You have commented 339 times on Rantburg.

Your Name
Your e-mail (optional)
Website (optional)
My Original Nic        Pic-a-Nic        Sorry. Comments have been closed on this article.
Bold Italic Underline Strike Bullet Blockquote Small Big Link Squish Foto Photo
Submit your comments on this article
Afghanistan
Bin Laden ’on Pakistan border’
2004-01-24
PAKISTAN’S President Pervez Musharraf said he believes Osama bin Laden and his al-Qaeda followers are still hiding in rugged mountains on the Pakistan-Afghanistan border, where they are being chased by US, Pakistani and allied forces. "One can’t be sure where he is," Musharraf told reporters at the World Economic Forum yesterday when he was asked where bin Laden was hiding. Musharraf said if he were a fugitive, he would regard the Pakistan-Afghanistan border as the safest place to hide, based on his experience as a commando in the Pakistani military. The mountainous backgrounds in videos of bin Laden are most likely along the border, he added. "Therefore, I conjecture that maybe he is moving around the border between the two countries, but I can’t be sure at all."
Either that, or the vids were shot several years ago, in Afghanistan and he's not moved at all for the past couple years...
Bin Laden and his al-Qaeda followers cross the border to escape military operations on one side or the other, Musharraf said. The Pakistani army closely coordinates its operations along the border with US forces and the separate, NATO-led International Security Assistance Force on the Afghan side, he said. "A hammer and anvil effect is created with one operating and if they try to run across, there is a screen on the other (side) to net them in."
I like that
The joint effort is paying off, he said. Pakistan alone has arrested 600 members of al-Qaeda throughout the country.
And that
"Very recently, we surrounded a group and we killed nine, arrested 18," Musharraf said.
And that too
He said Pakistan has "a very effective intelligence network" in its semi-autonomous tribal areas along the border. "In a region where even the British army never entered (during the colonial era) and our Pakistan army has entered only after a century, we’ve got a very swift and very mobile hard-hitting quick reaction force. We are operating very effectively in our area. There is no chance whatsoever of al-Qaeda and the Taliban joining for any strategic threat across the border." He vehemently rejected a suggestion that Pakistan invite a large US force in to patrol the Pakistani side of the border. "No, sir, that is not a possibility at all," said Musharraf. "It’s a very sensitive issue."
It's sensitive for Pakland's internal politix...
Pakistan has a large, experienced army and has no need of foreign forces on Pakistani territory, he said. "We have a very strong, effective, quick-reaction force who take action whenever we spot any al-Qaeda elements," Musharraf said. "Everyone is very satisfied with whatever we’ve done. On our side, Pakistan operates. On the Afghan side, it is ISAF and US forces which are operating," he said. "There is total cooperation of the two sides, and things are functioning very well operationally. There is no need of change now."
There doesn't seem to have been a shootout between the two sides in a while...
Al-Qaeda and Taliban forces "are on the run", he said. "I am sure we will rid our country of this menace, of any foreigner operating in our country," Musharraf said.
Posted by:tipper

#2  Jon, from what I have learned on Rantburg, I speculate that with the Pakistan military onboard, the Taliban would faxed version of our current plan after each coordination meeting. Working in conjunction with Pakistani forces would be exceeding dangerous for our troops and would ignite rebellion in large portions of the countryside. A coup would follow shortly and fundi jihadis would own their first nukes. I don't want UBL that bad.
Posted by: Super Hose   2004-1-24 1:20:27 PM  

#1  could we not somehow cut off all food and fresh water in this region while at the same time launching a huge joint Allied and Pakistan 'invasion' of this area and pincer the bastards
Posted by: Jon Shep U.K   2004-1-24 8:28:19 AM  

00:00