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2007-02-28 Afghanistan

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Posted by Fred 2007-02-28 00:00|| || Front Page|| [2 views since 2007-05-07] Top
File under: Taliban

#1 so the ISI told them the departure time from Pakiwakiland and they just waited a bit?

Posted by 3dc 2007-02-28 00:07|| 2007-02-28 00:07|| Front Page Top

#2 "This shows how much the militants have penetrated the intelligence of the ~~Afghan security forces~~ ISI. It is a most shocking attack,"

There, fixed that for you.

Posted by DanNY 2007-02-28 00:09|| 2007-02-28 00:09|| Front Page Top

#3 Not necessarily - there are ways to do it wid out need of invol the ISI or other. Personally, I'm more concerned that thia attack may mark a shift in Radical Islam's focii from operations in Eurasia-Africa, to new Terror strikes within the USA, espec agz Dubya + Washington.

Posted by JosephMendiola 2007-02-28 00:53|| 2007-02-28 00:53|| Front Page Top

#4 Unfortunately, it will take another, more personal suicide attack on US soil, with a direct link to AQ-iran-whatever, to shake the country and the administration into action.

Posted by anymouse">anymouse 2007-02-28 01:08|| 2007-02-28 01:08|| Front Page Top

#5 Might want to read this, from the former XO of Bagram.

Posted by Angie Schultz 2007-02-28 01:24|| 2007-02-28 01:24|| Front Page Top

#6 If there was a leak about the trip (aside from the dead give away of special aircraft landing at BAF) it came from Pakland. Keeping a military secret in Pakistan is like a teenage boy keeping his virginity in a brothel.

Posted by Armylife 2007-02-28 02:47|| 2007-02-28 02:47|| Front Page Top

#7 I refuse to believe that the Taliban had any clue that Cheney would be there. Note the wording used by AP in their initial reports;

However, a purported Taliban spokesman, Qari Yousef Ahmadi, said Cheney was the target of the attack.

"We knew that Dick Cheney would be staying inside the base," Ahmadi told AP telephone from an undisclosed location. "The attacker was trying to reach Cheney."

I think the chain of events went something like;
1. Taliban convinces some poor fool to blow himself up. There are lots of innocents that hang around the Bagram gate, so they decide that is as good a place as any.
2. After the event, an AP reporter breaks out the Rolodex, finds phone number of "Taliban Spokesman".
3. Says "Hey Qari, hows it hanging. Say, did you guys know that Dick Cheney was at Bagram during your recent and highly commendable martyr operation?"
4. Qari, thinking on his feet, says "Really? OK, for the record, write it up that we knew that"
5. AP reported says "Will do. Lets do lunch some time."

If the Taliban really knew anything, they would have used a weapon that could penetrate the perimeter. A rocket or a mortar maybe.

Posted by Bunyip 2007-02-28 05:15|| 2007-02-28 05:15|| Front Page Top

#8 Actually, they would have probably used one of the Chinese multiple 107mm rocket launchers : wide dispersal of rockets, easy to transport, easy to hide, and quick setup. Not a kamikazee who wouldn't make through the gate.

Posted by Shieldwolf 2007-02-28 06:25|| 2007-02-28 06:25|| Front Page Top

#9 I don't believe it was a targeted attack on Cheney. They were just lucky he was there and only after the fact claiming he was targeted.

Posted by Deacon Blues 2007-02-28 07:33|| 2007-02-28 07:33|| Front Page Top

#10 If they watch the airport looking for targets Air Force 2 would be pretty obvious.

Posted by BrerRabbit 2007-02-28 07:42|| 2007-02-28 07:42|| Front Page Top

#11 This had nothing to do with the fact that the VP was there. I am sure somebody knew someone special was therewhen special aircraft or anything unusal landed at BAF, we always jokedhere come the rockets tomorrow. And, usually, they did. It takes a bit of time to set something like that up24-48 hours. Usually it was some HIG asshole or a local militia guy who was paid by the HIG to pop a few 107mm rockets at us.

Angie thanks for the fantastic link regarding the XO's comments! Other Burgers will find his detailed in the know article most enlighting.

Posted by Icerigger 2007-02-28 09:17|| 2007-02-28 09:17|| Front Page Top

#12 Heck, I doubt it's the ISI either, when Blinky and crew have a subscription to the NY Times. They probably posted Cheney's schedule, or at least his proposed visit stops, and then they just sat around waiting on Air Force 2.

Posted by BA 2007-02-28 11:38|| 2007-02-28 11:38|| Front Page Top

#13 Here's what Spook86 at his blog In From the Cold has to say about the attack at Bagram:

Let's begin by separating the wheat from the chaff: today's "assasination attempt" against Vice President Cheney in Afghanistan was that in name only. The suicide bomber who blew himself up at a security checkpoint on the perimeter of Bagram Airbase was never a threat to the Vice President, nor anyone else inside the sprawling facility. Taliban spokesmen have eagerly claimed that Cheney was the target, but even the most optimistic terrorist understood that a lone bomber would never penetrate multiple layers of base security, plus additional measures that were in place around Mr. Cheney. At least 12 people died in the attack (including a U.S. soldier) but the carnage could have been far worse, had the blast occurred inside the installation.

