after the fact. If this be the case, then I would dispute that Plague is what killed anybody, but rather something else. Not only would this retain a definite strategic advantage on our part, but it constitutes a serious blow to a certain subsection of the enemy's operations, and is also very far reaching in terms of effect gained by psy-ops against AQ.

[Travis McGee]

We’re all guessing at this point.

[Uncle Ike]

” We’re all guessing at this point. “

Exactly... Educated and well-thought=through guesses, but guesses, nonetheless......

[Travis McGee]

Hey, I write novels, this stuff is grist for my mill. As long as it stays fiction!

[hiredhand]

Oh absolutely! ...just a guess.

[Travis McGee]

A shy freeper Pmailed me a nice thought, getting Clancy on us. Maybe the top terrorist opened the vat or put something in the camp's water barrel, just before driving away solo, with the weaponized germs? The tools having outlived their usefulness.