U.S. shifts tactics in bin Laden hunt

[Divine Discontent]

Source: Washington Post

by Craig Whitlock
PESHAWAR, Pakistan - Frustrated by repeated dead ends in the search for Osama bin Laden, U.S. and Pakistani officials said they are questioning long-held assumptions about their strategy and are shifting tactics to intensify the use of the unmanned but lethal Predator drone spy plane in the mountains of western Pakistan.

The number of Hellfire missile attacks by Predators in Pakistan has more than tripled, with 11 strikes reported by Pakistani officials this year, compared with three in 2007. The attacks are part of a renewed effort to cripple al-Qaeda's central command that began early last year and has picked up speed as President Bush's term in office winds down, according to U.S. and Pakistani officials involved in the operations.

There has been no confirmed trace of bin Laden since he narrowly escaped from the CIA and the U.S. military after the battle near Tora Bora, Afghanistan, in December 2001, according to U.S., Pakistani and European officials. They said they are now concentrating on a short list of other al-Qaeda leaders who have been sighted more recently, in hopes that their footprints could lead to bin Laden.
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In interviews, the officials attributed their failure to find bin Laden to an overreliance on military force, disruptions posed by the war in Iraq and a pattern of underestimating the enemy. Above all, they said, the search has been handicapped by an inability to develop informants in Pakistan's isolated tribal regions, where bin Laden is believed to be hiding. -snip-

Read more: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/26633748

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preparing their amazing capture for a month from now it appears...

MORE AT www.cafepress.com/warisprofitable

[Solly Mack]

1. So they're going to actually start looking for him?

That would be a shift

Ah....gonna attack more and kill more people...yeah, that's a shift. snort

[Divine Discontent]

2. yeppers! looking for him will only take a month with the advanced tech we have - nice to see! cough

[Lasher]

3. Yep, gotta get them an October surprise.

No sense wasting time looking for him before now.

[Solly Mack]

4. I wouldn't be surprised if he made a personal appearance by then

[Tandalayo_Scheisskopf]

5. Maybe...

He can start a comedy act and take it on the road. Either that, or a series of infomercials for the Ronco Lamb-O-Matic Roaster.

[Solly Mack]

6. the bin Laden Lamb-O-Matic :P

[shadowknows69]

7. They'll claim they killed him before the election

With fuzzy supporting video of the predator "hit". Mark my words.

[webDude]

8. Well, you have to thaw him out slowly, you know, otherwise, ...

the skin will crack, and it won't be so "believable".

[shadowknows69]

9. They can just show a pile of blood and bone and beard particles

and the sheeple will cheer GW from the highest rooftop. Probably name him Emperor.

[Somawas]

12. I used to think he was in Rummy's freezer.

Think they moved him to Palin's? Of course, I figured they'd thaw him out in time for the RNC, too.

[CaptJasHook]

14. My Guess too. Their Ace in the Hole.... I mean Cave.

[daggahead]

10. I can just hear the phone conversation ...

... between Bush and Bin Laden.

GWB: "C'mon, buddy. We let you go this long. Do me this one favor, will ya? I gave you everything you wanted. Just let us capture you so we can win this election. Whaddya say? We'll let you go right after the election."

OBL: "Let me think about it, George. I will get back to you next week. Send Dick my warmest wishes."

[DeadManInc]

11. Maybe they will actually try to find him this time.

[DallasNE]

13. 7 Years Later

And less than 60 days before a Presidential election they finally, finally, finally change tactics. Give me a break. How stupid do they think we are.

Oh, never mind. It has worked before.

[Phred42]

15. October Suprise - They have to start up the media engine now

[DeepModem Mom]

17. Great minds! I just posted the same thought below. nt

[DeepModem Mom]

16. October Surprise? nt

[bemildred]

18. He's dead. Been dead for some time now. nt