Post by jerseyhoya34 on Aug 9, 2004 20:13:40 GMT -5
Lacking the capture of Ayman Al-Zawahiri or Osama Bin Laden that the Bush Administration asked to coincide with the Dem Convention, they instead announced the capture of another terrorist and raised the alert level based on stale information. To later justify the change of alert, they released the name of Muhammad Naeem Noor Khan, who was also "captured" and served as a double agent who was able to infiltrate al-Qaeda for Pakistan's benefit.
More importantly, confidentiality would have preserved some existing operations that may have led to bin Laden's capture.
"And the Pakistani interior minister, Faisal Hayat, as well as the British home secretary, David Blunkett, have expressed displeasure in fairly severe terms that Khan's name was released, because they were trying to track down other contacts of his.
And I've actually sent a letter today to Frances Townsend, the president's national security advisor, asking for an explanation here.
You read so much in the newspaper that seems to be contemporaneous with what's happening, and sometimes you scratch your head and wonder, are we giving away information that might compromise our ability to get the terrorists?
Hayat, the Pakistani interior minister, actually said maybe if Khan's name hadn't been released it might have resulted in getting bin Laden himself." (www.juancole.com/2004_08_01_juancole_archive.html#109198359051366237)
Some have called this a serious foreign relations blunder considering these facts. I am not quite sure what "benefit" the release of his name served other than to take Kerry out of the weekend news.
More importantly, confidentiality would have preserved some existing operations that may have led to bin Laden's capture.
"And the Pakistani interior minister, Faisal Hayat, as well as the British home secretary, David Blunkett, have expressed displeasure in fairly severe terms that Khan's name was released, because they were trying to track down other contacts of his.
And I've actually sent a letter today to Frances Townsend, the president's national security advisor, asking for an explanation here.
You read so much in the newspaper that seems to be contemporaneous with what's happening, and sometimes you scratch your head and wonder, are we giving away information that might compromise our ability to get the terrorists?
Hayat, the Pakistani interior minister, actually said maybe if Khan's name hadn't been released it might have resulted in getting bin Laden himself." (www.juancole.com/2004_08_01_juancole_archive.html#109198359051366237)
Some have called this a serious foreign relations blunder considering these facts. I am not quite sure what "benefit" the release of his name served other than to take Kerry out of the weekend news.