Calvin Woodward, Associated Press Writer – AP
WASHINGTON – Osama bin Laden was unquestionably within reach of U.S. troops in the mountains of Tora Bora when American military leaders made the crucial and costly decision not to pursue the terrorist leader with massive force, a Senate report says.
The report asserts that the failure to kill or capture bin Laden at his most vulnerable in December 2001 has had lasting consequences beyond the fate of one man. Bin Laden's escape laid the foundation for today's reinvigorated Afghan insurgency and inflamed the internal strife now endangering Pakistan, it says.
Staff members for the Senate Foreign Relations Committee's Democratic majority prepared the report at the request of the chairman, Sen. John Kerry, as President Barack Obama prepares to boost U.S. troops in Afghanistan.
The Massachusetts senator and 2004 Democratic presidential candidate has long argued the Bush administration missed a chance to get the al-Qaida leader and top deputies when they were holed up in the forbidding mountainous area of eastern Afghanistan only three months after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.
Although limited to a review of military operations eight years old, the report could also be read as a cautionary note for those resisting an increased troop presence there now.
More pointedly, it seeks to affix a measure of blame for the state of the war today on military leaders under former president George W. Bush, specifically Donald H. Rumsfeld as defense secretary and his top military commander, Tommy Franks.
"Removing the al-Qaida leader from the battlefield eight years ago would not have eliminated the worldwide extremist threat," the report says. "But the decisions that opened the door for his escape to Pakistan allowed bin Laden to emerge as a potent symbolic figure who continues to attract a steady flow of money and inspire fanatics worldwide. The failure to finish the job represents a lost opportunity that forever altered the course of the conflict in Afghanistan and the future of international terrorism."
The report states categorically that bin Laden was hiding in Tora Bora when the U.S. had the means to mount a rapid assault with several thousand troops at least. It says that a review of existing literature, unclassified government records and interviews with central participants "removes any lingering doubts and makes it clear that Osama bin Laden was within our grasp at Tora Bora."
On or about Dec. 16, 2001, bin Laden and bodyguards "walked unmolested out of Tora Bora and disappeared into Pakistan's unregulated tribal area," where he is still believed to be based, the report says.
Instead of a massive attack, fewer than 100 U.S. commandos, working with Afghan militias, tried to capitalize on air strikes and track down their prey.
"The vast array of American military power, from sniper teams to the most mobile divisions of the Marine Corps and the Army, was kept on the sidelines," the report said.
At the time, Rumsfeld expressed concern that a large U.S. troop presence might fuel a backlash and he and some others said the evidence was not conclusive about bin Laden's location.
Hi,
I put this news on another section----anyway---replace the name of the u s with pakistan and the same story emerges as well.
Slides,
I am sorry that you didnot get the gist of my post---so here it is-----paks are less understanding---they have a very difficult time understanding and grasping of situations that have emerged out of nowhere at a lightening speed that go against the grain of their beliefs---right away they go into a protective mode and shut away the world and what is happening around them---they also shut away any modicum of advice and direction from its welwishers.
Like a normal pakistani comment---" A MUSLIM CANNOT DO THAT " or " IT IS UN-ISLAMIC "----it is a statement that you hear often---in all places and all gatherings---seems like the whole of the nation is living in 'ether'----yes---THE MUSLIM WILL DO THAT---YES IT IS ISLAMIC---BECAUSE IF IT WAS UN-ISLAMIC the muslim will not do that.
The first step in taking responsibility is to accept--YES THERE IS SOMETHING WRONG---next step is to take the the steps in the right direction to make the wrong right.
It has taken 7 years for the paks to accept that there is something wrong---7 long years to find out that the suicide bombers will come and bomb them to oblivion---7 long years it has taken for the paks to find out that they are not even considered muslims by these fanatics---these fanatics and fundos, don't even consider the population of pakistan as of the same faith----these fundos don't care about the life and happiness of the 16 crore awam---it has taken this long for an everyday average pakistani to come to the realization---7 long years to open your eyes---.
But there are a few, who have a different vision----to them, it was visible in the first nano second on Day + 1 in 2002, what was going to come out of this situation---for them, it was written in day light on the bright blue skies what the outcome would be.
The paks also read the writing---the eyes saw it, but the mind created an illusion---an illusion that lead to self-denial---self annihilation---.
I know what you are saying---that now the army is ready---for you---it has taken 7 years of time to acknowledge the fact---for me, it was instantaneous---the only difference is that you were travelling at your pace of understanding and I was travelling at my pace of reaction----sometimes you are the ball---sometimes you are the bat----sometimes you are the fly---sometimes you are the swat.
The problem over here is that pak has intentionally been the fly and the ball---that is the option they chose to be.
The higher ups in the army knew what was acoming---they just made bad decisions---they just wanted to milk the u s for as much as they could, and they failed in that as well as their war on terror.
They made a very very poor deal with the u s right from gitgo---we know there was the genuine fear of being bombed to kingdom come---agreed---but nobody stopped pak to make a better deal with the americans---instead of getting paid at the end of the year for the logistic support---pak should have asked for 1 billion dollars in advance right upfront, trwo sqdrnds of F 16's within the first 6 months etc etc etc---and then at the end of the year and every year after that 1 billion dollars to be deposited in an escrow account for pakistan to be realed after the submission of receipts of the first expense---.
There have been a myraid and one failures of paks---instead of coming out of this fiasco and smelling like roses---the pakistanis chose to come out of it like a pariah nation smelling like the opposite of roses---yo get my drift.
Progressive nations don't work and operate like that---they have systems in place that are ready to take advantage of change in environement on the run.
Paks are a very clever people inherently---but tragically only a minority is intelligent. Clever people are always ready to take advantage of personal gains, they are always ready to blame all and sundry for any problems, they are ready to make their personal escapes and leave everyone else in limbo. Clever people have no clear vision of an overall progressive picture of the nation---they live in their self induced dellusions of glory and grandeur, their valour is in spurts momentary bursts---they believe that in the moment of crisis, the un-prepared will all get together one day and take out the enemy.
On the other hand hand, intelligent people have a different view of the nation. They are futuristic, they believe in the welbeing of all and sundry, they are pro-active in their approach, they are not self centered and self serving, they consider the nation first and foremost and do things to make the motherland a better place. They are not a me-first crowd---but rather a we and us crowd.
They would do anything to keep the nation away from being cornered into a position from where it could not deal with strength. That is the biggest problem in this scenario---pakistan has been let down one more time by its citizens with a less than a visionary approach.
Any ordinary people and any ordinary nation would have done the same thing that pakistan, the pakistani govt, the pakistani generals and the pakistani public has done---there are no kudos for being ordinary---.
Under these trying times and extraordinary circumstances---it is a tragedy that pakistanis have chosen to stay ordinary. There reaction is of sad and sorry excuses all the times---it is a travesty.
