London Times: Downed US Seals may have got too close to Bin Laden

[DeepModem Mom]

Downed US Seals may have got too close to Bin Laden
Tony Allen-Mills, Washington and Andrew North, Kabul


.... whatever the final death toll from the worst incident in the history of the Seals — the Sea Air Land Commandos — there were tantalising hints that the original mission had been far from routine....

***

....According to former special forces officers and other military sources, the four-man Seal strike team may have come too close to one of the US-led coalition’s highest-priority targets — perhaps Mullah Muhammad Omar, the former Taliban leader, or even Osama Bin Laden, the leader of Al-Qaeda. Other military sources suggested the target was a regional Taliban commander suspected of links with Al-Qaeda....

***

...other special forces sources noted that small Seal units like Murphy’s are primarily designed for concealment and stealth, which indicated a more specific mission....

***

“The fact that the US did not send in several hundred troops for a sweep instead of the four-man recon team strongly suggests the team’s mission was to fix a very high target before it could flee from an airmobile assault,” (the author of an influential military blog known as Wretchard) said....

***

To some US military sources, the strength of the force sent into the area suggested more than a simple search for a soldier who has been missing for 11 days. The manhunt may be providing cover for what might have been the original mission — to track down an elusive “high value” target who may once again be about to slip away.


(Andrew North is the BBC’s Kabul correspondent. His reports on the security situation in Afghanistan are broadcast on all BBC news programmes.)


http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,2089-1688012,00.html

[roughandtumble]

1. Karl must think it's time to "find" ABL

You know, with Chimpy's numbers tanking, TurdBlossom's indictment...

[goclark]

2. What will the world think when they "find" OBL

It won't change anything.

It will be like finding SH, or the Iraqi elections or the Mission Not Accomplished or Shock and Awe...... the war is a CRIME and Bush is the one that should be arrested.


If they find OBL the Muslim world will see him as a heo - just watch.


Bush better let that sleeping dog keep sleeping.

He will look really bad when his numbers still sink.

[Bumblebee]

4. That was the day

Bush was "addressing the nation" on Iraq (with silent soldiers as props). I always thought the timing was a bit fishy. They were probably trying to produce Osama before his speech, and now we have nearly 20 dead as a result. I hope there will be more stories on the timing and why such rush...

[DeepModem Mom]

5. What an amazing recollection, Bumblebee -- welcome to DU!!!

[Bumblebee]

8. Thank you

I reflected on the timing right away, as it was happening, and my first suspicion was they must have been sent out to find Osama and save our fearless leader's ass that way, so now that one part is confirmed, I think the other is almost a no-brainer.

[pocket]

3. the author of an influential military blog known as Wretchard

"Wretchard" is a freeper. Literally. He also appears on the HUgh Hewitt show, which is how I found out he's a regular over on free repuglick.

I say that makes this whole article suspect.

[DeepModem Mom]

6. Whoa, pocket -- thanks for the info. nt

[KeepItReal]

7. Nobody yet knows *who* or *what* the SEALs were after

They were simply after a high-value target.

Bin Laden should have been caught in 2001. Years later we're hot on his trail??

[daleo]

9. They got too close to Bin Laden

A lot of people wouldn't like that, including Bin Laden. In narrows things down, but not much.

[jazzjunkysue]

13. Top 10 people who won't want to find OBL (and ruin all the fun)

1. Cheney
2. Rumsfeld
3. Wolfowitz
4. Rice
5. Bolton
6. Gonzalez
7. Delay
8. Frist
9. KKKarl
10. Le Puppet President, himself.

[DanCa]

10. Imagine all the time we spend chasing down runaway brides.

Geeze imagine if we spent all that money and time we wasted on the runaway bride and on Terry Schiavo and putit into looking for OBL we might have actually have gotten on him. Assuming OBL isnt living in the chimps basement.

[NNN0LHI]

11. Ah, the "it was all worth it" follow up propaganda

This crap gets old after a while.

Don

[meow2u3]

12. Bush's executive order, in a nutshell

The military must look for OBL, but are not allowed to find him.

[jazzjunkysue]

14. Gee: No american correspondents want to write these stories....

[leesa]

15. They found his grave?

http://www.welfarestate.com/binladen/funeral/