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Top 1595. Apr 17, 2002 1:35 PM

» JenL_2 - U.S. Concludes Bin Laden Escaped Tora Bora

from 4/17 Washington Post:

<img src="http://a188.g.akamaitech.net/f/188/920/1..." width=228 height=288 align="right"> U.S. Concludes Bin Laden Escaped at Tora Bora Fight

Failure to Send Troops in Pursuit Termed Major Error

By Barton Gellman and Thomas E. Ricks
Washington Post Staff Writers
Wednesday, April 17, 2002; Page A01

The Bush administration has concluded that Osama bin Laden was present during the battle for Tora Bora late last year and that failure to commit U.S. ground troops to hunt him was its gravest error in the war against al Qaeda, according to civilian and military officials with first-hand knowledge.

Intelligence officials have assembled what they believe to be decisive evidence, from contemporary and subsequent interrogations and intercepted communications, that bin Laden began the battle of Tora Bora inside the cave complex along Afghanistan's mountainous eastern border. Though there remains a remote chance that he died there, the intelligence community is persuaded that bin Laden slipped away in the first 10 days of December.

After-action reviews, conducted privately inside and outside the military chain of command, describe the episode as a significant defeat for the United States. A common view among those interviewed outside the U.S. Central Command is that Army Gen. Tommy R. Franks, the war's operational commander, misjudged the interests of putative Afghan allies and let pass the best chance to capture or kill al Qaeda's leader. Without professing second thoughts about Tora Bora, Franks has changed his approach fundamentally in subsequent battles, using Americans on the ground as first-line combat units.

In the fight for Tora Bora, corrupt local militias did not live up to promises to seal off the mountain redoubt, and some colluded in the escape of fleeing al Qaeda fighters. Franks did not perceive the setbacks soon enough, some officials said, because he ran the war from Tampa with no commander on the scene above the rank of lieutenant colonel. The first Americans did not arrive until three days into the fighting. "No one had the big picture," one defense official said.

The Bush administration has never acknowledged that bin Laden slipped through the cordon ostensibly placed around Tora Bora as U.S. aircraft began bombing on Nov. 30. Until now it was not known publicly whether the al Qaeda leader was present on the battlefield.

But inside the government there is little controversy on the subject. Captured al Qaeda fighters, interviewed separately, gave consistent accounts describing an address by bin Laden around Dec. 3 to mujaheddin, or holy warriors, dug into the warren of caves and tunnels built as a redoubt against Soviet invaders in the 1980s. One official said "we had a good piece of sigint," or signals intelligence, confirming those reports.

"I don't think you can ever say with certainty, but we did conclude he was there, and that conclusion has strengthened with time," said another official, giving an authoritative account of the intelligence consensus. "We have high confidence that he was there, and also high confidence, but not as high, that he got out. We have several accounts of that from people who are in detention, al Qaeda people who were free at the time and are not free now."

Franks continues to dissent from that analysis. Rear Adm. Craig Quigley, his chief spokesman, acknowledged the dominant view outside Tampa but said the general is unpersuaded.

"We have never seen anything that was convincing to us at all that Osama bin Laden was present at any stage of Tora Bora -- before, during or after," Quigley said. "I know you've got voices in the intelligence community that are taking a different view, but I just wanted you to know our view as well."

"Truth is hard to come by in Afghanistan," Quigley said, and for confidence on bin Laden's whereabouts "you need to see some sort of physical concrete proof."

Franks has told subordinates that it was vital at the Tora Bora battle, among the first to include allies from Afghanistan's Pashtun majority, to take a supporting role and "not just push them aside and take over because we were America," according to Quigley.

"Our relationship with the Afghans in the south and east was entirely different at that point in the war," he said. "It's no secret that we had a much more mature relationship with the Northern Alliance fighters." Franks, he added, "still thinks that the process he followed of helping the anti-Taliban forces around Tora Bora, to make sure it was crystal clear to them that we were not there to conquer their country . . . was absolutely the right thing to do."

