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07-16-2002, 09:49 PM | #16 |
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As long as they don't accidentally bomb a desert rave...
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07-16-2002, 11:04 PM | #17 | ||
hot
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So let me try to phrase my original point a little more clearly. Several sources -- the head of German intelligence, a general from the northern alliance who was on the ground commanding troops, and an Arab journalist who has close ties with some members of Al Qaeda -- all give information that points to the same result. Yes, they could all be pulling it out of their asses, and especially the last one might be trying to spread misinformation, or may be unwittingly someone else's vessel for spreading misinformation. But as Maggie pointed out, OBL being wounded in the shoulder is rather plausible, given that his arm appeared to be wounded in his last cameo appearance. So all of this paints a picture where our military might have goofed in their assessment of the situation. I'm not saying that's how it is, or even that I believe it, just that I wouldn't be surprised if some of Bush's opponents used it for criticism. And if it <I>is</I> true that we were over-reliant on air support, then we need to change our approach to further similar situations. |
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07-16-2002, 11:16 PM | #18 | ||
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a) I believe has a decent amount of credibility because, like you said, that arm appeared wounded in the video. And when we received the video, if I'm not mistaken, our intelligence placed it somewhere in the end-of-December timeframe. So OBL being wounded in the shoulder, then escaping Tora Bora and recovering, seems entirely believable to me. Again, not a fact or definite by any means, just pretty believable. b) of course is much more foggy, and I will admit that no one who is talking has any sort of idea where he is. Again, I'm gonna drop that one. |
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07-17-2002, 07:23 PM | #19 | |
Wharf Rat
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and debka's far from a no name internet rag. on the middle east front, debka's the vinegar to al jazeera's oil. i put no more faith in a story carried by reuters than i do in a story carried by the asia times or dawn or debka or any other foreign source. but YMMV. as for your point, i agree, it seems likely, but OBL might as well be Waldo now. i don't see the significance of that particular article over any other scenario of where he is. |
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07-17-2002, 07:48 PM | #20 |
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The topic of "responsible" sources has come up before. And just like we all have different opinions on things, we probably all have different opinions on what sources are good or not. I'd say that most news organizations have a bit of good and bad in them. I think there are some that ARE better than others (e.g. Anyone that takes the Philadelphia Daily News very seriously is in trouble, IMO), but in the end, it's really a judgement call on your own part.
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07-17-2002, 08:25 PM | #21 |
Wharf Rat
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the other side of the coin, from our friends at AP
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmp...en_3&printer=1 FBI Boss Thinks bin Laden is Dead Wed Jul 17, 5:23 PM ET By CHRISTOPHER NEWTON, Associated Press Writer FBI counterterrorism chief Dale Watson said Wednesday that he believes Osama bin Laden ( news - web sites) is dead — the first time a senior U.S. law enforcement official publicly has given an opinion on the al-Qaida leader's status. Watson quickly emphasized that he had no evidence that the suspected mastermind of the Sept. 11 attacks was dead. But his comments, at a conference of local law enforcement officials from across the country, suggest the FBI has no direct intelligence that proves bin Laden is alive. "Is (bin Laden) alive or is he dead?" Watson said. "I am not really sure of the answer ... I personally think he is probably not with us anymore but I have no evidence to support that." Watson also said bin Laden's al-Qaida network of terrorist training camps has been dismantled, but "there is no question in my mind ... we will be attacked again." The terrorist "fleas" infesting the country "want to kill you," Watson said. "They could be in your neighborhood." He said the government is committed to sharing information with the public when the FBI has specific information of a terrorist threat. Watson, who rarely makes public appearances, is the top official for counterterrorism and counterintelligence in the FBI. He did not elaborate on his comments on bin Laden and rushed away from reporters after he spoke. Some U.S. and Justice Department officials said they were surprised by Watson's comments. They said the Bush administration's position remains that bin Laden's whereabouts and status are unknown. FBI officials declined comment. Watson joined the FBI as a special agent in 1978. In June, 1996 he joined the CIA for several months, working as a deputy to the head of the intelligence agency's counterterrorism center. He returned to the FBI in January 1997 to take charge of international terrorism affairs and in 1999 he was named director of the agency's Counterterrorism Division. Since December, reports of bin Laden's well-being have been sporadic and from different sources. This month, a London-based Arabic newspaper said bin Laden was wounded in a U.S. bombing raid in Afghanistan last year but was in good health. There was no way to verify the report in London-based Al-Quds Al-Arabi. U.S. officials say they have no evidence bin Laden was wounded in the U.S. bombing of al-Qaida hide-outs in Tora Bora, Afghanistan, late last year, but acknowledge it is a possibility. The newspaper's editor said in a telephone interview with The Associated Press that bin Laden had surgery to remove shrapnel from his left shoulder. On Saturday, the head of Germany's Federal Intelligence Service was quoted as saying bin Laden was alive and hiding along the Afghanistan-Pakistan border. |
07-17-2002, 11:04 PM | #22 | |
in the Hour of Scampering
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07-17-2002, 11:09 PM | #23 | |
in the Hour of Scampering
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