Intelligence officials say bin Laden has established base in Pakistan
http://www.wistv.com/Global/story.asp?S=6109312
(Washington, DC-NBC) February 19, 2007 - Osama bin Laden has re-established command and control of Al Qaeda worldwide from new bases inside Pakistan, US intelligence officials tell the New York Times. And that means a greater danger of a 9/11-style attack in America.
In Washington there are questions about what to do now that Al Qaeda seems to be posing more of a threat. Intelligence analysts call it a comeback for Osama bin Laden, his top deputy Ayman Zawahiri, and the old Al Qaeda central command^- now inside Pakistan in the so-called tribal area of Waziristan.
They're no longer just in caves, officials say. They've re-established camps, with training facilities, even internet access, like the bases in Afghanistan that bin Laden used to plan and run the 9/11 attacks.
"This is a smart thing for Al Qaeda to do," says MSNBC^terrorism analyst Col. Rick Francona. "The fear is what we're seeing in Waziristan, in that border area in Pakistan, could lead to another 9/11 operation."
Experts say bin Laden grew stronger with the US focused on Iraq. Bruce Hoffman of Georgetown University says, "So consequently today, Al Qaeda is very much on the march, whereas just a few years ago they were indeed on the run."
President Bush has been briefed.
Why not find Al Qaeda's new camps with spy satellites and blast them with smart bombs? That could blow up the presidency of US ally Pervez Musharraf, who's unpopular in a pro-Al Qaeda Muslim nation - that happens to have nuclear weapons.
Defense secretary Gates promises action, "If^I were Osama bin Laden, I'd keep looking over my shoulder."
But bin Laden could say the same to America, if the intelligence on his comeback is accurate. So, as in Iraq, the Bush administration is dependent on another government that promises a lot but often does not deliver.
Reply With Quote