GAO: Bush Lacks Strategy To Wipe Out Bin Laden Sanctuary In Pakistan

GAO: Bush Lacks Strategy To Wipe Out Bin Laden Sanctuary In Pakistan

www.mcclatchydc.com

WASHINGTON — Even as it faces an enduring terrorist threat and rising violence in Afghanistan, the Bush administration has failed to develop a comprehensive plan to eliminate al Qaida and its sanctuary in Pakistan's remote tribal region, the investigative arm of Congress said Thursday.

The nonpartisan Government Accountability Office's scathing report says that the administration has relied too heavily on Pakistani security forces to deal with a major U.S. national-security problem.

(visit the link for the full news article)

LMAO...

Could that be because he's locked us into a war that has NOTHING to do with terror, and everything to do with PROFITEERING in IRAQ?

It's almost jaw-dropping how little resources this "War on Terror" has had put into capturing the supposed MASTERMIND behind the 9/11 attacks (if anyone is still buying that story), and how much jerking around in an innocent country that had nothing to do with it has, and continues to take place...LOL @ Dumbya's "war on terra."

Bin Laden, his core followers and other foreign extremists, as well as the Afghan Taliban, established training camps and bases in the region after fleeing the 2001 U.S.-led intervention in Afghanistan. Pakistani militant groups also have gained sanctuaries from which they have launched dozens of suicide bombings.

Al Qaida has used its haven to support the Taliban insurgency in Afghanistan against U.S.-led NATO forces and President Hamid Karzai's government. Recent studies say the level of violence for the first quarter of this year is as high or higher than it was during the same period in 2007.

www.mcclatchydc.com
(visit the link for the full news article)

[edit on 18-4-2008 by DimensionalDetective]

Similar to Bill Clinton's strategy to fire a million dollar cruise missile in Sudan even though Osama is in Afghanistan. But as terrorists tend to do is run and hide to somewhere else.

reply to post by DimensionalDetective

Pakistan has refused to allow large-scale U.S. military operations in the tribal areas, an impoverished Massachusetts-size region of mountains and valleys inhabited by deeply conservative Pashtun tribes.

What ever happened to "you're either with us or against us" Mr. President?

Firing a Hellfire missile by a drone would be considered an act of war by most people. Especially by Muslims who watch in horror as many of the Jihadi brothers are being killed by Crusaders' hands.

There are some considerations to considered, especially as the President of Pakistan that cut off support of the Taliban which they supported for many years since its birth. Not to mention Musharraf's near death multiple times already by attempted assassinations.

reply to post by DimensionalDetective


Star'd & Flag'd, DD!

Ya gotta love the GAO, i think they're a little like ATS members, offering
sometimes scathing reports on our administration!

I'm glad they did, because the powers that be, have little comprehension
abilities of anything they do!

Too bad the GAO can only make reports, and not really take action to
change things. Kinda like us!

The GAO has no plan of their own so they should just shutup. Criticizing on something they can easily feel comfortable in a complex war that they don't want to be involved with.

Nice job of placing the president in yet another damned if you do, damned if you don't situation... We've been handcuffed by not wanting to defy the Pakistani governments insistance that US troops not be on the ground in the tribal areas searching for bin Laden ourselves. The flip side here, and a major difference between the Taliban and Musharraf is Musharraf has actually worked with us. The Taliban worked against us and supported bin Laden directly. Huge, huge difference. Had we just gone ahead and entered Pakistan to remove bin Laden, the same people who are on here today trash talking the president over the decision to not enter the country would be trash talking him just the same. Some people simply can't be pleased. That said, it wouldn't bother me to see US forces start hitting the tribal region of Pakistan with full scale air assaults. I merely understand why we haven't done so.