Meanwhile, back at the Afghani terrorist compound...
Cue the canned music.
By Moe Lane Posted in War — Comments (6) / Email this page » / Leave a comment »
...there's a bit of mystery going on:
Afghanistan: US forces attack suspected al Qaeda hideout
March 03, 2007 3:12 PM
Christopher Isham and Gretchen Peters Report:For the past two days, U.S. and NATO forces have been conducting a major attack against a compound in a remote area of Eastern Afghanistan where Osama bin Laden or another senior al Qaeda leader may be hiding, ABC News has learned.
According to eyewitnesses and local reporters in Kunar province, Coalition forces launched a fierce attack on a small enclave in the village of Mandaghel, approximately 17 miles from the border with Pakistan, on Friday afternoon. Warplanes pounded the positions ; U.S. special forces and Afghan National Army soldiers moved in shortly afterwards.
The assault appeared to meet stiff resistance from militants at the compound. Heavy artillery and gunfire could be heard for hours, local witnesses said . A handful of civilians were reportedly wounded in the strike. Though sealed off from outside access, the area now appears to be under coalition control.
Read on.
Captain Ed, who has also been busy over the last few days with domestic policy news, first posted this to note that... there hasn't been any new news:
I held off on linking to the report until more details became known. After all, NATO still fights the war against the Taliban in that region, and it seems speculative to assume that this is anything more than catching a contingent of jihadists napping in large numbers. The only hard evidence supplied in the report that the attack might be something more than that or an operation against a druglord is the fact that Wahhabists prevail in that area.
What I'm finding interesting here is not that article, per se - but this one:
Major Taliban Leader Arrested; Cheney Pakistan Trip Credited
March 01, 2007 4:00 PM
Brian Ross and Martha Raddatz Report:The reported arrest of at least one top Taliban leader in Quetta, Pakistan may be the first sign that Vice President Dick Cheney's trip there this week worked.
Pakistani officials identified one of the men as Mullah Obaidullah Akhund, considered the third in command of the Taliban.
No official confirmation yet, but it's been long enough for the story to fall apart, if untrue. No sign of that yet. So: if true, I wonder whether the arrest and the raid have anything to do with each other? If so, that would be... interesting.
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Meanwhile, back at the Afghani terrorist compound... 6 Comments (0 topical, 6 editorial, 0 hidden) Post a comment »
Heh. Are we reading the same article? Where does it mention bait? Things like this have happened before. Here is the proper order of events, as I see it:
-Cheney tells Musharraf that if he can't/won't control Waziristan, we will, Enduring Freedom style.
-Musharraf gets his butt in gear and proves he can accomplish something when he wants to. Capture of what's-his-face results.
-Capture of what's-his-face brings intelligence on the location of major jihadists.
-Our forces put the smack-down on this location; the above ABC news reporter covers it.
I do believe that Cheney has guts(as well as other bravery-related body-parts,) but going for the purpose of "bait" is absurd.
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"Any love letter is incomplete without a Ronald Reagan quote"
--my sophomore year roommate
Seattle
I don't think the VP was 'packing on this trip. Besides, his Lynn would kill him if she found out...LOL
_______________________________
Dennis Miller for President...no more wimps!
The Relationship between the Taliban and Pakistan’s Domestic Stability
By Kamran Bokhari
Stratfor
February 27, 2007While returning from East Asia on Feb. 26, U.S. Vice President Dick Cheney made a surprise stopover in Islamabad, where he met with Pakistani President Gen. Pervez Musharraf. The same day, British Foreign Secretary Margaret Beckett also met with Musharraf, urging him to control the Taliban traffic along the Afghan-Pakistani border. Meanwhile, reports surfaced that U.S. President George W. Bush has sent a strong message to Musharraf, warning him that the Democratic-controlled Congress could cut aid to Pakistan unless Islamabad aggressively cracks down on jihadist activity in the country.
And the plot thickens as the pressure on Musharraf mounts. Destabilization of the Musharraf government in Pakistan is of real concern and is not to be taken lightly. We must act carefully to ensure who ultimately controls Pakistan's nuclear arsenal.
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“The trouble with our liberal friends is not that they're ignorant; it's just that they know so much that isn't so.” – Ronald Reagan
"U.S. President George W. Bush has sent a strong message to Musharraf, warning him that:
"the Democratic-controlled Congress could cut aid to Pakistan unless Islamabad aggressively cracks down on jihadist activity in the country."
Making your political opponents seem scarey is usually just wrong-----but it can be good foreign policy.
Cutting some of the foreign aid to Afghanistan, Iraq and Pakistan in order to force President Bush's hand was part of the "slow-bleed" strategy discussed by Pelosi and Murtha.
We'll see what is actually addressed and how many amendments are offered to the supplemental funding bill for our troops when it is debated committee.
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“The trouble with our liberal friends is not that they're ignorant; it's just that they know so much that isn't so.” – Ronald Reagan
The intimation I'm getting from the last story is, VP Cheney used himself as bait to flush the enemy out? Is this the proper role for our VP, to put himself in harms way? Man has guts, if so.