Text 17454, 86 rader
Skriven 2006-01-20 10:30:26 av BOB SAKOWSKI (1:123/140)
Ärende: bin Who?
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Why We Can't Nab Bin Laden

by
Larry C. Johnson

"If ifs and buts were candy and nuts it would be Christmas everyday". This
old saying seems appropriate in light of Bin Laden's latest message to the
world. If Bin Laden's desires equaled actual capabilities then we would
face daily attacks by Al Qaeda operatives. Fortunately, Al Qaeda's actual
ability to hit us has been significantly degraded. Despite carrying out
spectacular attacks in Spain (March 2004) and England (July 2005), Al Qaeda
has not been able to sustain offensive operations in either country, not to
mention the United States. We can hinder and even destroy their ability to
attack us, but we must make it a priority. Unfortunately, despite tough
talk from the White House, we have made finding Bin Laden a low priority.
Left unmolested Bin Laden can hurt us and hurt us bad.

So, why is Bin Laden speaking now? He has suffered some recent setbacks. He
is certainly reacting to the missile strikes last week in Pakistan that
apparently killed some Al Qaeda operatives. Bin Laden is letting his
followers and the world know that he is alive and ready to fight to the
death. He also is reminding us that he takes the longterm view. The offer
of a truce is not a sign of weakness, rather it is a gesture to the Muslim
world intended to portray Bin Laden as a man of reason and honor who is
intent on being faithful to God's commandments. When he references the 10
year war against the Soviets and the perseverance of the mujahideen and
their ultimate victory, this is not mere hyperbole. It is his war plan for
success.

So, why is Bin Laden still walking around free and kicking? Why has the
United States failed to capture him?

For starters, no one is in charge of this effort. There are lots of people
working on it, but there is no one person responsible on a day-to-day
basis. If you ask the CIA Chief in Pakistan, he'll tell you he is in charge
of the mission. If you ask the CIA Chief in Afghanistan, you will get a
similar answer. If you ask General Brown at SOCOM he will tell you that he
has the mission. And, if you ask the folks at CENTCOM and at JSOC you will
get similar responses. Let's not forget Ambassador Hank Crumpton, the
Coordinator for Counter Terrorism. Lots of people working on the issue, but
no one actually in charge.

Second, interagency cooperation is still spotty. For example, the
Department of Defense has a prioritized list of Al Qaeda personnel they are
hunting and the CIA has a different list. DOD and CIA still have not agreed
on who in the Al Qaeda hierarchy should be targeted first. I am told that
there is pretty good cooperation between CIA and FBI at the worker bee
level in Afghanistan, but that this cooperation is personality dependent
and breaks down as you move up the food chain.

Third, not all US intelligence and law enforcement resources are being
devoted to the effort. DEA, for example, has some remarkable intelligence
capabilities. They also have an incredible informant network and face
significant challenges in Afghanistan, which has become the largest heroin
exporter in the world. Drug sales can fund terrorist operations. Yet, DEA
is not part of the CIA/DOD effort to find, capture, or kill Bin Laden.

Finally, the bureaucratic walls that separated the law enforcement and
intelligence communities prior to 9-11 are back up and higher than ever. I
was given this bad news two weeks ago by an old friend who has worked at
the FBI, the CIA, and the National Security Council during the last three
years. He said, "the the window of cooperation that opened in the immediate
aftermath of 9-11 has been slammed shut." Apparently we have learned
nothing from the debacle of 9-11.

The only way to break through the log jam of bureaucratic politics and
stovepiping is for the President or Vice President to make forging
interagency cooperation a priority. President Bush and Vice President
Cheney talk a good game, but they are not paying attention to the details.
Fixing this mess requires their personal involvement on a daily basis. If
they fail to act and the old status quo, which has reemerged with a
vengeance, remains in place then Bin Laden will eventually succeed. With
patience and planning he will breach our security and will kill thousands
of Americans. Bin Laden speaks clearly on this point:

As for us, we do not have anything to lose. The swimmer in the sea does not
fear rain. You have occupied our land, defiled our honour, violated our
dignity, shed our blood, ransacked our money, demolished our houses,
rendered us homeless, and tampered with our security. We will treat you in
the same way.

I do not want to hear anymore the nonsensical excuse, "who could have
known"? from the Administration . Let there be no doubt, we have been
warned.
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