by Teh Nutroots | Seven years later, Bush is finally back to chasing Osama bin Laden. Remember him? He's the guy who orchestrated the 911 attacks. Bush got distracted by Saddam Hussein's non-existent 'weapons of mass destruction' and the job of de-stabilizing Iraq, but he's got OBL in his cross-hairs again.
Defence and intelligence sources in Washington and London confirmed that a renewed hunt was on for the leader of the September 11 attacks. “If he [Bush] can say he has killed Saddam Hussein and captured Bin Laden, he can claim to have left the world a safer place,” said a US intelligence source. (Times Online)
"[The hunt] involves the use of Predator and Reaper unmanned aerial vehicles fitted with Hellfire missiles that can be used to take out specific terrorist targets...." (Times Online) '“Bush is swinging for the fences in the hope of scoring a home run,” said an intelligence source.'(Times Online)
Apparently, he's realized that he isn't going to score in Iraq.
The main operations in Pakistan are being undertaken by Delta, the US army special operations unit, and the British SBS.
Special forces are being sent to capture or kill Al-Qaeda and Taliban fighters based on intelligence provided by the Special Reconnaissance Regiment and its US counterpart, the Security Co-ordination Detachment.(Times Online)
While a UK special forces source said that the hunt for bin Laden was "completely sanctioned" by Pakistan, stepped-up military activity has 'increased tensions' between Pakistan and the US. (Times Online)
Though a senior Pakistani government source affirmed that the hunt has President Musharraf's 'tacit support,' whatever that implies, 'Pakistan lodged a strong diplomatic protest last week over what it claimed was an airstrike on a border post with Afghanistan that killed 11 of its troops.'(Times Online) ' The United States declined to accept this version of events,' as The Times exquisitely frames it.
I guess Bush wants to land to bin Laden before McCain does. Meanwhile, McCain is chomping at the bit.
I will look you in the eye and promise you that I will get Osama bin Laden and bring him to justice,” McCain said in response to a direct question from one of the 2,000 people in attendance at the college’s Pemberton campus gym.
McCain said the key to ending the long search for bin Laden was to increase the number of human spies abroad.
“We need better human intelligence. We need people who can swim in the water,” McCain said. (Carpetbagger Report; emphasis added)
As Steve Benen points out, it's not clear how increasing the number of spies who can swim will help in the mountains of Afghanistan, but he's not wrong about the first thing he said. So I'm just going to let that one stand.
Memeorandum: here.
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