| -Caveat Lector-
Despite the fact that he was supposedly
the mastermind of 911, and is allegedly planning new terrorist atrocities all
around the world and in the United States.
Will there come a point when even average
Americans begin to notice that the Bush administration policy on terrorism
simply isn't adding up?
Or will they be too bashed and battered by
Michael Jackson 24x7 to be able to think about any serious issue with
clarity?
Osama capture unnecessary, US general says
November 22, 2003
A senior US general said today that al Qa'eda mastermind Osama bin Laden had "taken himself out of the picture" and that his capture was not essential to winning the "war on terror". General Peter Pace, vice-chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, said at US military headquarters just north of Kabul that the 11,500-strong US-led force hunting al Qa'eda and Taliban militants was not focusing on individuals. "He (bin Laden) has taken himself out of the picture," Pace told reporters after visiting US troops serving in Afghanistan. "It is not an individual that is as important as is the ongoing campaign of the coalition against terrorists," he said. New US ambassador to Kabul Zalmay Khalilzad said earlier this week that the US military would "redouble" its efforts to find bin Laden and other al Qa'eda and Taliban leaders. While appearing to contradict this, Pace, added: "That is not to say that we would not be glad to capture Osama bin Laden today or tomorrow." He said US-led forces were winning their war against "terrorists" in Afghanistan, despite nearly 400 people being killed in just over three months in the bloodiest period since the Taliban's ouster two years ago. "The fact that the enemy is not pooling up in waves that can be attacked in large numbers to me means that in fact the coalition is being effective," Pace said. There have been very few major clashes between US forces and Islamic militants in the past two years. In the most recent case, hundreds of Taliban were hunted down by US forces and Afghan troops in the troubled provinces of Uruzgan and Zabul in August and early September, leading to the death of over a hundred rebels. But generally US operations, including the latest launched in the north-east earlier this month, kill few militants due to their apparent ability to blend into local populations or flee into the hills, often crossing into neighbouring Pakistan. "We will continue to pursue them to make sure that they don't re-establish any kind of a stronghold," Pace said. He added that civilian-military teams already in some cities were the ideal way for the international community to contribute to Afghan stability, and that Pakistan and Afghanistan should work together to fight militants active on their common frontier. Afghanistan suspects Pakistan is turning a blind eye to Taliban and al Qa'eda remnants, but Islamabad says it is doing all it can to support the US war on terror. Also believed to be at large in Afghanistan or Pakistan are Taliban supreme leader Mullah Mohammad Omar and bin Laden's deputy Ayman al-Zawahri. Reuters This story was found at: http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2003/11/22/1069027373682.html Let us please be civil and as always, Caveat Lector. ======================================================================== Archives Available at: http://www.mail-archive.com/[EMAIL PROTECTED]/ <A HREF="">ctrl</A> ======================================================================== To subscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email: SUBSCRIBE CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED] To UNsubscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email: SIGNOFF CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED] Om |
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