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| Terror Networks |
| CIA has infiltrated al-Qaeda |
| 2004-07-24 |
| The CIA has intelligence agents inside Osama bin Laden's Al Qaeda network -- as it did before the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks -- but they are not within the terrorist leader's inner circle where key information about any future attack would be discussed, a senior intelligence official said yesterday. "They are beyond foot soldiers but not in the inner circle," the official said. The agents -- Afghans, Pakistanis, Uzbeks, and others recruited and run by CIA case officers -- "are more senior than the agents [the US had] three years ago who were on the periphery," the official said. Aided by these agents, electronic intercepts, satellite imagery, and extensive help from foreign intelligence services, the United States during the past two years has captured or killed two-thirds of bin Laden's top aides and broken up plots against US embassies, US and foreign aircraft and ships, and other targets worldwide. Although the US intelligence community believes that Al Qaeda today is far less capable than the team that put together the Sept. 11 attacks, bin Laden "looks to the United States still as the brass ring," another senior intelligence official said. The Wednesday briefing was held on condition that reporters not disclose the names or the identity of three senior intelligence officials who spoke. |
| Posted by:Dan Darling |
| #13 Late reply, but it's real, not a photoshop. Any carrier sailor will tell you that the flight deck is a dynamic environment. In this case the Hornet successfully trapped, but the missile came off the rail at 100+ knots and just kept going. BTW, ask a Navy guy about these tough operating environments, not one of those 10,000 foot runway Air Force types. |
| Posted by: longtime lurker 2004-07-26 8:56:49 AM |
| #12 Heisenbrg- Its a photoshop, and they ALMOST got it perfect - trouble is they left the exhaust cover on the rocket motor. Mike |
| Posted by: Mike Kozlowski 2004-07-25 12:01:15 AM |
| #11 Calm down folks. This is merely a polite way of saying that they've sent operatives to school at Ucal/Berekeley. |
| Posted by: Brutus 2004-07-24 10:28:30 PM |
| #10 Here's a link to let you fly the F-18 yourself, courtesy of the Aussie Air Force. Again, my abject apology for the dupe post. |
| Posted by: .com 2004-07-24 6:34:55 PM |
| #9 Oops - dupe of Heisenberg - apology. |
| Posted by: .com 2004-07-24 6:04:16 PM |
| #8 Errant Sidewinder images ___1___ and ___2___ certainly appears the engine failed to fully ignite. It |
| Posted by: .com 2004-07-24 6:02:37 PM |
| #7 I believe its a fake. There should be much more flame. http://www.nawcwpns.navy.mil/clmf/images/fa18winder1.JPG |
| Posted by: RussSchultz 2004-07-24 5:55:41 PM |
| #6 Seems I remember something about the first one from several years back... Took place on a carrier in the Pacific, not in the Persian Gulf or anywhere else. Apparently there was a "minor technical glitch" and part of the propellent of a Navy Sidewinder being uploaded onto an F-18(???) "spontaneously ignited" and sent the missile about 200 feet down the carrier's flank and into the Pacific ocean. IIRC, one person was injured, but no damage to aircraft or other equipment, and a bunch of Sidewinders (an entire production lot of about 200) were returned to the manufacturer with propellent cracks and some other internal problems. OF course, there's on guarantee that even the information I heard wasn't a set-up... |
| Posted by: Old Patriot 2004-07-24 5:51:04 PM |
| #5 If it's fake, it's a damn good Photoshop effort. Don't know enough about fighters to otherwise proffer a more informed opinion, sorry. |
| Posted by: Raj 2004-07-24 4:20:55 PM |
| #4 Scr$%^&* up the post, appologies for that, the first this in my last post should be this this. |
| Posted by: Heisenbergmayhavebeenhere 2004-07-24 4:12:56 PM |
| #3 Keeping the "leadersip" of any terrorist-organisation or indeed any totalitarian intelligence service just a little more paranoid then is considerd healthy, usually tends to create "opportunitys for swift career-advancement" within the organisation, on the face of it I would say that this is a psy-op and the merricans have several pawns positioned for a possible break-through to the next level of Al-Q's hierarchie. Now veering violently off topic: could someone a little more airforce-savy than me take a look at this and this and give your opinion on wether its a fake or the real thing, (its for a bet and I am betting fake) |
| Posted by: Heisenbergmayhavebeenhere 2004-07-24 4:06:25 PM |
| #2 If we really do have people inside Al Qaeda them the senior intelligence official should be the "former senior intelligence official. |
| Posted by: cheaderhead 2004-07-24 2:42:14 PM |
| #1 Could this be an attempt to sow discord and mistrust in AlQ? Have them do a mole search? Torture and kill likely suspects (like Afghanis, Pakis and Uzbeks)? We can only hope! |
| Posted by: Brett_the_Quarkian 2004-07-24 2:18:01 PM |
