Posted on 09/27/2001 9:46:57 PM PDT by kattracks
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. special forces have been in Afghanistan for two weeks searching for Osama bin Laden, the prime suspect in the airborne assaults on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, USA Today reported on Friday.
Citing unidentified senior U.S. and Pakistani officials, the newspaper said U.S. commandos arrived in Pakistan on Sept. 13 -- two days after the attacks -- and began moving into Afghanistan with orders to capture or kill the Saudi-born Islamic militant, or pin him down until the United States can launch air strikes.
Pentagon spokeswoman Victoria Clarke refused to comment on the front-page story. The Pentagon was not making any comment on operations, she said.
Officials have said the U.S. "war on terrorism," declared after the terror attacks on New York and Washington in which nearly 6,500 people are dead or missing, would be an unconventional battle in which commandos could play a key role.
The newspaper, citing Pentagon officials in Washington and Pakistani military officials with direct knowledge of the operations, said U.S. special operations forces had landed in the Pakistani cities of Peshawar and Quetta.
Teams of three to five soldiers, supported by Black Hawk MH-60K helicopters based outside Afghanistan, began deploying into the country to locate bin Laden, concentrating their searches in caves and underground bunkers in southwest Afghanistan near Kandahar, the newspaper said, citing senior U.S. and Pakistani officials.
USA Today said the elite troops were having trouble finding bin Laden and had asked other nations for intelligence help.
Quoting U.S. officials, it said several elite military units were involved in the effort to find bin Laden, including the Army's Green Berets, Navy SEALS and the British Army's Special Air Services.
Copyright © 2001 Reuters Limited.
Thats not really a downside since it is just maintaining the status quo.
My take, but just a hunch:
We're there.
BEEN there.
Are checking out MANY places, not only for OBL, but for as many of his henchmen in Afgh.
AND identifying and locating as much as his "out of Afgh." people as possible.
Monitoring movements and communications inside and outside Afgh (to and from).
I wouldn't be at all surprised to someday find out that OBL could have already been "taken out" a dozen times.
Don't forget: As the old expression says: "we have bigger fish to fry" - The more careful and reasoned the prep for action, the more of his, and other, terrorist groups can be taken out - wherever they are.
You people crack me up. Do you really think all those sudden northern alliance victories were just some kind of fluke? And no, our forces aren't just staggering around the country side hoping to run into bin laden. There is a wealth of info available about how special force teams operate, researching some of these will give a clearer view of what is actually going on. And yes, they've been there since day two.
The main difference between Iraq and Afghanistan will be the kind of bombs used. This time, there will be far fewer TV-guided, computer-controlled, missiles/bombs, because there aren't as many targets that can be clearly identified from the air. This time, we will use more low-tech weapons, like the Blue-82, our most powerful non-nuclear weapon.
Also, in war the term "innocent civilians" loses some of its meaning. The Afghais put Taliban in charge and have left them in charge -- just as the Germans put Hitler in charge and left him in charge. The only pure victims in this are the children -- that, unfortunately, is always true, in floods, hurricans, riots, wars, you name it.
But as far as adults are concerned, we are responsible for our governments. If our leaders are stupid, incompetent or vicious, we can get killed as a result. Shall we refer to Bill as "camel-butt Clinton" because he fired a few missiles at bin Laden, riled him up, and then quit? Now, we have reaped what he sowed.
It is time, now, for Taliban, al Qua'eda, Hussein, Gaddafi, and all others around the world who support mass murder of civilians, to reap what they have sown.
As for the Special Forces report, I knew that. It was a no-brainer that this war began two weeks before the lamestream press got wind of it. The Gulf War was a made-for-TV war. This one definitely is not. No more Nintendo. No more Mr. Nice Guy. Got that New York Times? Got that Washington Post? Got that Brocaw/Jennings/Rather?
The (More er Less) Honorable Billybob,
cyberCongressman from Western Carolina
Unless all the terrorists in al Qua'eda have a) stopped all communicationss, and b) ceased giving off heat from engines and body heat, we have a pretty good idea where they are, now. Next will come the Blue-82s to "soften up" the targets. (Imagine a frog in a blender.)
I'm a hi-tech redneck, myself. Remeber the line from Jack Nicholson as The Joker in Batman II, "Where DOES he get those marveloous toys?"
Congressman Billybob
I see Reuters has adopted the "terrorists" do not exist policy.
Maybe we should adopt a "Reuters" does not exist policy.
Amen!!!
I'm not ready for WWIII, but after the mass murders that were committed on 9-11, I think a solid ass kicking is definitely in order. Be ready though, this will be a protracted conflict with many Americans sacrificing their lives in defense of freedom and liberty.
One of the oldest principles of warfare is to hand your enemy a series of unsolvable dilemas: Damned if you do, Damned if you don't type decisions.
The natural reaction to this report for the Taliban will be to begin "beating the bushes" in their rear areas in an attempt to locate these stealthy recon teams. That takes a lot of manpower, manpower that will not be available to oppose the Northern Alliance.
While all this distraction is going on, the Northern Alliance will be receiving a major infusion of logistical support and begin to make dramatic territorial gains.
Go sit on it deb....
Better get a seat before you vapor lock there...just passing along info that our government MIGHT not be giving us.
Primarily for all those are chair generals who think we should send in our boys to fight these maggots. No more American lives should be given up for these worms. Whip most of them out with nucs and clean up the rest later. They are human garbage.
If you and Deb want to control a web site, develop your own....when I then visit you can tell me what you'd like me to do...until then, discuss things like nice civilized sheeple.
In fact there will be NO conventional forces on the ground "over there." SpecOps guys who WILL be tramping around won't be in the least bit lost or even a 'mite bewildered. They'll know exactly where they are going and what they are about! DEATH FROM ABOVE!
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