oops: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A52673-2004Oct21.html
On Thu, 28 Oct 2004 11:19:32 -0500, Gruss Gott <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > Sam wrote: > > Tommy Franks said they never reduced the troops in > > Afghanistan they more then tripled them since the Iraq > > war. > > I'm not sure that's accurate. From the Washington Post: > > [A meeting in March 2002 began] a year-long drawdown of specialized > military and intelligence resources from the geographic center of > combat with Osama bin Laden. As jihadist enemies reorganized, slipping > back and forth from Pakistan and Iran, the CIA closed forward bases in > the cities of Herat, Mazar-e Sharif and Kandahar. The agency put off > an $80 million plan to train and equip a friendly intelligence service > for the new U.S.-installed Afghan government. Replacements did not > keep pace with departures as case officers finished six-week tours. > And Task Force 5 -- a covert commando team that led the hunt for bin > Laden and his lieutenants in the border region -- lost more than > two-thirds of its fighting strength. > > The commandos, their high-tech surveillance equipment and other assets > would instead surge toward Iraq through 2002 and early 2003, as > President Bush prepared for the March invasion[.] > > [SNIP] > > The contention that the Iraq invasion was an unwise diversion in > confronting terrorism has been central to Kerry's critique of Bush's > performance. But this account -- drawn largely from interviews with > those who have helped manage Bush's offensive -- shows how the debate > over that question has echoed within the ranks of the administration > as well, even among those who support much of the president's agenda. > > > > > http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A52673-2004Oct21.html > ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~| Purchase from House of Fusion, a Macromedia Authorized Affiliate and support the CF community. http://www.houseoffusion.com/banners/view.cfm?bannerid=36 Message: http://www.houseoffusion.com/lists.cfm/link=i:5:133207 Archives: http://www.houseoffusion.com/cf_lists/threads.cfm/5 Subscription: http://www.houseoffusion.com/lists.cfm/link=s:5 Unsubscribe: http://www.houseoffusion.com/cf_lists/unsubscribe.cfm?user=89.70.5 Donations & Support: http://www.houseoffusion.com/tiny.cfm/54
