IP: Smucker: Ace of Tora Bora

[David Farber <dave () farber net>]

> Date: Tue, 18 Dec 2001 14:55:30 -0800
> From: "Janos G." <janos451 () earthlink net>
> Subject: Smucker: Ace of Tora Bora
>
> For the glory of stringers everywhere, the best coverage of the war at this
> point comes from Philip Smucker, a Christian Science Monitor correspondent.
> (He did good work before from Yugoslavia for other publications.)
>
> While the Pentagon is at a loss to say where Osama is, Smucker put together
> some excellent sources and reported yesterday where he is likely to be
> (Parachinar, Pakistan), when he left (two weeks ago), and who helped him
> (Ghilzi tribesmen who got 400 Kalashnikovs in exchange, apparently unaware
> that the $25m US bounty is worth more).
>
> Today, Smucker has a great piece of scene-setting, including a convincing
> description of the relationship between US special forces (with tinted
> windshields), journalists (did anyone else report that British media paid
> $2,000 to get an advance look at those pitiful-looking 19 captured Al Quada
> fighters?) and the wheeling-dealing alliance soldiers ("whose love for hype
> and a great battle includes giggling uncontrollably at incoming rocket
> fire").
>
> Check Smucker's coverage at http://www.csmonitor.com/2001/1219/p1s1-wosc.html
>
> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~
> Janos Gereben/SF
> janos451 () earthlink net

I love the last paragraph in the report:

"At some stage, almost certainly Mullah Omar and Osama bin Laden will be 
caught or eliminated," says Heyman. "In the mean time, [bin Laden] will be 
protected and be running hard since he is so important to the anti-American 
movement. The US has built him up into an immense figurehead already in the 
Arab world. In truth, bin Laden is no more important to Al Qaeda than 
George Bush is the US."

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