U.S. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld says Osama bin Laden's al-Qaida network and Afghanistan's toppled Taleban regime are receiving new shipments of military equipment. He declined to provide details of the type of equipment or say when and where they were found. But he described the supplies as fairly modern and expensive, and said they were sent from a number of different places around the world. The U.S. defense chief said has asked his commanders to stop destroying all of the arms they find and save the best for the emerging Afghan national army.
Wonder where they're coming from? That should be pretty easy to determine. And I wonder who's paying for them? That'll be harder to determine, but much more valuable information. Having paid for such arms and ammunition prior to 9-11 is understandable. Having procured same after 9-11 would be construed as an act that was distinctly unfriendly to the U.S. And having procured them after the fall of the Taliban would be construed as cuddling close and playing kissy-face with global terrorism. People can lose their countries doing that. |