[1John]

You know, it strikes me that the best thing we could do is wait and watch with infra-red equipment as the weather turns colder and colder. With each passing day, heat from whatever is below ground will find it's way to escape. As the special forces guys sit patiently watching, they will map every single vent to the surface and then we will have the information to employ all of the destructive weapons mentioned in previous posts.

Whaddayathink?

[super175]

According to USAToday it is already getting down into the 40's in Kabul. In the mountains it will be much colder.

I wonder if we can locate body heat from space...

[hc87]

I was thinking something similar this morning--eventually they will need supplies and it must be easy for a spy plane to track body heat. But I wonder if Bin Laden is even in Afghanistan now---he's had several weeks to flee to other places where he could just disappear--Kashmir, Pakistan, Chechnyia. If he's out, we're probably in a position to hurt him badly by destroying infrastructure and a cadre of fighters, but much of his network will remain in place.

[BigBobber]

This is a very good observation. The temperature of the ground is very constant, in the neighborhood of 55 to 60 deg F. Any forced or natural convection of warm air out of a tunnel is easily detected, especially when the abient surface air temperature is 32 deg or less--- like Afghanistan in winter.

[boltfromblue]

Underground here maintains a temperature ca. 65 F. Maybe lower in rocks?

[justlurking]

You know, it strikes me that the best thing we could do is wait and watch with infra-red equipment as the weather turns colder and colder. With each passing day, heat from whatever is below ground will find it's way to escape. As the special forces guys sit patiently watching, they will map every single vent to the surface and then we will have the information to employ all of the destructive weapons mentioned in previous posts.

I've been thinking the same thing, more or less.

Why bother to go into the tunnels at all? Set up a perimeter around the complex and make sure nothing goes in or out. Drop enough bombs on their defensive positions to get the rats scurrying back into their holes.

Seal the holes we can already see with the bomb of your choice. Then, we move in carefully and mop up whatever is left on the surface. Sanitize the area and shoot anything that moves for the next year.

As winter sets in, any vent shafts or escape tunnels should look like a flare on infrared scans. Use a drone to scan the terrain and illuminate the bright spots with a laser. Drop 1000-lb bombs on the openings and close them. Repeat as necessary.

It may not be as satisfying as cleaning out the caves/tunnels and perhaps capturing a few people, but turning the bunkers into tombs is just as effective.