Confessions of a Terrorist (al-Qaeda leader's explosive allegations)

Time Magazine ^ | September 8 issue | JOHANNA MCGEARY

[anymouse]

And just who told Posner of these covert activities? The guy is writing fiction. And bad fiction at that.

[Travis McGee]

If the stuff in the book is true, there is a diplomatic $hitstorm going on right now that we know nothing about.

To say the least!

[Travis McGee]

#10: Superb analysis.

[river rat]

I agree..

The war on terrorism will not be concluded until the Saudis have paid a huge blood price...

I am convinced that the Saudis, Wahhabi clerics and their militant allies have been attempting to torch the world in an effort to regain "Arab dominance".

Semper Fi

[CROSSHIGHWAYMAN]

Saudi Arabia has been the new "Soviet Union" when you talk about funding terrorists.

The Saudi royal family is headed for the same fate as the Russian royal family.

The sooner the better!!

[Incorrigible]

Hey Destro and Fusion,

I though you might be interested in Marron's analysis in Post #10

[Dubya]

Good read

[Fixit]

Thanks for the bump.

I guess its time to brush off this dusty old graphic...

[Destro]

From B Raman, Additional Secretary (retd), Cabinet Secretariat, Govt. of India, and, presently, Director, Institute for Topical Studies, Chennai, and Convenor, Observer Research Foundation (ORF), Chennai chapter. E-mail: corde@vsnl.com

US after 9/11: None the wiser

The questions this well respected and knowledgable Indian diplomat asks in his article on the 9/11 congressional findings puts its findings to shame. The questions not asked can only point to a white-wash of an investigation having been conducted.

One must wonder at the compliant and powerless nature of the American public to allow such a congress.

[Gritty]

Posner's book was not written in a vacuum, this is I don't doubt written with government sponsorship to begin the final shift in public attitudes toward the Saudis.

I certainly hope so.

While the Saudis helped us bring down the Soviet Union by opening their oil spigots thereby precipitously dropping the price of crude oil and, along with Reagan's concurrent military buildup and SDI, helped bankrupt the Soviets, it was in their best interests to do so then in concert with us.

Now, it is in their best interests to continue their assaults on the most powerful class of Infidels - us and the rest of Western, "Christian" civilization! It is not so much an economic thing as it is religious motivation.

Saudi Arabia is one of the very few nations in the world with almost no non-Islamics (Afghanistan is another) plus they are the keepers of the most Holy Sites. Therefore, they are at the center of gravity of the "House Of Islam" - the area where Islam reigns supreme with no opposition or compromise. Consequently, as the center of Islamic Power, they are on a jihad against the Infidel, carrying out the commands of the Prophet Mohammad and his followers, conquering the world for Allah! They can't assault us directly, but are using bin Laden, Al Qaeda, and all their money and influence to bring about our eventual economic, military and social collapse much like the Soviet Union.

After our economic collapse, the Islamic movement comes in for the final kill via forced conversion just as they have in every other country they have conquered for 14 centuries, spreading the House of Islam to the entire world forever!

Bloody? Most assuredly! But, as Islam has proven time and time again, the body counts of Infidels don't matter much so they will pile them as high as need be. The "important" thing is, the world is won for Allah!

[SauronOfMordor]

Without charging any skulduggery (Posner told TIME they "may in fact be coincidences"), the author notes that these deaths occurred after cia officials passed along Zubaydah's accusations to Riyadh and Islamabad. Washington, reports Posner, was shocked when Zubaydah claimed that "9/11 changed nothing" about the clandestine marriage of terrorism and Saudi and Pakistani interests, "because both Prince Ahmed and Mir knew that an attack was scheduled for American soil on that day."

The week before 9/11, there was a huge amount of short-selling and put-option-buying for the companies that would be most affected by 9/11. (thread Profits of Doom).

There was some discussion in the weeks following 9/11, then the story went "down the memory hole". It is my belief that the trail led to people who, for political reasons, could not be touched

[Dubya]

Amen. Thanks for the ping.

[Shermy]

For one, I don't believe the "we give money to Laden to leave us alone" bit. I believe there was quid pro quo, for example targeting and focusing on central asian hydrocarbon regions. Explains the cooperation of Iran.

There may have been a falling out in the early 1990's, for example exile to Sudan, but things changed, at least as 1996 starting with the Second Chechen War.

[marron]

I believe the "we give money to Bin Ladin to leave us alone" only in the sense that while he is not operating inside the Kingdom they have deniability, and while he is not attacking the royals themselves they have parallel interests.

Assigning someone to Sudan could be covered as "deporting" them to Sudan, so that means nothing to me. Of course at the level Bin Ladin operates at, you don't actually give orders to a guy at his level. He at some point becomes a force in his own right, he is not a spook with a CIA pension plan and semi-annual performance reviews, his agents are personally loyal to him, and he has by this time developed his own agenda. But if the Sauds are funding his activities outside the Kingdom, he is a Saudi agent, and his operations serve their interests or they would not fund them.

The fact that the money is laundered in as charitable donations from the royals also means little, thats one way its done. You will remember that one way we funded the Contras was by way of charities, one of the major ones handled by Jeb Bush... er, never mind. But you get my point, thats how its done.

Had we not intervened in Afghanistan when we did, I believe his intent was for the Taliban to push north into Tajikistan. I believe we have all seen reports that they were massing for a big push, and the Northern Alliance was at the point of folding when we came into the picture.

A Talibanistan in Central Asia would not have been beyond the realm of the possible had that happened. There are areas in the 'Stans that are beyond the reach of the governments as it is. Parts of the Ferghana Valley, for example, and there was a portion of I believe Kyrgyzstan that China simply demanded, and they ceded, a year or so back.

The fact that these regions sit on top of, or within arms reach of an enormous pool of oil and gas is just serendipity, I'm sure.

My reservations about Posner are that he is a shill for others, possibly a CIA shill, but a shill in any case.

This book only reinforces my view of him. He obviously couldn't have access to the kind of interrogations he is reporting, so someone has to make the decision to leak that information. That is what is interesting to me here, that a decision was made to leak this information, which will have the effect of ramping up the pressure on the Sauds. Unless they can get the rest of the media to ignore the story altogether. I wonder how much PR money that would cost.

[nutmeg]

Thanks for the pings. I finally got around to reading this... WOW, definitely a MUST READ!

[nutmeg]

ping!

Please FReepmail me if you want on or off my infrequent ‘miscellaneous’ ping list.

[DoctorMichael]

Bump.