U.S. Aborted Raid on Qaeda Chiefs in Pakistan in ’05

[journalist3072]

Source: New York Times

U.S. Aborted Raid on Qaeda Chiefs in Pakistan in ’05

By MARK MAZZETTI
Published: July 8, 2007

WASHINGTON, July 7 — A secret military operation in early 2005 to capture senior members of Al Qaeda in Pakistan’s tribal areas was aborted at the last minute after top Bush administration officials decided it was too risky and could jeopardize relations with Pakistan, according to intelligence and military officials.

The target was a meeting of Qaeda leaders that intelligence officials thought included Ayman al-Zawahri, Osama bin Laden’s top deputy and the man believed to run the terrorist group’s operations.

But the mission was called off after Donald H. Rumsfeld, then the defense secretary, rejected an 11th-hour appeal by Porter J. Goss, then the director of the Central Intelligence Agency, officials said. Members of a Navy Seals unit in parachute gear had already boarded C-130 cargo planes in Afghanistan when the mission was canceled, said a former senior intelligence official involved in the planning.

Mr. Rumsfeld decided that the operation, which had ballooned from a small number of military personnel and C.I.A. operatives to several hundred, was cumbersome and put too many American lives at risk, the current and former officials said. He was also concerned that it could cause a rift with Pakistan, an often reluctant ally that has barred the American military from operating in its tribal areas, the officials said.





Read more: http://www.nytimes.com/2007/07/08/washington/08intel.html?_r=1&th=&adxnnl=1&emc=th&adxnnlx=1183907265-Y3bBCAVa7H/AebgHuHekCA&oref=slogin

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OK...so Rummy was more concerned about our "relationship" with Pakistan, than capturing the murderers who attacked us on 9/11?

And this Administration wants us to believe that it's truly fighting terrorism? Laughable, at best.

[Captain Hilts]

1. Welcome to the real world, Mr. Bush. Now shut up about Clinton. nt

[SpiralHawk]

2. "They are USEFUL enemies. Smirk, smirk, smirk." - Commander AWOL

"You know, terra, terra, terra. We republicon war profiteers need our TERRA to keep the little people in line. Smirk, smirk, smirk."

- Commander AWOL

[CANDO]

3. This is the shit they hammered Clinton on.

Aborted raids based upon too many risks. But they turned it into "Clinton didn't do anything against terrorism". It goes both ways after all and they need to be called on their bullshit argument.

[journalist3072]

5. Exactly! But the thing is, Clinton actually conducted raids where he attempted to capture Al Qaeda

members....remeber he signed that document that authorized the CIA to capture or kill Osama, and when the U.S. had intelligence he would be at a certain location one time, they went after him, but apparently missed him by a couple of hours.

So at least they tried. BushCo. apparently didn't even try.

[YankmeCrankme]

4. Their hypocrisy aside

I'd rather them abort a poorly planned, risky operation that with the track record of their intelligence probably would have slaughtered another wedding party. Besides, if we need to attack Pakistan by invading it we really should declare war on them first. Afterall, we didn't like it when the Japanese did that to us.

[C_U_L8R]

6. Is there anything..

that the Republicans have not completely screwed up???
This is yet another botched job thanks to this incompetent administration.
You'd think they'd have noticed by now what a shitty job they are doing
and just go the fuck home. Do us all a favor... please.