New evidence from former U.S. officials reveals that the George W. Bush administration failed to adopt any plan to block the retreat of Osama bin Laden and other al Qaeda leaders from Afghanistan to Pakistan in the first weeks after 9/11.
That failure was directly related to the fact that top administration officials gave priority to planning for war with Iraq over military action against al Qaeda in Afghanistan.
As a result, the United States had far too few troops and strategic airlift capacity in the theatre to cover the large number of possible exit routes through the border area when bin Laden escaped in late 2001.
Because it had not been directed to plan for that contingency, the U.S. military had to turn down an offer by Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf in late November 2001 to send 60,000 troops to the border passes to intercept them, according to accounts provided by former U.S. officials involved in the issue.
On Nov. 12, 2001, as Northern Alliance troops were marching on Kabul with little resistance, the CIA had intelligence that bin Laden was headed for a cave complex in the Tora Bora Mountains close to the Pakistani border.
The war had ended much more quickly than expected only days earlier. CENTCOM commander Tommy Franks, who was responsible for the war in Afghanistan, had no forces in position to block bin Laden’s exit.
Franks asked Lt. Gen. Paul T. Mikolashek, commander of Army Central Command (ARCENT), whether his command could provide a blocking force between al Qaeda and the Pakistani border, according to David W. Lamm, who was then commander of ARCENT Kuwait.
Full article here
WHY BIN LADIN WAS NOT CAPTURED!
The reason why Bin Ladin was not captured was “MONEY”.
If he were caught or killed basically the “War on Terror” is OVER!
No War…No Money for Haliburton.
The game plan from the very start was an extended conflict so each and every year Bush/Cheney and pals could ask for a 200 Billion dollar emergency supplemental expendature for the wars.
Proof the whole idea was to keep the war ongoing was the plan from day one.
1. In 2003 four star general’s with 30 years experience telling Rumsfield we need 340,000 troops to go into Iraq. Rumsfield laughed and claimed “your way off” then invaded with about 80,000 to insure a qagmire. Then forced those generals to retire.
2. Cheney on Meet the Press April of 2003 when asked how long will this conflict with Iraq last he said, “8 to 12 years probably a decade”. Also John McCain said ” we will be in Iraq for 100 years” he later came to his senses and said only 50 years. What a kook.
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