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Ear to the Ground

McChrystal: Defeating Bin Laden, Taliban Key to Afghanistan Victory

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Posted on Dec 8, 2009

This may sound more like a press release from Captain Obvious than incisive strategic commentary from one of our nation’s top military leaders, but lest it be overlooked, Gen. Stanley McChrystal recommends that the U.S. capture Osama Bin Laden and push back on the Taliban as two crucial action items on America’s to-do list for Afghanistan.  —KA

CNN:

Bin Laden remains at large more than eight years after the September 11, 2001, attacks on New York and Washington that triggered the Afghan war, and is widely believed to be hiding along the rugged border between Afghanistan and Pakistan. Gen. Stanley McChrystal, the commander of U.S. forces in Afghanistan, said the world’s most wanted terrorist is “an iconic figure” whose survival “emboldens al Qaeda as a franchising organization across the world.”

“It would not defeat al Qaeda to have him captured or killed, but I don’t think we can finally defeat al Qaeda until he is finally captured or killed,” McChrystal told the Senate Armed Services Committee. But he said if bin Laden is hiding across the border, “It is outside of my mandate.”

In addition, he said, pushing back the Taliban—which allowed al Qaeda to operate from Afghanistan before 9/11—is a “prerequisite” for destroying the terrorist network.

“To pursue our core goal of defeating al Qaeda and preventing their return to Afghanistan, we must disrupt and degrade the Taliban’s capacity, deny their access to the Afghan population, and strengthen the Afghan security forces,” he said.

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By dave, December 9, 2009 at 6:34 pm Link to this comment
(Unregistered commenter)

Bin laden is dead, he is just a dead scapegoat created by warmongers to drum up support for these illegal energy wars in the last grab for the worlds depleted resources. No one will catch him it will just end up killing a lot of people whilst hunting ghosts. Apparently he was a CIA trained, terminally ill double agent from a rich Saudi family who has been used highly successfully now for 8 years to justify the killing of thousands of people in these modern day crusades and to tarnish the name of Islam in the eyes of west and caused hatred. Just goes to show how gullible the general population has become as they open wide to be spoon fed lies lies and damn lies, washed down with some celebrity culture and reality t.v. There is more holes in the official story than a pair old boots. C’mon people stop swallowing all the imperialistic rhetoric, wake up and tell these wicked creatures to getthehellouttaherewiththatbulls**t!!!

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By Jean Gerard, December 9, 2009 at 5:54 pm Link to this comment
(Unregistered commenter)

Who can believe these military guys?  Their language is to parsed and re-
parsed, over and over, with their “refined missions”, “contiguous security,” their
“widely believed” assertions,” and statements that “AlQaeda may become
irrelevant or cease to exist”, yet to bring that about we have to “capture and kill
Bin Laden”, though, unfortunately “that is outside of my mandate” etc.etc.

None of it makes sense, and you can’t tell me that there’s a single Senator with
a law degree who doesn’t see through that kind of equivocating.  Yet kids have
to die for that - for national equivocating because we know what we ought to
do but we can’t find the moral courage to do it?  And so, short of that we must
pretend we know in order to keep the money rolling == no matter who loses
her job or house, whose son comes home a raging maniac with PTSD because
he can’t find the soul he lost in Quetta?

The whole thing is a hideous charade.

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By melpol, December 9, 2009 at 5:34 pm Link to this comment

Dissidents in Afghanistan will be given a chance to change sides and give up their
extremism. If not they will be hunted down by Delta forces and exterminated. The
job will take a few years because there are thousands of caves to blowtorch. It will
be won when the hills and valleys are made safe for tourism.

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By melvin polatnick, December 9, 2009 at 5:17 pm Link to this comment
(Unregistered commenter)

Dissidents in Afghanistan will be given a chance to change sides and give up their extremism. If not they will be hunted down by Delta forces and exterminated. The job will take a few years because there are thousands of caves to blowtorch. It will be won when the hills and valleys are made safe for tourism.

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By brian a. hayes, December 9, 2009 at 4:40 pm Link to this comment
(Unregistered commenter)

to understand more about bin landen i would like to suggest the book message to the world the statements of osama bin laden.

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By brian a. hayes, December 9, 2009 at 4:02 pm Link to this comment
(Unregistered commenter)

bin laden is a mass murderer and a hijacker of Islam but he does speak the truth on some issues as the west imperial missions in the middle east. to me everything is cause and effect. our causes of bombing civilian coups around the world. protecting corporations in other countries with no regard for the people of those countries. till we make the hard decision to change and admit to what negative things this country has done around the world nothing will change. we must have the courage to admit to each thing that been done in our history and say no more.

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By dihey, December 9, 2009 at 7:52 am Link to this comment

We are witnessing the birth of a new and totally meaningless mantra: “push back the Taliban”. General, do you know where/what “back” is? If not then you are needlessly exposing your soldiers to danger. You are sounding increasingly like the characters of George Orwell’s 1984.

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thecrow's avatar

By thecrow, December 9, 2009 at 6:12 am Link to this comment

“Bin Laden remains at large more than eight years after the September 11, 2001, attacks on New York and Washington that triggered the Afghan war”

“triggered”—yes

http://michaelfury.wordpress.com/2009/05/11/the-gas-must-flow/

McChrystal is “Special”:

http://michaelfury.wordpress.com/2009/12/09/special-friends/

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By ardee, December 9, 2009 at 4:24 am Link to this comment

Is it really 1984 again?

Lets just call any who oppose American Imperialism as AlQaeda, lets just put an international aim upon a group (Taliban) that has no such agenda. Lets call anyone or anything whatever suits our purpose.

I will now call Obama a Liberal…..only in the spirit of the thing. Try it, its contagious!

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Samson's avatar

By Samson, December 8, 2009 at 11:08 pm Link to this comment

Of course, the problem is, he’s wrong.

American intelligence basically says that Al-Qaida isn’t in Afghanistan any more. They place the number of Al-Qaida in Afghanistan as a few hundred.

The ‘Taliban’ has become the Pentagon description of anyone who fights against us there. It seems to have become a general description of the Pashtun tribes.

What we are really doing is fighting to defend a corrupt and unpopular government.  Certainly won that has shown it can’t win a fair election.  Why on earth its worth American blood to keep Karzai in power is beyond me.

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By diman, December 8, 2009 at 8:31 pm Link to this comment

It is also widely beleived, that the american army will be defeated, just like british and soviets before it.

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By heavyrunner, December 8, 2009 at 7:10 pm Link to this comment

Bin Laden?  Hasn’t he been dead for years?

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LostHills's avatar

By LostHills, December 8, 2009 at 6:27 pm Link to this comment

This just in: “Defeating McChrystal, Gates, Petraeus key to world peace.”

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By SusanSunflower, December 8, 2009 at 5:33 pm Link to this comment

He’s a loose cannon. Let’s see how long he lasts.

Karzai is talking with the Taliban with Obama’s knowledge ... Anyone thinking that “capturing” bin Laden is worth another American life is living in a comic book world of Great Men and King Pins.

Conflating the Taliban and Al-Qaeda at this late date has to be considered either imbecility of delberate misdirection or both.

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By Shift, December 8, 2009 at 5:23 pm Link to this comment

Poor decision making, lack of vision, and lying are the Obama trademarks.  Escalating Afghanistan is just his latest moronity.  Social Security is his next target.  It’s endless.

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