Bin Laden within reach of US-led force several times: French general

[maddezmom]

KABUL (AFP) - Al-Qaeda head Osama bin Laden (news - web sites) has been within reach of the US-led coalition force in Afghanistan (news - web sites) several times, the chief of staff of the French armed forces General Henri Bentegeat said.



"The coalition on several occasions has had Osama bin Laden and other Al-Qaeda operatives directly within reach," Bentegeat said during a press conference following a 24-hour visit to Afghanistan.


"Since 2002, on at least two occasions, they have been able to locate him but he has managed to escape," he said, adding that there was a difference between finding and trapping an individual.


"To my knowledge, there has not recently been any incidents of this nature... but sooner or later, he will be arrested."


Asked about the possible places of refuge for the suspected mastermind of the September 11, 2001 attacks on the United States, Bentegeat said he did not have any information which would help locate the Saudi dissident.

~snip~
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=1511&ncid=1511&e=7&u=/afp/20040602/wl_afp/afghanistan_us_france_040602191149

[sniffa]

1. pLan b

roLL out the frozen corpse of ronaLd reagan.

[bluestateguy]

2. Wouldn' t it be beautiful if the French caught him?

There would be so much crow for the Freepers to eat.

[tnlefty]

3. The thought of their heads exploding just brought a huge grin to my face!

Thanks!!

[bluestateguy]

5. Another idea

If the French captured him Chirac could say "We'll be happy to hand him over to you (the US) right after George W. Bush goes on television, hanging his head in shame to apologize to France and the French people."

[hadrons]

4. "Since 2002, on at least two occasions ...." hmmmm

does "locating" (who knows how loose there defination is) him once a year really mean "within reach"???

[GoddessOfGuinness]

6. The US has no plan to capture him before October...

unless the French appear ready to catch him first.

[yardwork]

7. Exactly.

If the U.S. had caught OBL in 2001 or 2002 there would have been no excuse oops reason to invade Iraq.

If we catch him now, it still leads to awkward questions about why we are still in Iraq.

He won't be caught until right before the election.

I wish the French would catch him. Oh please oh please oh please!

[1monster]

12. Let's not forget that the Taliban offered to turn bin Ladin over to the US

under certain (reasonable) conditions prior to our military action against Afghanistan, and Bush refused...

[librechik]

8. What, did der fuhrer MISS catching Bin Laden when offered?

How very Clintonesque!

[Triana]

9. yea but...

..it ain't October yet.

;)

[salin]

10. When wingers don't get the cost of the war

speak in their language about the costs... that we had to move so much military and intelligence resources building up to the war (and then in the War) in Iraq - that we stripped them away from the pursuit of Al Qeada and Osama Bind Ladin. Then point them to this item.

[struggle4progress]

11. Guess Rove didn't want OBL captured until it would provide ...

a needed bump in approval rating.

[dArKeR]

13. Bin Laden was within reach: top French general - TT

http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/asia/archives/2004/06/04/2003173657

[Aidoneus]

14. In a sense, this is both true and quite false

He may have been near or even close, but Ussamah was never within their reach and likely never will.