Saddam's Capture May Aid Bin Laden Search

U.S. military spokesman Lt. Col. Bryan Hilferty said the arrest would help American forces in their hunt for bin Laden.

"The fate of Saddam Hussein will increase the human intelligence the people here are already giving us as they help in the fight against the enemies of Afghanistan," he told AP from Bagram Air Base, U.S. military headquarters.

Officials say Sunday's images of a captured Saddam, looking tired with a wild, unkempt beard, might give pause to potential militants thinking of taking on the U.S.-led coalition here.

"A lot of what we see (in Afghanistan) is irrational and misguided," said German Lt. Gen. Goetz Gliemeroth, commander of a 5,500-strong international peacekeeping force that patrols the Afghan capital. "Whoever tends toward extremism might now think twice about it."

snip>

But on the streets of Kabul, there was a more ominous message from many ordinary Afghans.

"It's a black day," said Mohammed Sharif, a 20-year-old student from Kabul University. "Saddam was a great holy warrior in the Islamic world and a supporter of Islam."

Even some of Afghanistan's new Western-trained police said they were saddened to hear of the capture, despite the scenes of jubilant Iraqis celebrating Saddam's downfall.

"I don't want any Muslim to be captured by infidels," said Zulfiqar Jalali, a 27-year-old officer standing outside a police station on a traffic-congested Kabul street. "Saddam is an Iraqi and has the right to live freely in his country."

http://www.newsday.com/news/nationworld/wire/sns-ap-afghanistan-saddam,0,5471042.story?coll=sns-ap-nationworld-headlines

It runs from Manhatten to Brooklyn.

or alleged hunt

Maybe that might help capture Osama.

,...UNLESS,...they already know or have knowledge concerning Osama's whereabouts and are aiming to "look good" while inventing justification for assertions that Saddam had ties to 9/11. Know what I mean? Craftily generating propaganda. Interestingly, numerous conservative radio talk show hosts recently predicted that both Saddam and Osama would be "caught". Ironic, huh.

How on God's Green Earth does finding Saddam living in a craphole have to do with any success in locating Osama?

Somehow I think OBL is just a lot sharper than our boy in Baghdad ever was.

Just my guess.

grounds in texas, as some suspect (after all, maybe flying the bin ladens OUT of the country wasn't the real issue) then all the hunting in afghanistan isn't going to do any good.

how hard can it be to find a 6'6" elderly arab dragging around a dialysis machine out there in the boonies?

OBL ain't elderly (if he's alive). He is younger than me!

...and they found chat transcripts in which the two talked about boys, school, Justin Timberlake... :crazy:

What stooges! Saddam & Osama were mortal enemies! What makes Lt. Col. Bryan Hilferty think Saddam would have a clue about where Osama is? A 20-poster newbie on DU knows that, why don't you, Col. Hilferty?

Stooges!

(my apologies to 20-post newbies, and to any actual stooges who were offended by my remarks...)

Is if they put the resources wasted in the Saddam manhunt back onto the trail of real threats.

they started the OBL hunt in October 2001, then after a year and a half dropped that toy for Saddam, and in the meantime sqaundered the goodwill of the world. I don't see how they can renew the hunt now, especially when things will get very interesting in Iraq now.

eom

I didn't give a rat's ass about capturing Saddam

I saw an article in the Times today where a "senior administration" contact was asked about reallocating resources to find OBL. He said that was not a top priority at this time, that instead they'd hunt down the "insurgents" in Iraq. Yep, can't do with having people try to get us out of their own country. We are looting and raping it fair and square and they just better kneel down and take it!! Halliburton to the max!!

puke.

lark

Hilferty was told to make the connection. They should have told him to make one that makes sense.

that they took resources away from the hunt of Osama to go after Saddam?

does pursueing policy not in the interests of the US Citizenry reach a misdemeanor?

the indefensible Iraqi occupation has been taking up all our resources."

Osama and him were hanging out together, I'm suprised OBL wasn't in the same hole...they're gay lovers, aren't they?

to 'smoke-out' Saddam (which explains the discrepencies in the before and after shots - I believe they were saving this 'capture' for something closer to the elections).

Maybe we need a full week of Cheney's company raping the Iraq fund in the media and, lo and behold - here comes OBL!!!

Tut-tut

So much wishful thinking. This is pretty much what Rumsfeld said to Leslie Stahl on 60 Minutes last night. One of the new talking points seems to be that militants will be somehow humbled by seeing Saddam brought so low and will "think twice" about attacking U.S. troops. Yeah, I'm sure all the militants have forgotten the success they had with getting rid of the Soviets in Afghanistan. A few unflattering pictures of Saddam is all that will be needed to make them lay down their arms.