Gates has No Good Intelligence on bin Laden

[Merlin]

The Pentagon is relying very much on it's dones to kill senior Taliban and hopefully al Qaeda leaders. For this, the element of surprise is most important.

Thus it is expected that Gates would claim he has no good information on Osama's whereabout, even if he has some information.

Gates: No Good Intelligence on bin Laden

6 Dec [VOA] U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates says it has been "years" since the United States had good intelligence on the whereabouts of Osama bin Laden. ....

[Merlin]

James Jones was probably more frank about knowing Osama's whereabout.

Would the drones be able to see him? He is a tall man.

Osama's become a commuter

7 Dec [NYPost] WASHINGTON -- Osama bin Laden nowadays stays "sometimes on the Pakistani side of the border, sometimes on the Afghan side," a White House confidant said yesterday.

Recent estimates place bin Laden in Pakistan, but national security adviser James Jones, a retired general, believes the best guess to be "somewhere in North Waziristan," which shares a border with Khost, a "generally ungoverned" Afghan province. ....

[Bluesman]

If I am on-duty when it happens, IF it ever does happen, I will probably lose my mind from the sheer joy of it all. It shouldn't matter whether I'm on watch or not, so long as that bastard doesn't die of old age.

But it really does. I can't explain it.

[bonehead]

I would like the whole world to know in depth of the lifestyle the "hero of the terrorists" lived prior to his demise. Then we need to put his head on a pike and place in in the U.N. for all to see. If people get insulted by the display and boycott the U.N. then all the better.

[Merlin]

But Osama can go between the two sides of the border in tunnels. Drones cannot detect this.

And if the landed force of either Pakistan or the US reach his hideout in one side of the border, strictly speaking they cannot follow him across the border. But probably they'll still do it.

[Bluesman]

But Osama can go between the two sides of the border in tunnels. Drones cannot detect this.

And if the landed force of either Pakistan or the US reach his hideout in one side of the border, strictly speaking they cannot follow him across the border. But probably they'll still do it.

You misunderstand the rights of a belligerant during hostilities.

You're absolutely incorrect that we could not pursue him in that case. There is no 'safe on base' point that he could use as a sanctuary. If that reading of a country's sovereignty were to be adopted, then every time a war opened anywhere in the world, in order to have a successful prosecution of that war, the participants that wished to remain 'legal' under that regime would have to declare war on every single country that was contiguous to the original belligerant, and then every country contiguous to those countries, and on and on, until international water was reached.

So, NO, we need not stop at the border if he decides to enter Pakistan.

[HillTribe]

So, NO, we need not stop at the border if he decides to enter Pakistan.

What if he in a safe house in Pakistan proper? (Not those ungoverned tribal no-man's land) Would the US stop at the border then or 'follow him' into Pakistan? (Considering that in such an operation time is of the essence and Pakistani intelligence is severely compromised).

I have a feeling that ISI has been keeping Osama under its aegis just to make the US efforts look impotent and the US stupid in the eyes of the world. How else would the world's no 1 wanted man elude the eyes of so many intel agencies for so long?

[troung]

What if he in a safe house in Pakistan proper? (Not those ungoverned tribal no-man's land) Would the US stop at the border then or 'follow him' into Pakistan? (Considering that in such an operation time is of the essence and Pakistani intelligence is severely compromised).

Nothing then our own will restricts us in going after him in such a situation.

[Bluesman]

Nothing then our own will restricts us in going after him in such a situation.

Absolutely correct. If it be found that offical Pakistan was sheltering a war criminal of this rank, then we would have no compunction whatsoever to respect the sovereignty of that government's territory. And ANYbody that got in the way of our rightful action to either bring bin Laden to justice, or to bring justice to bin Laden, would lose any claim to neutrality.

And most likely their life.

[diplomaticview]

Not sweet

Absolutely correct. If it be found that offical Pakistan was sheltering a war criminal of this rank, then we would have no compunction whatsoever to respect the sovereignty of that government's territory. And ANYbody that got in the way of our rightful action to either bring bin Laden to justice, or to bring justice to bin Laden, would lose any claim to neutrality.

And most likely their life.

In my view first of all world must has to get authentic information over the presence or not presence even about the death or life of OBL, because there are lot of reports about the death of U even former Prime minister Benazir Bhuttu once has given statement about the death of OBL in drone attack in Afghanistan so if we will consider this scenario than it looks very simple that at this point when US President Baric Obama defined his Afghan policy and with this policy rising the question about the presence of U in Pakistan trible areas, its look like a set up towards the taking Pakistan into pre planned pressure which already suffered a lot (we can say suffer more than US) from series of terrorist attacks.

if we assume that U is alive and escaping within Pakistan & Afghanistan than it is a serious question to Pakistani authorities & they must have to take action against him.


Why i am saying ‘pre planned pressure ' because one side 'some *' are trying to show this situation to the world that Pakistan may loosing control on its nukes because of bad inter safety and in other hand these 'some*' helping India to sign civil nuclear agreements only to well stong & prevent India from possible strong counter part so at this moment all efforts are using to lose and disable this strong counterpart Pakistan.

Where concern over situation in Afghanistan than i want to add here that if US want to solve this problem and want to bring peace in this region that he must have to give up the injection of Indian influence in Afghanistan because Pakistan will not accept it and he will take top cards in his hand to face possible future Indian steps over Afghanistan. At this moment American demand to fight against Haqani group, Mulla Umer and others as well but Pakistan will never giver access to them, why? according to the statement of former ISI Director Hamid Gull "during afghan war US pressured us to give access to mujahidin and fighter who are that time fought against soviet army but Pakistan denied and keep US only at stage of aids and weapon supply and Pakistan supplied them further." so at that time whole main control was in hands of Pakistan. In present time game is same but happened some change, character of Russian army replaced by American army unfortunately. US responsible to make situation for itself because Pakistan is now used to play such war games and it seems like that he will not retreat from his position.
2, There is a option to make situation better if US, Nato, EU will give Pakistan responsibility to take situation in his control, give responsibility to Pakistan to liquidate terror in Afghanistan and giving responsibility to Pakistan to handle critical situation in region, (here in this board somebody quote that the enemy of US are sitting in GHQ PA: very funny but this guy forget one truth that if Pakistan with his strategies can fight 10 years and force soviat army back to his pavilion than this Pakistan can make strategy against US & Nato also! than what will happened ?) for this purpose US has to give permission to allow Pakistan to bring new government in Afghanistan.
3. At this moment there is minor possibilities of war between Pakistan and India so what will happened if India follows US and enter his army in Afghanistan. What will happen if Pakistan used his cards and open indirect war against Indian troops in Afghanistan, in result of it may be India will do sth and then will be ATOMIC WAR (or for example Iran Iraq war) and unfortunately US giving chances for this.