Posted on 05/02/2011 6:57:30 PM PDT by posterchild
WASHINGTON When one of Osama bin Laden's most trusted aides picked up the phone last year, he unknowingly led U.S. pursuers to the doorstep of his boss, the world's most wanted terrorist.
That phone call, recounted Monday by a U.S. official, ended a years-long search for bin Laden's personal courier, the key break in a worldwide manhunt. The courier, in turn, led U.S. intelligence to a walled compound in northeast Pakistan, where a team of Navy SEALs shot bin Laden to death.
The violent final minutes were the culmination of years of intelligence work. Inside the CIA team hunting bin Laden, it always was clear that bin Laden's vulnerability was his couriers. He was too smart to let al-Qaida foot soldiers, or even his senior commanders, know his hideout. But if he wanted to get his messages out, somebody had to carry them, someone bin Laden trusted with his life.
In a secret CIA prison in Eastern Europe years ago, al-Qaida's No. 3 leader, Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, gave authorities the nicknames of several of bin Laden's couriers, four former U.S. intelligence officials said. Those names were among thousands of leads the CIA was pursuing.
(Excerpt) Read more at news.yahoo.com ...
just saying,,, that waterboarding was kinda effective after all. And I remember being told numerous times that it doesn’t produce reliable information.
The way I understood it wuz:
Found courier last year.
Found where he was going in Feb. 2011
Established compound was target of high priority
Built full scale model of compound for trainging which took weeks/months.
Told Prez they were ready to go with two possible plans
He gave go ahead.
I have been known to be wrong though.
I didn’t know that guy was CIA, but it makes sense from that perspective. I can’t imagine how intense it must be to a covert CIA spook, totally unprotected, working a plan in the belly of the beast. Wish I had a couple ounces of their courage to supplement what I’ve got on-board. I would imagine they go through some of the Special Ops training.
That expression is so yesterday. Now it's called using pattern recognition software. I hate the media.
Today I heard a replay of a President Bush interview by Matt Lauer. Lauer attacked over and over and GWB clearly and forcefully explained why we have enhanced interrogation techniques. I miss him.
Thank you.
I wonder if Yahoo, a liberal publication, is putting their spin on it, though.
Anyway the left is also against secret prisons, and both sources gave secret prisons credit.
According to National Review:
U.S. and Pakistani authorities captured KSM on March 1, 2003 in Rawalpindi, Pakistan. KSM stayed mum for months, often answering questions with Koranic chants. Interrogators eventually waterboarded him for just 90 seconds.Yes, it's true that he give the courier info without waterboarding -- but only AFTER waterboarding broke him.KSM didnt resist, one CIA veteran said in the August 13 issue of The New Yorker. He sang right away. He cracked real quick. Another CIA official told ABC News: KSM lasted the longest under water-boarding, about a minute and a half, but once he broke, it never had to be used again.
On both statements, You can't be serious! I'm sure there were much harsher interrogation tactics used in various wars which the US fought. The press just didn't see the need to expose the details of those or they just have short memories.
Speaking of short memories, Obama may have campaigned on shutting down those prisons and ending rendition, but I think there is evidence that that is not the case. The press just doesn't see the need to expose the details of that now that Obama is running the program.
Obama demonizes Bush then takes credit for the successes derived from the Bush policies. The media stands and cheers and his supporters eat it up.
Built full scale model of compound for trainging which took weeks/months.
The trainging that took awhile, not the contruction. Now, do I need to tell you what trainging is? Sheese, one of thez daz eye am gona larn how two spel.
America waterboarded Filipinos during the uprising after teh Spanish American War. IIRC over 200 died due to our tactics. I learned this from “The Imperial Cruise” by Bradley.
I’ve been watching CNN in my hotel room in Minneapolis because they don’t have FOX news. Not once have they mentioned the Gitmo interrogation techniques as being the start of finding OBL.
I heard them when interviewing politicians who mentioned it. In fact Chenny also mentioned it and so did , I think, Gugliani. But I heard it on Cnn first...online TV.
Yes, but only right-leaning interviewees. You can’t find a lib who will admit the harsh interrogation methods brought results. That would validate Bush. That they cannot bring themselves to do. If you read or hear anything by libs, the hunting and killing of OBL was entirely an Obama production.
I understand how they made it seem like it dragged out, but after they figured out he was there, how did they know that he wouldn’t be gone the next day? If you know where he is NOW, then you go after him NOW. If it wouldn’t have been safe to send the SEALS in without training, then do a drone strike. If Obama had this as his “#1 priority”, then he would have wanted to make sure it was done right away.
The whole thing sounds fishy to me, especially since we haven’t seen pictures yet.
That wasn’t nice to make fun of his spelling. Many very smart people have learning disabilities that make it difficult to spell, it has nothing to do with their intelligence!!!
You need to learn manners....
They needed proof it was him and that he was dead. The only way to do that is the way they did it.
The Ultimate Waterboard: Place body on board and drop into the sea.
Howdy Maam. Jus fer yer enphemasion, eye wuz makin phun uf mye own spelin.
I never seriously make fun of others. As you probably know it is usually the fault of these danged computers we use. LOL
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