Why does President Obama talk about killing or capturing Osama bin Laden when speculation is that the terrorist died soon after Tora Bora. Logic dictates that a sick man with a bad kidney needing regular dialysis could not possibly have survived this long in the rugged mountains.
There were reports suggesting that his funeral took place soon after he escaped from US attack on Tora Bora. He has certainly not been seen ever since though there have been a couple of video tapes. The last one showing him a lot younger with a totally black beard. There have also been occasional audio tapes, but both the videos and audios appear highly suspect.
With all the resources at their disposal, should US intelligence agencies not know whether he is dead or alive? And if he is dead then why is "killing or capturing" bogey still being paraded around?
President Obama came to office on a platform of change. Should he not tell the American public what he knows?
And if intelligence agencies do not know whether OBL is dead or alive, then it does not say much for their intelligence gathering. Then what are US troops doing in Afghanistan, when it is not even known whether enemy number one exists or not?
Perhaps it is time to pull all troops out of Afghanistan and let the Afghans decide their own fate.
4 comments:
And if he is dead then why is "killing or capturing" bogey still being paraded around?
Because you can't keep the little kiddies in line if you tell them that Baba Yaga is dead.
...Then what are US troops doing in Afghanistan, when it is not even known whether enemy number one exists or not?
...propping up the US economy?
Just sayin.
Kvatch
I am not sure that keeping US troops in Afghanistan is propping up the US economy. In fact the effect is opposite. Budget deficit blooms year after year with resultant increase in national debt. US is mortgaging itself to China and just like the housing crisis we witnessed recently, this bubble could burst too.
Look at it this way, China need not fight any wars with the US. If one day they decide to pull out of US Treasury Bills etc., the dollar will plummet to an unimaginable level, causing massive destruction to the US economy.
I think US intelligence is not 100% certain OBL is dead. The reason goes back a couple of decades when intelligence gathering was passed onto machines - satilites etc and human intelligence faded. Now, the need for human intelligence gathers is back in style, but the problem is finding reliable sources. The CIA thought they had a great candidate and paid for it.
Unfortunately, it will take years for the USA to have reliable human resourses in most of the world.
Until it does, until a body is actually found, the fate of OSB will remain up in the air.
Mike
There has not been a single sighting of Osama bin Laden since the Tora Bora attack.
If he was alive, surely intelligence would have picked up some vibes. They have been targeting Pakistani Taliban leaders with pinpoint accuracy, so with this kind of technology, it is hard to believe they don't know.
In an hour long program on Canadian television last weekend, the participants (mostly former CIA agents) seemed in no doubt that OBL is dead. Only dispute was, who is keeping him alive - Taliban or the US.
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