Looks like a good target for these.
Posted on 09/30/2001 1:41:15 PM PDT by maquiladora
THESE amazing satellite pictures [ CLICK]reveal the secret lair of terror mastermind Osama Bin Laden hidden deep in the mountains of Afghanistan. They show where the evil leader rules over an incredible network of fortified underground bunkers which conceal his fanatical followers as they are trained to unleash violence against America and Britain. Up to 1,500 extremist Islamic recruits at a time have learned their skills with guns, explosives and even biological and chemical weapons in the maze of tunnels deep beneath the barren terrain.
The pictures, taken from the commercial satellite Ikonos, pinpointed Bin Laden's huge and heavily guarded HQ in the Darunta region, eight miles from the city of Jalalabad. A military expert told the Sunday People last night: "They show just what our forces will be up against if they attack." The photos - clear enough to pick out recruits marching along a track in single file - show:
-A COMPLEX of camps covering a quarter of a square mile. Intelligence chiefs think this is where some of the terrorists who attacked US embassies in Africa and an American warship were trained. The area is big enough to contain a dairy farm with 4,000 cattle to feed Bin Laden's recruits
-ENTRANCES to a labyrinth of 14 tunnels linking dozens of bunkers built in the 1980s to protect against attacks from the Russians. They contain training centres and probably also massive caches of chemical and conventional weapons. There are many escape exits.
-GUN emplacements and surface-to-air missile sites dug into the hillsides. There is even a suspected helipad from which Bin Laden may have fled in 1998 when America launched cruise missiles against his bases after the embassy attacks.
The complex is one of about 30 boltholes where Bin Laden may be lurking and its camps present a prime target for the SAS, American special forces and Allied jets.
The key camp on the site is named Abu Khabab after an Egyptian member of his al -Qa'eda terrorist group which runs it. Nearby is the Assadalah Abdul Rahman camp, whose blind father Omar was jailed in America for plotting to blow up the World Trade Center in 1993. The Taliban Area, run by the religious militia that controls most of Afghanistan, is mostly used by government officials. There is also the Hizbi Islami Camp, operated by a group of Pakistani extremists fighting in Kashmir.
The incredible photos were released by defence think tank globalsecurity.org.
Tim Brown, an analyst for the organisation, said: "They give us an insight into how the hunt for Bin Laden is likely to unfold and what our forces are going to be up against. "The site has protection from air attacks. The terrorists can stockpile weapons and equipment and train in secret."
Even more chillingly, recent spy satellite pictures of Afghanistan showed hundreds of dead animals outdoors - fuelling speculation that biological weapons were being tested.
THE satellite even pinpointed a a squad of 50 terror recruits as they trooped single-file over a rough track in Bin Laden's mountain hideout. An Army-style truck was also spotted. Recruits are shown guerilla tactics learnt by the Taliban during the Russian occupation.
A SMALL hilltop has been levelled next to tunnel exits to provide what appears to be a make-shift helicopter landing pad. Intelligence sources believe it could provide a rapid getaway for Bin Laden if the area is hit by sudden Allied strikes from the air or ground.
DOZENS of tunnel entrances big enough for vehicles can be seen on hillsides. They lead to bunkers thought to contain huge stockpiles of weapons and ammunition - protected by bomb-proof steel doors and reinforced concrete. This is where our forces will aim their Cavebuster missiles (below) to destroy Bin Laden's lair.
THE key camp in the complex is heavily fortified. It is thought to be used to store explosives and train terrorist recruits in their use. There may also be biological and chemical weapons stolen from the former Soviet Union's Cold War arsenal.
Looks like a good target for these.
You might be surprised: Lots of us.
This complex is not built in rock. The material looks like soft sediments or even sand dunes. Rock can be seen in the lower right-hand portion of the photos showing the dam. The striations are steeply dipping (tilted) rock strata. The rock lies not too far below the soft sediements so tunnels may go down into rock.
The camp location next to the reservoir is very clever. It gives the occupants an unlimited supply of water by simply drilling wells in the rock down to the reservoir level.
The article does not identify the corral-like structures and round bunker just left of the dam. These appear to be fortifications to control any invaders who would cross the dam - the only road access to the site. The area is protected by the river and reservoir, as well as the steep terrain of the river canyon.
The numerous tunnel entrances identified look like small bunkers, probably to hold explosives or ammunition. There is no road access to them. Vehicles would have to drive up the dry wash to reach them. While relatively flat, dry washes often have soft sand that bogs vehicles down. No recent tracks are visible. These bunkers would also be inaccessible to vehicles following flash floods.
The identified helipad is too large to have only that purpose. It is nearly the size of two football fields. The material is probably spoil from a shaft that goes down into the tunnel system from the ridge top. By measuring the volume of this material (using stereo photgraphs) the volume of the excavation can be estimated.
U.S. intellegence can go back in their files to check changes in this area over the years. That will give them a good idea of how the site was developed and what the functions of the various areas are.
Overall, it looks very crudly and haphazardly built. The fact that it is excavated in soft sediment may indicate a very unskilled manual labor force, with no ability to excavate the hard rock in the area.
We could give them mad-cow disease like they just did to England.
It was in the smoke coming from WTC#1.
Do you really think the hole in the ground he is hiding in is revealed? Sheese...
10 acres is a square furlong. 8 furlongs make a mile so a quarter mile squared would be 8/4=2 furlongs long or 2 x 2 =4 square furlongs or 40 acres.
On the other hand, if this is a 1/4 square mile, then it's 64 square furlongs divided by 4 or 16 square furlongs, which is obviously 1/2 mile squared.
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