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Sunday 6 December 2009

Looking for Bin Laden’s Address


Elias Harfoush


Ever since Obama’s name has been connected to that of Osama, through the wordplay practiced by the American right in its incitement campaign during the presidential elections, the fate of these two men has also become connected. Barack Obama’s presidency could have been different if it had not come in the wake of the greatest US campaign against Osama Bin Laden, a campaign that has so far failed to achieve its main objective, the one announced by its prime leader George Bush when he launched his famous slogan: “wanted, dead or alive”. Thus the measure of Obama’s success, having criticized shifting the war against Al-Qaeda from Afghanistan to Iraq, and from pursuing Osama Bin Laden to pursuing Saddam Hussein, became proving that he is more capable than his predecessor of achieving such a goal.



Bin Laden’s leadership of Al-Qaeda, if he still effectively exercises such a leadership, could also have been different had Obama not been the current US President. It is doubtful that the pursuit of the leader of Al-Qaeda would have been as intense as we are witnessing now, had Republican President John McCain resided in the White House. Proof of this is the fact that all of the attacks carried out by Al-Qaeda in Europe after September 11, particularly the terrorist bombings in London and Madrid, in addition to the plot to detonate airplanes across the Atlantic, the main architects of which had been Osama Bin Laden and Ayman Al-Zawahiri, did not move the zeal of the Western security and intelligence apparatus in pursuit of the two men as is taking place today, because of the deteriorating situation in Afghanistan and the bombings which, nearly on a daily basis, reap lives in Pakistan’s mosques and military barracks.



Thus the question has returned to what it was in the wake of the war waged by US warplanes in the mountains of Tora Bora in Eastern Afghanistan, exactly eight years ago, in December 2001: Where is Osama Bin Laden? Where could that tall bearded man, recognizable without mistake, of whom it would be difficult for any human being on the face of the earth above the age of five not to have seen a picture, disappear to? How and where can he protect himself, despite there being a fifty million dollar reward for his capture, a reward exceeding what any lucky person could win at any lottery in the world?



The answer: Bin Laden moves between Pakistan and Afghanistan. In other words: where he was eight years ago! The latest news of him “appearing” is what a prisoner in Pakistan told BBC correspondent in Islamabad Orla Guerin about someone he knew who had met with Bin Laden in the Afghan province of Ghazni during the first two months of this year. The importance of such a “revelation” lies in the fact that it comes at a time when Western governments, and particularly those of the US and UK, are intensifying their pressure on the government of Pakistan to arrest the leader of Al-Qaeda, who resides there, according to the intelligence of these two governments. This is what Hillary Clinton said plainly during her latest visit to Islamabad, and what British Prime Minster Gordon Brown repeated a few days ago before his Pakistani guest Yousuf Raza Gilani, the latest to have shouldered the responsibility of supervising the Pakistani nuclear button. This is why security experts on Al-Qaeda issues, among them correspondent for British newspapers The Guardian and The Observer, Jason Burke, author of the book “Al-Qaeda: The True Story of Radical Islam”, and BBC security correspondent Frank Gardner, have found that the story of Bin Laden in Ghazni is exactly the kind of story Pakistan’s intelligence has an interest in spreading, in order to divert the attention away from the pressure being exerted on it to pursue Bin Laden. Their explanation of why Bin Laden is in Pakistan is a simple one: operations being carried out by Western warplanes in the airspace of provinces located in Southwestern Afghanistan make it difficult for him to find a safe location in these regions, whereas such a safe haven would easily be available to him in Pakistan’s Waziristan region, where the Pashtun Mehsud clan holds sway, a clan extremely loyal to the leaders of the Al-Qaeda organization and to their ideas.



Whatever Bin Laden’s address may be, it will be difficult for Barack Obama to announce his success to the American people in the war on terror (even if he changes its name) if he has not succeeded at capturing or killing the leader of Al-Qaeda. As for the extent to which such a capture, if it were to take place, is likely to put an end to terrorism and to the ideas of Al-Qaeda, this would require yet another war!

Afghanistan Will Not End Well


To me, the key to understanding geopolitical events and policies is what happens to the ordinary people. We have had a spate of articles about Afghanistan, but few that consider the viewpoint of the people involved in the killing, the suffering and the dying.
For once I would like to hear the officials speak in human terms, as Rep. Alan Grayson D-FL does on health reform. I want to read articles from people who have been on the ground. One Diary of a Mad Baghdad Housewife sheds more wisdom and light on Iraq than the entire North American blogosphere could in all the war years.
It doesn't take an ethical genius to figure out the UDHR definition of the Afghan War. It is a war crime with millions of perpetrators.
Supporting the perpetrators is a crime against humanity.

Doki Entered the US in 1950 Disguised as the Red Menace 
In 1950 I was confused. The Communist North Koreans had mercilessly invaded the south. Our WWII Marines were gathering at Pusan to repel the invaders. UN member troops united against the Communist aggressors.
We kids stocked up with Army Surplus and Red Ryder bb guns. Ski, Rothblatt, man your machine guns cried a popular comic book.
There was a problem. They called every decent American I knew a Communist. We ceased being a Republic.

