US commandos in east Afghanistan; official says bin Laden sighted

AFP | 12/04/01

[kattracks]

US warplanes and commandos zeroed in on the eastern Afghan mountains where a provincial official said he had located terror suspect Osama bin Laden and urged him to negotiate his fate.

Haji Mohammad Zaman, military commander of eastern Nangarhar province, said he had sent a letter to bin Laden three days ago. But he would not say whether the world's most wanted man was ready to talk or whether he was still in the same spot.

News of the sighting came as US warplanes bombed the region relentlessly and American ground forces moved into place to search for the world's most wanted man, possibly hiding in the Tora Bora cave complex near here.

Residents paid a heavy price for the US attention focused on the region, local officials said. Zaman reported that nearly 100 civilians were killed and 200 wounded in three days of US bombing.

Zaman said the bombs fell near Tora Bora, a network of dozens of caves situated in the freezing White Mountains and reachable only by foot or on horseback.

But he would not give any precise location for the mountain hideout of bin Laden, the head of the al-Qaeda network who is wanted by the US authorities for the September 11 terror attacks on New York and Washington.

"I sent a first letter to Osama three days ago, he was in the mountains," Zaman said. The text of the message, translated for AFP, urged bin Laden to reflect on the misfortune his activities had brought the Afghan people.

"It said: 'We are ready to talk with you and to discuss with you how to solve the problem by negotiation,'" said Zaman, one of the local chiefs who seized control of the Jalalabad region after the Taliban left last month.

With Tora Bora targeted by US officials as one of two likely bin Laden hiding places, along with the Taliban's southern stronghold of Kandahar, the American presence in the area was growing.

The Afghan Islamic Press (AIP) said that 20 US special forces troops had helicoptered into Jalalabad on Sunday to launch a search for the elusive Saudi millionaire and his al-Qaeda lieutenants.

Kenton Keith, a spokesman for the US-led war on terrorism, confirmed that "there are coalition forces in the area" of Jalalabad but would not say anything more about their nature or mission.

But bin Laden has long been believed to have a heavily defended lair in the caves of Tora Bora around 50 kilometres (30 miles) south of Jalalabad.

British press reports over the weekend said British and US elite special forces troops were preparing to raid the caves.

Britain's Mail on Sunday also reported that British special forces operatives just missed bin Laden when they stormed one of his mountain strongholds southeast of Kandahar last month.

"We were within a whisker of getting him. It was a hard battle and will have put the fear of God into his people," a source close to the elite Special Air Service (SAS) regiment told the paper.

US warplanes kept up their airstrikes around Tora Bora Sunday night and Monday. But Keith would not confirm the reports of civilian deaths, and he accused the Taliban of using "human shields".

"It is not the case that these people were targeted as civilians by coalition aircraft. The coalition does everything it can to minimise civilian casualties," he told a news briefing.

Even without any confirmed sighting of bin Laden, the Tora Bora complex has attracted its share of media coverage and curiosity.

The fortress comprises some 30 to 40 caves, many connected by tunnels. One Afghan visitor likened it to a hotel and said it contained numerous rooms with immense walls and electric heating.

Locals say the mujahedin fighting against the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan in the 1980s worked hard to fortify and expand the Tora Bora complex, digging new tunnels and burying large caches of arms.

Keith said bin Laden was still in Afghanistan but his exact location was not known for sure.

"Do we think Osama bin Laden is still in Afghanistan? Yes. Are we closer to identifying the exact place where he might be? ... I can't say that we are," he said.

[dighton]

"We were within a whisker of getting him. It was a hard battle and will have put the fear of God into his people," a source close to the elite Special Air Service (SAS) regiment told the paper.

[BrooklynGOP]

We should catch him alive and give him to NYC firemen.

[Cicero]

As many times as I've heard that name "Tora Bora," I still can't help thinking about "South Pacific." Do you suppose that's really an Afghan name?

[Sabertooth]

Thanks for the post, kattracks! You do awesome work!