With the collapse of the Afghan cordon around Tora Bora, and the decision to hold back U.S. troops from the Army's 10th Mountain Division, Pakistan stepped in. The government of President Pervez Musharraf moved thousands of troops to his border with Afghanistan and intercepted about 300 of the estimated 1,000 al Qaeda fighters who escaped Tora Bora. U.S. officials said close to half of the detainees now held at the U.S. base at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, were turned over by the Pakistani government.

Those successes included none of the top al Qaeda leaders at Tora Bora, officials acknowledged. Of the dozen senior leaders identified by the U.S. government, two are now accounted for -- Muhammad Atef, believed dead in a Hellfire missile attack, and Abu Zubaida, taken into custody late last month. But "most of the people we have been authorized to kill are still breathing," said an official directly involved in the pursuit, and several of them were at Tora Bora.

The predominant view among the analysts is that bin Laden is alive, but knowledgeable officials said they cannot rule out the possibility that he died at Tora Bora or afterward. Some analysts believe bin Laden is seriously ill and under the medical care of his second-in-command, Ayman Zawahiri, an Egyptian-trained physician. One of the theories, none supported by firm evidence, is that he has Marfan syndrome, a congenital disorder of some people with bin Laden's tall, slender body type that puts them at increased risk of heart attack or stroke.

The minority of U.S. officials who argue that bin Laden is probably dead note that four months have passed since any credible trace of him has surfaced in intelligence collection. Those who argue that he is probably alive note that monitoring of a proven network of bin Laden contacts has turned up no evidence of reaction to his death. If he had died, surely there would have been some detectable echo within this network, these officials argue.

In public, the Bush administration acknowledges no regret about its prosecution of Tora Bora. One official spokesman, declining to be named, described questions about the battle as "navel-gazing" and said the national security team is "too busy for that." He added, "We leave that to you guys in the press."

But some policymakers and operational officers spoke in frustrated and even profane terms of what they called an opportunity missed.

"We [messed] up by not getting into Tora Bora sooner and letting the Afghans do all the work," said a senior official with direct responsibilities in counterterrorism. "Clearly a decision point came when we started bombing Tora Bora and we decided just to bomb, because that's when he escaped. . . . We didn't put U.S. forces on the ground, despite all the brave talk, and that is what we have had to change since then."

When al Qaeda forces began concentrating again in February, south of the town of Gardez, Franks moved in thousands of U.S. troops from the 101st Airborne Division and the 10th Mountain Division. In the battle of Shahikot in early March -- also known as Operation Anaconda -- the United States let Afghan allies attack first. But when that offensive stalled, American infantry units took it up.

Another change since Tora Bora, with no immediate prospect of finding bin Laden, is that President Bush has stopped proclaiming the goal of taking him "dead or alive" and now avoids previous references to the al Qaeda founder as public enemy number one.

In an interview with The Washington Post in late December, Bush displayed a scorecard of al Qaeda leaders on which he had drawn the letter X through the faces of those thought dead. By last month, Bush began saying that continued public focus on individual terrorists, including bin Laden, meant that "people don't understand the scope of the mission."

"Terror is bigger than one person," Bush said March 14. "He's a person that's now been marginalized." The president said bin Laden had "met his match" and "may even be dead," and added: "I truly am not that concerned about him."

Top advisers now assert that the al Qaeda leader's fate should be no measure of U.S. success in the war.

"The goal there was never after specific individuals," Gen. Richard B. Myers, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said last week. "It was to disrupt the terrorists."

Said Quigley at the Central Command: "There's no question that Osama bin Laden is the head of al Qaeda, and it's always a good thing to get rid of the head of an organization if your goal is to do it harm. So would we like to get bin Laden? You bet, but al Qaeda would still exist as an organization if we got him tomorrow."

