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So, we're fighting them in Iraq so we can fight them again in Afghanistan?

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    • Sun, 02/18/2007 - 11:00pm — lambert

    WTF:

    Senior leaders of Al Qaeda operating from Pakistan have re-established significant control over their once battered worldwide terror network and over the past year have set up a band of training camps in the tribal regions near the Afghan border, according to American intelligence and counterterrorism officials.

    But I thought that the Pakistanis were our friends?

    American officials said there was mounting evidence that Osama bin Laden and his deputy, Ayman al-Zawahri, had been steadily building an operations hub in the mountainous Pakistani tribal area of North Waziristan. Until recently, the Bush administration had described Mr. bin Laden and Mr. Zawahri as detached from their followers and cut off from operational control of Al Qaeda.

    “The chain of command has been re-established,” said one American government official, who said that the Qaeda “leadership command and control is robust.”

    Geez, the six-foot bearded guy pulling the kidney dialysis machine that Bush never could find is still in the game? I'd forgotten about him!

    The concern about a resurgent Al Qaeda has been the subject of intensive discussion at high levels of the Bush administration, the officials said, and has reignited debate about how to address Pakistan’s role as a haven for militants without undermining the government of Gen. Pervez Musharraf, the Pakistani president.

    Yeah, we'd really be fucked if some crazy Islamist types got nukes and then gave them to North Korea. Oh, wait...

    NOTE Of course, if "chaos is the plan," things are magnificently on track!

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    Comments

    Speaking of high friends in places...

    By xan (not verified) on Sun, 02/18/2007 - 11:28pm

    Josh is pulling together a little story nicely. Note the add on links his readers dug up:

    Yes, I would have thought this would have gotten a bit more attention.

    This blog points my attention to Friday story about Abdul Tawala Ibn Ali Alishtari, a reasonably large contributor to Republican congressional committees (more than $15,000 in the 2002 and 2004 campaign cycles). Alishtari was arrested on Thursday. And on Friday he was charged in federal court with attempting to secretly send $152,000 to Pakistan and Afghanistan to purchase equipment for terrorist training camps in Afghanistan.

    Late Update: Funny. TPM Reader B points out that the New York Post chose a rather different way of reporting this story. Their lede: "A Westchester businessman and purported peace activist was nabbed by the feds for allegedly plotting to funnel more than $150,000 to terrorists at training camps in Afghanistan and Pakistan."

    No mention of Republican ties. Let me know when they follow up ...

    Later Update: In fairness, the Daily News ran it pretty much the same way.

    Never too Late for this Story Update: Oh that's interesting. Cunning Realist found this CV purportedly posted by Mr. Alishtari. In addition to other GOP donor awards, Alishtari says that he was appointed to something called the "White House Business Advisory Committee" in 2003. And CR ends with this point, referencing Alishtari's CV: "Note the entrepreneurial business background with a focus on technology/security. Have any of those businesses ever received government contracts or funds? Any direct or indirect contact in the past with anyone from the Bush administration or Congress?"

    Story appears to have originated with CBS. If that thought that "Gee, Look How Swell Things Are in Iraqi Kurdistan! Makes the Whole Invasion Liberation Thing Look Almost Worthwhile Dunnit?" story on "60 Minutes" was going to make up for this, we need to prove them wrong ASAP.

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    IOKIYAR, Xan!

    By lambert on Sun, 02/18/2007 - 11:41pm

    Remember (accused) Chinese double agent and Republican fundraiser Katrina Leung? Half the stories never mentioned that she was a Republican, and then she was oh-so -conveniently freed through a mistrial.

    So, I'm sure this guy will get taken care of. His $15,000 wouldn't buy him very much, of course.

    No authoritarians were tortured in the writing of this post.

    —

    "First they ignore you, then they ridicule you, then they fight you, then you win." -- Mahatma Gandhi

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