CIA Chief: Bin Laden Alive, Worried About 'Own Security'

saltwn · #1 (**permalink**) 11-13-2008, 11:15 PM

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Osama bin Laden is alive and "putting a lot of energy into his own security," the director of the CIA, General Michael Hayden, said today.

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"American and its friends have taken the fight to the enemy," Gen. Hayden said in a broad roundup of efforts to fight al Qaeda.

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"He appears to be largely isolated from the day-to-day operations of the organization he leads," Hayden said in a speech delivered to the Atlantic Council in Washington.

Hayden said the failure to kill or capture bin Laden in the seven years since the 9/11 attacks, could be explained by the "rugged and inaccessible" terrain of the Afghanistan-Pakistan border area and "the fact that bin Laden has worked to avoid detection."

The CIA director provided no other details but it was the first public indication of the intelligence agency's growing effort to narrow the focus of the search for bin Laden and other top terror leaders.

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"The truth is, we simply don't know what would happen if bin Laden is killed or captured, but I'm willing to bet that it would work in our favor," Hayden said.

The good news of success in Iraq against al Qaeda was measured against the terror group's alarming growth in North and East Africa and Yemen, he said in his remarks.

Hayden also took a question about his political future as the head of the agency in an Obama administration after his speech to the Atlantic Council. Hayden said, "I'll let Adm. McConnell, speak for himself…we serve at the pleasure of the President…This is a decision for the President…If asked to stay I would strongly consider it." MORE HERE

Wonder if bounty is a factor? Put some dough out there and stir up a whole nest of Ladens

hussein · #2 (**permalink**) 11-13-2008, 11:34 PM

There's already a $50 million bounty on Bin Laden's head, I believe.

Spencer Collins · #3 (**permalink**) 11-14-2008, 03:39 AM

CIA head says bin Laden isolated, fighting to survive

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WASHINGTON (CNN) -- U.S. intelligence agencies believe Osama bin Laden is isolated from al Qaeda and spending much of his energy merely surviving, the head of the CIA said on Thursday.

CIA Director Michael Hayden said hunting down bin Laden remains his agency's priority.

"He is putting a lot of energy into his own survival -- a lot of energy into his own security," Hayden said in a speech at the Atlantic Council in Washington.

"In fact, he appears to be largely isolated from the day-to-day operations of the organization he nominally heads," he said.

In recent weeks, there have been several U.S. missile strikes by unmanned drones around the Afghanistan-Pakistan border.

The United States maintains that Taliban and al Qaeda forces operate with relative impunity in tribal areas along Pakistan's border with Afghanistan and use those areas as staging grounds to attack U.S. forces and their allies inside Afghanistan.

Hayden said al Qaeda has been hurt by a sustained fight with the United States and its allies, but remains a threat.

"Al Qaeda has suffered serious setbacks, but it remains a determined, adaptive enemy unlike any our nation has ever faced," Hayden said. "The war is far from over."

Regardless of whether bin Laden is actively helping lead the terrorist organization, the CIA believes capturing or killing him would be a huge blow to al Qaeda, according to Hayden.

"This is an organization that has never been through a change at the top," he said. "For 20 years, bin Laden has been the visionary, the inspiration or harmonizing force behind al Qaeda."

Hayden said it remained to be seen whether bin Laden's deputy, Ayman al-Zawahiri, could maintain unity in the ranks without him.

"The truth is, we simply don't know what would happen if bin Laden is killed or captured. But I'm willing to bet that whatever happens, it would work in our favor," Hayden said

CIA head says bin Laden isolated, fighting to survive - CNN.com

Osama...your days are numbered!

cnredd · #4 (**permalink**) 11-14-2008, 04:36 AM

So his situation is exactly how I mentioned last week...

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Originally Posted by cnredd

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Originally Posted by Mikeyy

I don't know. And you don't know. And like I said. What would McCain do. I can tell you this. If we are attacked by Osama Obama won't let up until he gets him. What did your guy do?

Cage him to a point where all we've gotten from him in the last 5 years is taped messages and no shot at being portrayed as a martyr...

Mikeyy · #5 (**permalink**) 11-14-2008, 07:15 AM

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Originally Posted by cnredd

So his situation is exactly how I mentioned last week...

Hayden has been wrong before. And he has no evidence where OBL is. Why would you rely on a half baked editorial comment. If he had any idea about the whereabouts of OBL he would act. Hayden is full of crap.

Mikeyy · #6 (**permalink**) 11-14-2008, 08:38 AM

Hayden is a strange man. I don't trust him. I like Richard Clarke. Hayden likes his role too much

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