At least since the 1980s, the U.S. military has made a point of avoiding open declaration of intent to capture or kill individual enemies. Such assignments cannot be carried out with confidence, and if acknowledged they increase the stature of an enemy leader who survives. After-action disclosures have made clear, nonetheless, that finding Manuel Noriega during the Panama invasion of 1989 and Saddam Hussein in the 1991 Persian Gulf War were among the top priorities of the armed forces.

The same holds true now, high-ranking officials said in interviews on condition that they not be named. "Of course bin Laden is crucial," one said.

In Britain, Armed Forces Minister Adam Ingram told BBC radio yesterday that bin Laden's capture "remains one of the prime objectives" of the war.

Staff researcher Robert Thomason contributed to this report.

.....Jen

-- posted by JenL_2

Top 1596. Apr 17, 2002 4:08 PM

» mitelo - Skin Laden

Please let me have him when he is found. I have a VERY good knowledge of the human nervous system. I could help him enjoy his voyage to paradise in a many very special ways.

Until then...

-- posted by mitelo

Top 1597. Apr 17, 2002 5:31 PM

» BPyles - Operation Ptarmigan

Scouring the caves in Shahikot...update. The Taleban/al-Qaeda have the same advantage the Palestinians have, they are fighting civilized nations.

--------------------------

British troops find booby-trapped bodies in eastern Afghan mountains

Wednesday April 17, 4:52 PM , Azadi Afghan Radio

British forces sweeping through a former Taliban and al-Qaeda stronghold in eastern Afghanistan
found evidence enemy fighters had returned since a major US offensive last month, a spokesman said. Several hundred Royal Marine commandos have been deployed to the Shahi Kot valley area in Paktia province, the scene of the major US-led Operation Anaconda offensive last month.

The Americans claimed hundreds of al-Qaeda and Taliban were killed in Anaconda but many fighters are believed to have escaped.

Coalition forces have been conducting sweeps since the completion of the mission.

But spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Paul Harradine denied they were merely finishing off the
Americans' "dirty work", classifying the operation in the mountainous region as a combat mission even though the British had met no opposition.

Harradine told reporters that Marines, part of a 1,700-strong force being deployed to Afghanistan, had blown up two or three caves and weapons caches since being sent in to a site some 10,300 feet (930 metres) above sea level.

"A reconnaissance force went in first to secure the area, the high ground, they were followed a few hours later by a 45 Commando recky (reconnaissance) troop who secured the landing site so that the main body could come in."

Harradine said the troops came across bodies that had apparently been booby-trapped since Anaconda.

"There were a lot of dead bodies lying around still and they found some of those with maps and
documents on them which will be sent back here for analysis for intelligence purposes.

"They found caves with a lot of ammunition inside ... they found radios which will be recovered back here for intelligence services."

Harradine said there was evidence of activity post-Anaconda.

"Some of the bits and pieces they found were booby-trapped, which obviously has happened since (Anaconda) although they didn't see any AQ (al-Qaeda) or Taliban as yet, but there's evidence that people have been back there since."

In addition to the booby-trapped bodies Harradine said they had come across a mule "with a pack still on which looks like it's wired too."

Harradine admitted it was impossible to guarantee that al-Qaeda and Taliban would not return to
Shahi Kot. "The only way to stop it completely is to swamp it with troops and clearly we have not got enough to do that."

US spokesman Major Bryan Hilferty said although coalition forces had searched the area since
Anaconda, "the Marines are doing a great job finishing the clearing." Hilferty said coalition troops had conducted sweeps of the area but the rough terrain and sheer size of the valley meant it was almost impossible to ensure it was completely cleared. "It is so difficult that you would have to line troops up shoulder to shoulder and march them through it to perfectly clear it," he said.

-- posted by BPyles

Top 1598. Apr 17, 2002 7:24 PM

» Steven_Russell - 4 US troops killed in accident at Kandahar

Wednesday April 17 03:39 PM EDT

Soldier With Local Ties Killed In Afghanistan

A soldier who grew up in Olathe, Kan., became the latest casualty in the war on terrorism, KMBC's Martin Augustine reported Tuesday.

