Posted on 11/18/2014 9:57:26 AM PST by PapaNew
In 2001, a small U.S. special operations force had won extraordinary victories in Afghanistan and closed in on Bin Laden before high-level blunders allowed him to escape into Pakistan.
Exactly twelve years ago, during the cold Winter days between December 10-16, in the jagged mountains of Tora Bora that separate Afghanistan from Pakistan, Osama bin Laden walked unencumbered into Pakistan and disappeared for nine and a half years.
Just before, however, bin Laden had made an egregious error. After spending a couple seconds too long on his radio, the CIA pinpointed bin Ladens location to within ten meters. One hour later, forty of Americas most elite special operations forces raced to kill the most infamous man alive.
It was the only day for nearly a decade in which the United States knew exactly where Osama bin Laden was. And, it was the last time that the majority of al Qaedas leadership would ever be in the same place.
It was no secret that the core of al Qaeda retreated to Tora Bora in the previous weeks. And, it was no surprise to the American operatives on the ground that bin Laden would escape.
For weeks, Gary Berntsen, the top CIA officer in Afghanistan, pleaded for eight hundred Army Rangers to seal the six-by-six square mile sierra of Tora Bora. General James Mattis, who commanded twelve hundred Marines at Camp Rhino near Kandahar, asked to reposition his forces to seal the border at Tora Bora. And, more than one thousand troops from the Tenth Mountain Division lay ready at Bagram Air Base near Kabul and Kharshi Khanabad in Uzbekistan.
Instead, the military opted to send forty additional Army special operators to Tora Bora.
(Excerpt) Read more at thedailybeast.com ...
He should have then let Saddam off the hook with the condition that Saddam fight off both the Ayatollahs in Iran and Al Qaeda sunni jihadis (both of whom hated Saddam in any case)
Its bs cause of the ole ruler
72 inches Aint 79 inches
It isn’t a “hit” piece it is the truth of what happened in December 2001. Having conversations with people who were involved helps.
The fact is, and anyone involved will tell you off the record, the orders given to the military on the ground allowed Bin Laden to escape, and those orders came from the top.
Bin Laden dead in 2001 effectively satisfies the American public’s need for justice after 9/11. No Iraq War, no trillions of $$ on spending on the GWOT for the rest of the decade and nobody makes any money. The country quickly moves on to other matters at hand in early 2002
You can believe your “conversations”, I will believe my sources. BS is BS no matter how you can shape, shade or perfume it. “Off the record” is another term for “look out here comes the BS!!!!” Just one sentence in the piece, concerning “sealing the border” so OBL could not escape is pure BS. I say it again.
How in the hell is that pure BS?
Our boys on the ground had him cornered. Only way for him to escape was to get to Pakistan. And the orders that came down let him escape to Pakistan.
It was a debacle by our leadership that he was allowed to escape. And if you are ever in the DC area send me a message and I’ll be happy to introduce you to people I know who will be happy to tell you what they tell me, in particular about the months leading up to 9/11 and the failure of leadership to get Bin Laden and serve justice quickly in late 2001
I remember. We had him trapped up there. Our guys were ordered to let it happen.
Exactly. And if he is confirmed dead in 2001, the rest of whatever plan people like Kristol/Wolfowitz/Cheney had falls apart because there is no public support. The GWOT is effectively over
Makes you wonder whether the Saudis had a hand in that escape. I remember our military being furious.
Would not surprise me. Where there is money to be made, look for a Saudi
Typical. We would have lost WW2 if our politicians had their way.
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