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Missiles aimed at Binny in â98, killed Pakistan intelligence officers
From Geostrategy Direct, subscription reqâd....Pakistani intelligence agents were killed during an August 1998 U.S. missile attack on Afghanistan, a hearing of the U.S. government-sponsored commission examining the September 11 terrorist attacks disclosed last week. And what were they doing there, hmmmm? The 60 Tomahawk missiles were fired on a complex of four terrorist training bases, a logistics center and a headquarters some 94 miles south of Kabul near the Pakistani border. The storage site had weapons and explosives. Osama Bin Laden and other top Al Qaida leaders were supposed to have been in the facility along with some 600 Al Qaida trainees. Nice rich target, if true. According to a staff report by the National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Against the United States, neither Bin Laden nor other terrorist leaders were killed in the raid. Former National Security Adviser Samuel Berger was asked during one hearing whether a decision to inform Pakistan about the missile strike in advance had compromised the chance of killing Bin Laden and other top leaders. Berger said that a senior U.S. general informed Pakistanâs chief of staff about the attacks during a dinner meeting as the missiles were in flight. "Would you please pass the brrread, General Half-track." "Certainly, Mr. Chief of Staff. Oh, by the way, Sir, I did not want to alarm the other guests, but there are 60 cruise missiles on their way into terrorist training camps south of Kabul while we speak." "You donât say, General. Would you excuse me, I must use the phone. I will be back shortly." "Certainly, Your Excellency." Asked he believed the Pakistanis warned Bin Laden of the attack, Berger replied, "There has been speculation to that effect, - that he was tipped off. I tend to doubt it, for the simple reason is that we also killed, apparently, a number of Pakistani ISI intelligence officials who were at the camps at the same time. So one would think that had there been a tip, they would have gotten their own people out." "Iâm sorry, all circuits are busy now. Please try your call again later. Peshawr Operator 7734" Posted by: Alaska Paul 2004-03-31 |
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