Osama Paki-pool Update:Osama bin DEAD-pool Pick a day! Any day! Or flag me for a QikPik! Update
Still plenty of open dates, so flag me on this thread if you want in. As you've noticed, since he doesn't look like he'll make it to Pakistan, I went ahead and changed the name of the pool. Sue me.
November, 2001 November 16: First day of Ramadan! November 17: 68-69TonkinGulfYatchClub - Nope. November 18: OPEN November 19: OPEN November 20: OPEN November 21: OPEN November 22: Azzurri -- Thanksgiving - Nope. November 23: Sabertooth - Nope. November 24: Jefferson Adams - Nope. November 25: Victoria Delsoul - Nope. November 26: airborne - Nope. November 27: harpseal - Nope. November 28: snippy_about_it - Nope. November 29: Tunehead54 - Nope. November 30: Travis McGee - Nope.						December, 2001 December   1: alancarp - Nope. December   2: onyx - Nope. December   3: AfghanAirShow - Tick… tick… tick. December   4: Straight Vermonter - On the bubble. December   5: Pokey78 December   6: proudofthesouth December   7: null and void -- Pearl Harbor Day December   8: MaeWest December   9: justlurking December 10: glock rocks December 11: KayEyeDoubleDee December 12: Washi December 13: FreedomFarmer December 14: irish guard December 15: hattend Not sure when Ramadan ends, but around here somewhere. December 16: nunya bidness December 17: abner December 18: anniegetyourgun December 19: Collier December 20: mdittmar December 21: Nick Danger December 22: okie01 December 23: peteram December 24: RasterMaster -- Christmas Eve December 25: Go Gordon -- Christmas Day December 26: Loyalist December 27: Brian Allen December 28: Snow Bunny December 29: Alabama_Wild_Man December 30: CIApilot December 31: Miss Marple -- New Year's Eve
January, 2002 January   1: Freeper 007 -- New Year's Day January   2: spectr17 January   3: lainde January   4: Woodman January   5: Semper911 January   6: be-baw January   7: aruanan January   8: PoisedWoman -- Elvis' Birthday January   9: Diogenesis. January 10: JeanS January 11: is_is January 12: garycooper January 13: Torie January 14: JohnHuang2 January 15: coteblanche -- Martin Luther King's Birthday. January 16: Sunshine55 January 17: lmr January 18: eastforker January 19: LibWhacker January 20: Gritty -- Anniversary of Dubya's Inagural January 21: bwteim January 22: Mike Darancette January 23: Shooter 2.5 January 24: kylaka January 25: butter pecan fan January 26: itwasntme January 27: WRhine January 28: nevergore January 29: veronica January 30: InfraRed January 31: Ernest_at_the_Beach						February, 2002 February   1: mvonfr February   2: afuturegovernor -- Ground Hog Day February   3: JennysCool February   4: deadhead February   5: VietVet February   6: Slyfox February   7: GeronL February   8: OPEN February   9: OnAMission February 10: gwmoore February 11: EaglesUpForever February 12: OPEN February 13: OPEN February 14: beowolf February 15: I_Had_Enough February 16: OPEN February 17: aquawrench February 18: OPEN February 19: ScottK> February 20: OPEN February 21: OPEN February 22: OPEN February 23: katze February 24: OPEN February 25: OPEN February 26: OPEN February 27: OPEN February 28: Poohbah
March, 2002 March   1: OPEN March   2: womanvet March   3: OPEN March   4: OPEN March   5: jrewingjr March   6: OPEN March   7: OPEN March   8: OPEN March   9: OPEN March 10: OPEN March 11: VRWC For Truth March 12: OPEN March 13: OPEN March 14: OPEN March 15: X-FID March 16: Happygal March 17: Hillary's Lovely Legs March 18: OPEN March 19: Lancey Howard March 20: OPEN March 21: OPEN March 22: OPEN March 23: Tex-Con-Man March 24: seeker41 March 25: OPEN March 26: OPEN March 27: OPEN March 28: JerseyHighlander March 29: OPEN March 30: OPEN March 31: OPEN						And here are a few of Freepers who think that they know something that the rest us don't… October 10, 2001: susangirl - She's actually got a cool theory, which you can read HERE. April   1: Free Vulcan April   2: grizzfan April 14: Faraday April 15: LLAN-DDEUSANT April 28: operation clinton cleanup April 29: dennisw May 17: Flipyaforreal
If you're unsure what the whole "Paki-pool" idea was about, click this link to a thread posted by Travis McGee on October 25th... Will Osama Appear In Pakistan? The operating theory is was that Osama bin Laden had a plan all along to show up in Pakistan, have himself declared the "Imam al-Mahdi" (a long-prophesied Islamic savior-figure), and start a civil war in an attempt to gain control of Pakistan's nukes. Sound crazy? So is he. Crazy evil. It's still an interesting read.
Here's another:    Black Flags of Islam   Portents of the Imam al-Mahdi, the Moslems' prophesied deliverer of Jerusalem? Click on the Black Flags for the link

I have this nagging suspicion that I've lost track of a pick or two (StoneColdGOP, I think you're one), so check your date, and flag me if I've goofed.

Thanks to everyone for playing!

[onedoug]

"...said he had sent a letter to bin Laden three days ago."

"News of the sighting came as US warplanes bombed the region...."

What "sighting?

[meridia]

TIME is running out for OBL.... IF he's actually still in Afghanistan.... frankly, I believe he left there in August and is in hiding in Saudi Arabia... which he mistakenly believed he'd be ruling by 9/15 -- the F00L!!!

[Lester Moore]

We should catch him alive and give him to NYC firemen.

Think they'd hose him?

[onyx]

I think Pokey78 has a good chance!

[68-69TonkinGulfYachtClub]

The USO Canteen Post Office

E-Mail Our Military Links To enter, Click on the Mailbox.

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CLICK HERE: FOR UP-TO-DATE SET OF MILITARY& VETS SUPPORT LINKS

[Cicero]

As seen on a bumper sticker:

IT'S GOD'S RESPONSIBILITY TO FORGIVE BIN LADEN
IT'S OUR RESPONSIBILITY TO ARRANGE THE MEETING

* United States Marine Corps *

[Slicksadick]

Please add me at 2-27-02. What a great Birthday present that would be.

[Sabertooth]

Pokey's sitting pretty, but null's December 7th pick is looking shrewd.

Imagine avenging 9/11 on Pearl Harbor's 60th Anniversary!

[nettlsome]

1 will get attention. 2 or 33 will arouse. 911 on his f'hideout should do it!

[onyx]

Shrewd, hell, that date was already taken when YOU assigned me the loser 2nd! :^)

[LJLucido]

Think they'd hose him?

They would redefine the meaning of "high colonic."

[InvisibleChurch]

"We were within a whisker of getting him. It was a hard battle and will have put the fear of God into his people," a source close to the elite Special Air Service (SAS) regiment told the paper.

I suspect that they are going to be 'within a whisker of getting him" until they have destroyed every cave complex in Afghanistan. Obl will be long dead before reported because the press will whine about stopping the destruction of the AlColada...I also guess that reports of his demise might not be reported until we are well into destroying terrorist in the Phillipines or Iraq

[spanky_mcfarland]

Drat...I was hoping he'd been sighted by a snipers scope!

[Abn1508]

I'll take Mar22. It's my birthday. Personally I think his head will be on the spikes around the White House and Mullah Omar's eye will be an ornament for Jenna Bush before then. But what the heck.