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Title: U.S. military says force in Afghanistan isn't big enough
Source:
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URL Source: http://www.mercurynews.com/nationworld/ci_13190040
Published: Aug 24, 2009
Author: Helene Cooper
Post Date: 2009-08-24 10:02:16 by christine
Keywords: None
Views: 900
Comments: 34
BAGRAM, Afghanistan — Military commanders with the NATO mission in Afghanistan told President Barack Obama's chief envoy to the region this weekend that they did not have enough troops to do their job, pushed past their limit by Taliban rebels who operated across borders. The commanders emphasized problems in southern Afghanistan, where Taliban insurgents continue to bombard towns and villages with rockets despite a new influx of U.S. troops, and in eastern Afghanistan, where the father-and-son-led Haqqani network of militants has become the main source of attacks against U.S. soldiers and their Afghan allies. The possibility that more troops will be needed in Afghanistan presents the Obama administration with a new problem in dealing with a nearly 8-year-old war that has lost popularity at home, compounded by new questions over the credibility of the U.S.-backed Afghan government, which has just held an as-yet inconclusive presidential election beset by complaints of fraud. The assessments about troop needs came as the top American commander in the region, Gen. Stanley McChrystal, has been working to complete a major war strategy review, and as the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Adm. Mike Mullen, described a worsening situation in Afghanistan despite the recent addition of 17,000 U.S. troops ordered by the Obama administration and the extra security efforts surrounding the presidential election. "I think it is serious, and it is deteriorating," Mullen said Sunday on CNN's "State of the Union" program. "The Taliban insurgency has gotten better, more sophisticated, in their tactics." He added that McChrystal was still completing his review and had not yet requested additional troops on top of the those added by Obama. The U.S. commanders in Afghanistan spoke at length this weekend with Richard Holbrooke, Obama's special representative to Afghanistan and Pakistan. Over the past two days, Holbrooke visited all four regional military command centers in Afghanistan, and the message from all four followed similar lines: While the additional American troops, along with smaller increases from other NATO alliance members, have had some benefit in the south, the numbers remain below what commanders say they need. With the forces added by the Obama administration, the total number of American soldiers and Marines in Afghanistan is now about 57,000.
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Begin Trace Mode for Comment # 21.
#1. To: christine (#0)
Actually, it's not small enough. It needs to be reduced to 0. We've no business being there or attacking anybody. If there are souls that want vengeance for 9/11/2001, then they should be directing their energy against Saudi Arabia. Everybody knows this now, there is no excuse of ignorance to be had.
I don't remember any "dancing Saudis" in New Jersey on 9/11.
No, because most of them were aboard the aircraft that slammed into the buildings.
So, show us some proof that Saudis were on those planes.
Wait. Let me guess. You think it was Israelis? Right?
I don't "think" thing that I don't have strong reason to believe are so. From my perspective, the jury is still out on who exactly did what. Let me repeat my request: Show us some proof that Saudis were on those planes.
From WikiPedia: (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hijackers_in_the_September_11_attacks) American Airlines Flight 11 Hijackers: Mohamed Atta al Sayed (Egyptian), Waleed al-Shehri (Saudi Arabian), Wail al-Shehri (Saudi Arabian), Abdulaziz al-Omari (Saudi Arabian), Satam al-Suqami (Saudi Arabian). AND: United Airlines Flight 175 Hijackers: Marwan al-Shehhi (from the United Arab Emirates), Fayez Banihammad (from the United Arab Emirates), Mohand al-Shehri (Saudi Arabian), Hamza al-Ghamdi (Saudi Arabian), Ahmed al-Ghamdi (Saudi Arabian). AND: United Airlines Flight 93 Hijackers: Ziad Jarrah (Lebanese), Ahmed al-Haznawi (Saudi Arabian), Ahmed al-Nami (Saudi Arabian), Saeed al-Ghamdi (Saudi Arabian). Now, which nationality stands out as being in the overwhelming majority here randge? I also recall hearing this on the news as well, both television and radio, repeatedly and over the course of years. Then we have Osama Bin Laden, from Saudi Arabia pushing the movement and, as I've heard, quietly bankrolled by a lot of angry Wahhabis in Saudi Arabia. So there you go randge.
Here you go SoL: 9-11 "Hijackers" Identified by FBI: Seven Are Alive and Well The full list of the 9/11 hijackers names was released on 9/14/01. Below are the nineteen men identified on the FBI website as the hijackers. Seven of the men have subsequently been confirmed as being alive. None of the names listed are shown on the passenger manifests of the hijacked flights. 3. Ahmed Alnami: Possible residence: Delray Beach, Fla. Aliases: Ali Ahmed Alnami; Ahmed A. Al-Nami; Ahmed Al-Nawi. ALIVE An administrative supervisor with Saudi Arabian Airlines, in Riyadh. "I'm still alive, as you can see. I was shocked to see my name mentioned by the American Justice Department. I had never even heard of Pennsylvania where the plane I was supposed to have hijacked." He had never lost his passport and found it "very worrying" that his identity appeared to have been "stolen" and published by the FBI without any checks. The FBI had said his "possible residence" was Delray Beach in Florida. " Telegraph UK, 23rd September 9-11_hijackers_still_alive.htm Ask yourself why the vaunted pictures of the "19 hijackers" no longer appear on the mainstream news as they did in the months after the attacks. The answer is that the FBI has acknowledged that the guys pictured aren't dead. Also ask yourself why Bin Ladin is not wanted by the FBI in the attacks.
I suppose the US government wants us to believe that 300,000 pounds of aircraft parts collided with over 13 million tons of steel (a weight estimate of 7 world trade center floors) and 14,000 cubic feet of concrete (estimate) and that a paper passport navigated it's way through all of that including an explosion that was at least 100 yards in diameter (estimate) to land safely on top of the rubble below? Get real. And if that were even possible, you would think the chances of it happening were once in a lifetime, right? Well how about twice? You may remember that after the planes hit the World Trade Center towers--an epic disaster that melted structural steel designed to withstand a Hellish temperature of 2000 degrees Fahrenheit, incinerated both planes? cockpit recorders and black-box recorders, and vaporized the flesh and bones of nearly 3,000 human beings--the passport of suspected hijacker Mohammed Atta was found intact, in pristine condition, lying on the sidewalk below. Well, guess what. It happened again. I am not kidding. Both CBS News and the Associated Press are reporting that the passport of another hijacker, one Satam al-Sugami, floated down to Earth along with Mohammed Atta's passport. And not just a charred piece of a passport but , like the other passort, it was IN PRISTINE CONDITION. Here's the original link (before it was removed: http://www.11alive.com/news/usnews_article.aspx?storyid=42069 Taken from: http://www.rumormillnews.com/cgi-bin/archive.cgi?read=43653
I always, always regret getting into any discussion about 9/11 or the middle east, as a rule. This is no exception. You guys have a fun discussion. Cheers
I have never indulged.
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#3. To: SonOfLiberty (#1)
If there are souls that want vengeance for 9/11/2001, then they should be directing their energy against Saudi Arabia.
#4. To: Sam Houston (#3)
#5. To: SonOfLiberty (#4)
#6. To: randge (#5)
#7. To: SonOfLiberty (#6)
#10. To: randge (#7)
(Edited)
#17. To: SonOfLiberty (#10)
#19. To: randge, SonOfLiberty, Original_Intent, Wudidiz (#17)
#20. To: TwentyTwelve (#19)
#21. To: SonOfLiberty (#20)
Replies to Comment # 21.