The "Gutsy Call" Obama made wasn't to try to take out Osama bin Laden. Can you imagine any President of the Unites States failing to approve an operation to take out the man behind 9/11? Even super dove former President Jimmy Carter would have made that call. The "Gutsy" part of the operation was to send in the seals. The risk and rewards for this type operation were higher than just bombing the compound to smithereens. American soldiers lives were put at risk and there was much greater potential damage to our relationship with Pakistan. Conceivably, U.S. forces could have had to engage in combat with Pakistani military. Well, that is what we were led to believe. The truth may be former President Bush made a deal with Pakistan to allow just such a raid.
The deal was struck between the military leader General Pervez Musharraf and President George Bush after Bin Laden escaped US forces in the mountains of Tora Bora in late 2001, according to serving and retired Pakistani and US
“There was an agreement between Bush and Musharraf that if we knew where Osama was, we were going to come and get him,” said a former senior US official with knowledge of counterterrorism operations. “The Pakistanis would put up a hue and cry, but they wouldn’t stop us.”
officials.
Under its terms, Pakistan would allow US forces to conduct a unilateral raid inside Pakistan in search of Bin Laden, his deputy, Ayman al-Zawahiri, and the al-Qaida No3. Afterwards, both sides agreed, Pakistan would vociferously protest the incursion.
Didn't always agree with Bush, but he always did his best to keep our country safe. Sure miss his "gutsy" tactics.
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ReplyDeleteCertainly an agreement made by two men who are no longer presidents of their respective countries is not binding on the current presidents.
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