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**anfuckinggs** · 11-05-2010, 03:45 AM

In August 1998 after a series of Al Qaeda terrorist attacks the US had actionable intelligence regarding UBL's wherabouts and decided to take him out. So the US targeted UBL and AQ training camps in Afghanistan with tomahawks launched from the USS Enterprise which was in the Indian ocean at the time. But these had to overfly Pakistan.

Considering the tensions between India and Pakistan, the worst case scenario was that if Pakistan happened to detect missiles in it's airspace, they might have misconstrued it as an incomming nuclear attack from India, and retaliate in kind. And I think we all know what a disaster an all out nuclear war between India and Pakistan would be.

So to avoid this nightmare scanario, the US notified Pakistan that we were launching missiles over their country and into Afghanistan. And it is very likely that somone from the ISI called UBL on his SAT phone and warned him, so by the time those missiles got to their destination UBL and his entourage were long gone. Bottom line...mission failed.

Perhaps using ICBM's with conventional warheads would have been more effective because they wouldn't have had to overfly Pakistan.

Just a thought.

11-05-2010, 03:45 AM	#31
anfuckinggs Join Date Oct 2005 Posts 738 Senior Member	In August 1998 after a series of Al Qaeda terrorist attacks the US had actionable intelligence regarding UBL's wherabouts and decided to take him out. So the US targeted UBL and AQ training camps in Afghanistan with tomahawks launched from the USS Enterprise which was in the Indian ocean at the time. But these had to overfly Pakistan. Considering the tensions between India and Pakistan, the worst case scenario was that if Pakistan happened to detect missiles in it's airspace, they might have misconstrued it as an incomming nuclear attack from India, and retaliate in kind. And I think we all know what a disaster an all out nuclear war between India and Pakistan would be. So to avoid this nightmare scanario, the US notified Pakistan that we were launching missiles over their country and into Afghanistan. And it is very likely that somone from the ISI called UBL on his SAT phone and warned him, so by the time those missiles got to their destination UBL and his entourage were long gone. Bottom line...mission failed. Perhaps using ICBM's with conventional warheads would have been more effective because they wouldn't have had to overfly Pakistan. Just a thought.
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