Staff Sgt. Justin Galewski and three other soldiers died when old ordnance they were trying to destroy accidentally exploded in Kandahar, Afghanistan (news - web sites).

Augustine reported that Galewski was a 1992 graduate of Olathe North High School.

"In high school, he was the one causing the trouble," friend Jay Dragert said by phone from Minnesota. "He got into quite a bit of trouble, and I was always there helping."

Galewski was married and had two children.

"I want him to know that I'm going to be OK." Christine Galewski said. "Obviously it hurts me that he's gone, and I won't get to spend time with him. It hurt me the most about (the children.)"

Dragert told Augustine that Galewski's maturity impressed him most.

"He was a hell of a guy," Dragert said.

Galewski's wife was recently featured on "Good Morning America" as one of a group of military wives getting in shape together. She said that she is getting support in this difficult time from those women.

-- posted by Steven_Russell

http://www.afghandaily.com/p/74/2464d9f7...

Top 1599. Apr 17, 2002 7:30 PM

» Steven_Russell - US soldier shot and wounded at Kandahar, Wed., Day 193

American Soldier Wounded in Kandahar

The Associated Press, Wed 17 Apr 2002

KANDAHAR, Afghanistan (AP) — A gunman opened fire Wednesday on a group of U.S. troops shopping on a busy street in this former Taliban stronghold, wounding one American and an Afghan before escaping, the U.S. military and witnesses said.

Afghan officials blamed the shooting on Taliban or al-Qaida fugitives and said they feared more attacks. The shooting occurred one day before Afghanistan's former king was expected to return to the capital, Kabul, after 29 years exiled in Rome.

Witnesses said the Americans, who were wearing civilian clothes, were at a gun shot when the shots were fired. The Americans thought a firecracker had exploded until they noticed one of their group was bleeding, said Maj. Ralph Mills, a spokesman for U.S. Central Command in Tampa, Fla.

The wounded American, whose name was not released, walked to his vehicle unassisted, witnesses said. He was taken to the U.S. military hospital at Kandahar airport, where he was reported in stable condition.

The gun shop owner, who gave his name only as Daood, said one Afghan also was wounded. Another gunsmith, Mohammed Saleem, said the Americans left the scene quickly after the attack. He praised them for not opening fire on a street filled with children who had just left school for the day.

``If they had been Russians, maybe they would have started shooting,'' Saleem said. ``We were surprised that the Americans were armed but didn't shoot.''

Afghan troops cordoned off the area and searched for the assailant. They also warned shopkeepers to be vigilant for further attacks.

``There are still individual Taliban or al-Qaida members in the city,'' said Abdul Bari, a local commander. ``They were probably responsible for this. We may see more such incidents in the future.''

Special forces could be seen late Wednesday on the roof of the barracks, surveying the busy streets through binoculars. Other U.S. troops, mostly from the 101st Airborne Division, are stationed at the Kandahar airport just south of the city.

-- posted by Steven_Russell

Top 1600. Apr 18, 2002 9:14 AM

» reporter20 - Maybe wrong thread

Small tourist plane crashed into high rise building in Milan. Building contains Federal offices. Building on fire and they are worried about it collapsing. Details still sketchy. Plane said to have hit 26th floor.

-- posted by reporter20

Top 1601. Apr 18, 2002 3:29 PM

» BPyles - OBL's latest tape

Sounds like an admission to me. Wonder if the Arabs/Muslims/Islamic populations are still pushing the "Jews did it?"
------------------------

(22:55) Al-Qaida threatens Americans in latest videotape by Maamoun Youssef, The Associated Press, April 18, 2002, Jerusalem Post

CAIRO, Egypt - An videotape from the Al-Qaida terror group warned Americans to dig their graves today as there were more than one thousand Osama bin Ladens - the alleged mastermind of the Sept. 11 attacks.