In the old and brilliant Japanese movie ‘The Banners Of Samurai', the ruler of a kingdom hires a gruesome War Captain to extend his domain. When asked about the name of his new minister, the ruler replies, ‘His name is Yamamoto Kanske, Doki  
which means The Devil of War.'
Mark Sashine, OEN
Dumping Obama Begins the Problems
Americans love wars until we lose them.
Few of them ever mention the 7.2 millions slaughtered in Asia. They weren't white. Many connect wars with jobs and prosperity. Even with the recession 83% have jobs and 85% retain their homes.
The voters must suffer a great deal more before they will elect a Progressive. Republicans would be happy to unite with Progressives in any plan to derail Obama or his programs. This is a quick way for the USA to become even more of a dictatorship.

Hasn't Karzai Already Decided to Contest for Heroin Trade?
Afghanistan is the number one producer and distributor for Heroin. It seems the US Military and the CIA are working to control this trade. They assassinate warlords who have sided with the Taliban.
If our military withdrew completely, Blackwater and the CIA might still be able to hang onto their share of the heroin traffic. For sure, there is nothing but suffering for the Afghan people in this mess.

Hobson's Choice: Impeachment or Assassination?
The President made a difficult decision with his speech. It could inspire a number of Progressives to bolt his Party line on the Afghan escalation issue. Since the Republicans have united to oppose him on any issue, Barack Obama is in danger of losing his majorities in both Houses of Congress.
The Afghan War will determine who controls the world supply and distribution of heroin. The US military and the CIA assassinate the warlords favorable to the Taliban and vice-versa. The hapless Afghan people will suffer no matter who wins. If the President had chosen to withdraw, he would have run a serious risk of assassination.

Heroin, Nukes and Assassination are the Real Issues
Heroin dominates the Afghan economy. Our military and the CIA battle with the Taliban for control of the trade. Both sides assassinate the warlords not allied with them. The US military and the CIA operate black, which means they are not held to an accounting for their expenditures.
The "war" is a struggle between US mafia-types and the Afghan bandits. The Afghan people suffer no matter who prevails. Anyone who interferes to stop this tragedy risks assassination.
If the US officials feared nuclear war with the Middle East, why did they sell them our nuclear secrets? The espionage Agents have been exposed to the public and to the Bush and Obama administrations. Why weren't they prosecuted? Does the USA have a death wish?
Rep. Kucinich D-OH deserves our respect and admiration. Few Americans have the courage and insight to speak for the Afghan people. Many Afghans desire that foreigners leave the country, but the US MSM will not show dissidents such as Marilia Joya speak nationally. She is on the YouTube with European interviews. My article on her was rejected by OEN. American officials don't want to hear from the Afghan people.

Charles Krauthammer said, "It's not exactly the kind of speech that you would have heard from Henry V or Churchill. And it's not exactly the kind of speech you that heard from George Bush when he announced his surge."

Escalation Was a Smooth Move
Obama shows the olive branch to the world, but he keeps Afghanistan to show what happens to people who don't co-operate. Why isn't a Progressive in the WH? Many of them want to leave Afghanistan and Afghans with nothing to show for it but a bloodbath.
Does Right Make Might? Does Wrong Produce Weakness?

ABC News estimates that, with the surge included, there will be a ratio of 1,000 US troops for every Al Qaeda member in the country. The cost of the war will work out to $300 million for every Al Qaeda fighter.
And Justin Elliott at TalkingPointsMemo reported Wednesday that the US now has more than 104,000 defense contractors in the country, which exceeds the number of regular troops on the ground, which will be 98,000 after the surge is completed.
The president's party will not support his new policy, his budget will not accommodate it, our overstretched and worn-down military will be hard-pressed to execute it, and Americans' patience will not be commensurate with Afghanistan's limitless demands for it. This will not end well. – George F. Will, WaPost
Born a month before Pearl Harbor, I attended world events from an early age. My first words included Mussolini, Patton, Sahara and Patton. At age three I was a regular listener to Lowell Thomas. My mom was an industrial nurse a member of the

Blackwater black ops behind Pakistan terror wave?


The Lahore High Court chief justice Khawaja Muhammad Sharif served notice on Pakistan's Interior Ministry for not replying to a petition demanding full disclose on the activities of Blackwater in the country, and warned that if the interior secretary does not reply by Dec. 14 he could be prosecuted for contempt of court. Sharif also called for a detailed report from the Foreign Ministry on a request to search of the US embassy to recover illegal weapons. Hashim Shaukat Khan, president of Pakistan's Watan Party, had filed the petition. His attorney, Barrister Zafarullah, said the day Blackwater stepped into Pakistan, terrorism and suicide attacks stepped up. He also alleged that illegal arms are being stored in the US embassy, which were being used for "sabotage acts" in the country. (Pakistan Daily Times, Dec. 5)
At least 40 were killed and scores injured Dec. 4 when a pair of suicide bombers stormed a crowded mosque in Rawalpindi during Friday prayers, joined by assailants who hurled grenades and sprayed gunfire among the worshipers. (WP, Dec. 5) Another three were killed in a blast at a KFC outlet in Peshawar. (BBC News, Dec. 5)

Af-Pak War Racket: The Obama Illusion Comes Crashing Down