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| Afghanistan |
| Senate report: Bin Laden was 'within our grasp' |
| 2009-11-29 |
| Osama bin Laden was unquestionably within reach of U.S. troops in the mountains of Tora Bora when American military leaders made the crucial and costly decision not to pursue the terrorist leader with massive force, a Senate report says. The report asserts that the failure to kill or capture bin Laden at his most vulnerable in December 2001 has had lasting consequences beyond the fate of one man. Bin Laden's escape laid the foundation for today's reinvigorated Afghan insurgency and inflamed the internal strife now endangering Pakistan, it says. Staff members for the Senate Foreign Relations Committee's Democratic majority prepared the report at the request of the chairman, Sen. John Kerry, as President Barack Obama prepares to boost U.S. troops in Afghanistan. The Massachusetts senator and 2004 Democratic presidential candidate has long argued the Bush administration missed a chance to get the al-Qaida leader and top deputies when they were holed up in the forbidding mountainous area of eastern Afghanistan only three months after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. Although limited to a review of military operations eight years old, the report could also be read as a cautionary note for those resisting an increased troop presence there now. More pointedly, it seeks to affix a measure of blame for the state of the war today on military leaders under former president George W. Bush, specifically Donald H. Rumsfeld as defense secretary and his top military commander, Tommy Franks. "Removing the al-Qaida leader from the battlefield eight years ago would not have eliminated the worldwide extremist threat," the report says. "But the decisions that opened the door for his escape to Pakistan allowed bin Laden to emerge as a potent symbolic figure who continues to attract a steady flow of money and inspire fanatics worldwide. The failure to finish the job represents a lost opportunity that forever altered the course of the conflict in Afghanistan and the future of international terrorism." The report states categorically that bin Laden was hiding in Tora Bora when the U.S. had the means to mount a rapid assault with several thousand troops at least. It says that a review of existing literature, unclassified government records and interviews with central participants "removes any lingering doubts and makes it clear that Osama bin Laden was within our grasp at Tora Bora." On or about Dec. 16, 2001, bin Laden and bodyguards "walked unmolested out of Tora Bora and disappeared into Pakistan's unregulated tribal area," where he is still believed to be based, the report says. Instead of a massive attack, fewer than 100 U.S. commandos, working with Afghan militias, tried to capitalize on air strikes and track down their prey. "The vast array of American military power, from sniper teams to the most mobile divisions of the Marine Corps and the Army, was kept on the sidelines," the report said. At the time, Rumsfeld expressed concern that a large U.S. troop presence might fuel a backlash and he and some others said the evidence was not conclusive about bin Laden's location. It's all Bush's fault! |
| Posted by:Spot |
| #11 Osama's still in Tora Bora, if you want to excavate him. |
| Posted by: KBK 2009-11-29 22:58 |
| #10 PAKISTANI DEFENCE FORUM > REPORT SAYS OSAMA BIN LADEN AND AN ENTOURAGE OF BODYGUARDS [literally] WALKED UNMOLESTED OUT OF TORA BORA AND DISAPPEARED INTO PAKISTAN'S UNREGULATED TRIBAL AREAS [POSTER > appears OBL, etal. went into the FATA + littoral areas, at least at that time]??? * SAME > US NUCLEAR PLANTS LAUGHABLE SECURITY EXPOSED | 33 CUBAN IMMIGRANTS LAND AT FLORIDA'S TURKEY POINT NUCLEAR PLANT, RAISING SECURITY QUESTIONS. ARTIC > IIUC, the Nucplants guard force were unaware of the Cubans' arrival, and allegedly had to be alerted and called in to place same in custody??? |
| Posted by: JosephMendiola 2009-11-29 22:23 |
| #9 If we'd used the AK-47 we'd be able to use the enemy's ammo, in addition to having a weapon that doesn't jam, even if you melt it down. Ever try melting a loaded M-16? The ammo cooks off! |
| Posted by: Thing From Snowy Mountain 2009-11-29 20:23 |
| #8 Would it have been possible to resupply several thousand troops in the middle of nowhere? What will they eat? What will they use for ammo? |
| Posted by: Zhang Fei 2009-11-29 19:08 |
| #7 "Senate Foreign Relations Committee's Democratic majority prepared the report" LOL no bias there. |
| Posted by: Cyber Sarge 2009-11-29 19:03 |
| #6 Clinton let him go in Sudan. |
| Posted by: newc 2009-11-29 17:57 |
| #5 You mean these same politicians that hysterically opposed going after bin Laden telling us all about the the "Brutal Afghan Winter" and how those folks were supermen just waiting for the poor American hillbillies who were forced into the military because they too poor to go to school. At least Kerry didn't say "too stupid". That moniker is reserved for him. |
| Posted by: ed 2009-11-29 15:29 |
| #4 So Kerry ordered up a report that told him what he wanted to hear and he got it. Whoopee! |
| Posted by: Parabellum 2009-11-29 14:26 |
| #3 Still trying to blame it all on George Bush. That bird wont fly anymore. It's Obma's war now. |
| Posted by: Oregon Doodle 2009-11-29 13:48 |
| #2 More pointedly, it seeks to affix a measure of blame for the state of the war today on military leaders under former president George W. Bush, specifically Donald H. Rumsfeld as defense secretary and his top military commander, Tommy Franks. There was, and continues to be NO EASY BUTTON with regard to this topic. Any attempt to blame General Franks is an absolute non-starter with me and anyone else who knew him and served under him. File in the total bullshi* cabinet please. |
| Posted by: Besoeker 2009-11-29 12:43 |
| #1 Once again, the Democrats in Congress show how much of a scumbag they are by throwing blame on the previous administration and the military. Harry Reid, if he had any decency, should resign of being such a ass. |
| Posted by: Oscar Phung6775 2009-11-29 12:12 |