"Support us and don't argue with us," a man identified as one of the Sept. 11 hijackers tells viewers in the tape broadcast by the Arabic channel Al-Jazeera.

The 23-minute tape was largely a homage to the 19 hijackers involved in the Sept. 11 attacks on New York and Washington. It attempted to portray them as holy warriors fighting in the Arab tradition. Speeches by bin Laden and the hijacker - believed to be Ahmed Ibrahim A. Alhaznawi - were interspersed with footage of men galloping across the desert waving Kalashnikov assault rifles.

Osama bin Laden is shown hailing the dedication of the hijackers.

"(These) men who went out (to wage holy war) truly believe that what God offers is better than what is in this life," he said in a tape, parts of which have been broadcast previously.

It is unclear when the tape was made. Some of the references were old, others recent. The hijacker spoke against a background photograph of the World Trade Center exploding in flames on the day he died - a picture presumably inserted by video engineers.

Al-Jazeera's editor in chief, Ibrahim Hilal, has said he does not know when the tape was made, "but it seems very recent." He said that in one part of the hour-long tape, not broadcast Thursday, a narrator referred to the Arab summit of March 27-28 as coming up shortly.

Al-Jazeera broadcast excerpts from the tape Monday. Then US Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld said the tape as it seemed to be "a patchwork of clips from previous periods along with some dialogue of more recent periods."

A US government official has said the tape offers no direct evidence of bin Laden's current location or condition, so it has little intelligence value.

Hilal has said the tape was clearly made in a production house.

Most of the tape was an anti-US tirade delivered by the hijacker. Alhaznawi wore a checkered Palestinian headdress, camouflage sleeveless jacket, and who repeatedly shook his finger for emphasis.

US and Al-Jazeera officials , who was one of four hijackers on United Airlines Flight 93, which crashed in rural Pennsylvania.

Al-Jazeera has repeatedly broadcast footage of bin Laden or his lieutenants making statements. Owned by the Qatari government, the channel reaches more than 35 million Arabs, including 150,000 in the United States. It is admired and feared in the Middle East for its independent, but pro-Arab, editorial line.

-- posted by BPyles

http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/page.c...

Top 1602. Apr 18, 2002 8:49 PM

» Steven_Russell - 4 Canadian KIA's in bomb tragedy Thurs., Day 194

US BOMB KILLS FOUR CANADIAN SOLDIERS

Apr 19 2002

FOUR Canadian soldiers were killed when a US part-time pilot bombed their positions in Afghanistan.

The soldiers, on a live-fire exercise near the former Taliban stronghold of Kandahar, were hit by at least one 500lb laser-guided bomb from the F-16.

Two other Canadians are fighting for life and six others have serious injuries.

Canadian defence chief Lieutenant-General Ray Henault said the area is recognised as a training spot and the aircraft were using strictly controlled routes.

Canadian PM Jean Chretien said President Bush had called to offer his condolences and pledged to co-operate with any Canadian investigation.

There was no explanation from the Pentagon as to why reserve pilots, known as weekend warriors, are in the Afghan front line.

-- posted by Steven_Russell

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/artic...

Top 1603. Apr 18, 2002 8:53 PM

» Steven_Russell - 3 killed in Khost explosion early Thurs, Day 194

Three dead in Afghan blast

AFP [ FRIDAY, APRIL 19, 2002 5:16:00 AM ]

ISLAMABAD: At least three people were killed and two injured as a powerful explosion rocked the main bazaar in the eastern Afghan city of Khost early on Thursday, the Afghan Islamic Press said.

The blast occurred some 300 meters (990 feet) from the city's military hospital, the Pakistan-based news service reported, quoting witnesses.

"The blast was severe but it was not immediately clear if the motive was political or a personal vendetta," a witness told the agency.

This was the third blast in Khost since the fall of the hardline Taliban regime last year, it said.

US troops are also stationed in Khost and there have been at least three rocket attacks against them, it said.

-- posted by Steven_Russell