But that wasn't the point of today's attack. By mounting a suicide attack at the edge of Bagram during the Vice President's visit, the Taliban scored a minor propaganda coup for themselves, while creating a security embarassment for the U.S. military and the Afghan government. Over the next 24-48 hours, we will be bombarded with stories about the attack, which will be cited as further proof of a deteriorating security situation in Afghanistan. Absent from that coverage will be the reminders that a single suicide bomber isn't much of a threat to a huge airbase (despite the casualties), and that the attack occurred in an area that is relatively accessible. According to one report, the blast targeted an area when vehicles and personnel pass through the first of three security checkpoints, before entering Bagram.

More disturbing is the fact that the Taliban apparently had some knowledge of Cheney's "unannounced" visit in advance, allowing them to plan and execute the attack. Some security experts believe the bombing indicates that the Taliban has penetrated the Afghan and/or Pakistani governments, which had advance knowledge of the Vice President's itinerary. However, there are also indications that the terrorists lacked key information about Mr. Cheney's travels, prompting them to mount a futile--but deadly attack--at Bagram, rather than targeting a more vulnerable segment of the Vice President's travels. More on that in a moment.

While concerns about terrorists penetrating Afghan and/or Pakistani security services are indeed valid, plans for today's bombing may have actually been "on the books" for quite a while. The Taliban (and their Al Qaida allies) know that Bagram is the entry point for any senior U.S. official visiting Afghanistan, and they've had ample opportunities to observe various aircraft associated with past VIP trips into Bagram. They are probably aware that some senior officials trade their "official" aircraft for a military transport for the Afghan leg of their journey. Media coverage of Mr. Cheney's recent stop in neighboring Pakistan, followed by the sudden arrival of a C-17 (with extremely tight security) at Bagram, may have confirmed that the Vice President was in town, putting attack plans into motion.

This AFP story details some of the security precautions associated with Cheney's trip, including his switch from Air Force Two to the C-17. But perhaps the most revealing item in the dispatch is a brief blurb about the Vice President's travels after leaving Bagram. From there, he flew to Kabul, then took a motorcade into the city for a brief meeting with Afghan President Hamid Karzai. Despite extensive security precautions, Mr. Cheney would have been more vulnerable in the motorcade than he was at Bagram, yet the bombing occurred at the base. That suggests that terrorist knowledge of Mr. Cheney's travel plans was far from complete.

Today's bombing is also a reminder that conditions in Afghanistan may grow worse if Pakistan continues its appeasement policies toward the terrorists, and allows them to reestablish operational bases on its side of the border. As Bill Roggio noted on 24 February, the Islamabad government is prepared to cede control of the Bajaur Tribal Area to the Taliban, part of a "peace deal" similar to last year's infamous accords in Waziristan. Bajaur is a key command-and-control center for the Taliban and Al Qaida; outright control of that region will enhance their ability to funnel fighters and logistical support across the border into Afghanistan's Kunar Province, and points beyond.

Mr. Cheney reportedly had some tough words for Pakistani President Musharraf during his visit, warning that Islamabad must secure its western territories. Unfortunately, that demand appears to have fallen on deaf ears. Musharraf appears intent on striking more deals with the terrorists, and that will create only more problems across the border. Afghanistan's future security is riding (to a large degree) on what happens in Pakistan's western region, and that's where the War on Terrorism is currently being lost. A suicide bombing outside Bagram during a Vice Presidential visit is good for grabbing headlines, but control of key border regions--and establishment of new operational bases and support networks--is aimed at a much more important goal, winning the war.

Posted by Alaska Paul">Alaska Paul 2007-02-28 13:33|| 2007-02-28 13:33|| Front Page Top

#14 Sums it up, AP.

Follow the money, (although the ass-hats have gotten wise to it), all petro-bucks lead somewhere.

So, plan B: follow the blood on the hands, Perv guilty in advance, (never mind the ISI. That's like saying Bob Mugabe and Zanu-PF are two different entities).

Posted by Speaper Flaiting3473 2007-02-28 14:56|| 2007-02-28 14:56|| Front Page Top

#15 Lady killers - this bomber.

Posted by 3dc 2007-02-28 21:43|| 2007-02-28 21:43|| Front Page Top

23:25 Old Patriot
23:21 3dc
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22:57 Chiper Threreger8956
22:47 Alaska Paul
22:45 Matt K.
22:42 JosephMendiola
22:40 Alaska Paul
22:40 Alaska Paul
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22:23 trailing wife
22:22 Tibor
22:19 Eric Jablow
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22:13 Hank
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22:00 BA
21:58 JosephMendiola