French troops had bin Laden in sights: documentary

[R-MOD]Saobh · 12-21-2006, 12:57 PM

Quote:

By Francois Murphy Tue Dec 19, 1:55 PM ET

PARIS (Reuters) - A documentary says French special forces had
Osama bin Laden in their sights twice about three years ago but their U.S. superiors never ordered them to fire.
PUBLICIDAD

The French military, however, said that the incidents never happened and the report was "erroneous information."

The documentary, due to air next year and seen by Reuters on Tuesday, says the troops could have killed the al Qaeda leader in
Afghanistan but the order to shoot never came, possibly because it took too long to request it.

"In 2003 and 2004 we had bin Laden in our sights. The sniper said 'I have bin Laden'," an anonymous French soldier is quoted as saying.

The documentary 'Bin Laden, the failings of a manhunt' is by journalists Emmanuel Razavi and Eric de Lavarene, who have worked for several major French media outlets in Afghanistan. A cable television channel plans to air the documentary in March.

Razavi said the soldier told them it took roughly two hours for the request to reach the U.S. officers who could authorize it but the anonymous man is also quoted in the documentary as saying: "There was a hesitation in command."

Razavi told Reuters several sources told them the sightings were six months apart and they declined to be more specific.

French armed forces spokesman Christophe Prazuck said "that never happened" when asked about the bin Laden sightings.

Bin Laden, the mastermind behind the September 11 attacks on the World Trade Center and the
Pentagon, is believed to be hiding in the mountains along the Afghanistan-Pakistan border.

France has roughly 200 elite troops operating under U.S. command near Afghanistan's border with Pakistan. Paris announced on Sunday it was withdrawing them at the start of 2007.

France is part of the 32,000-strong
NATO-led International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan, which took over command of a war against the Taliban from U.S.-led forces in October and has launched a series of military offensives.

Its special forces were deployed in 2003 to bolster Operation Enduring Freedom, a U.S.-led campaign against the Taliban and al Qaeda in response to the September 11 attacks.

Afghans questioned in the documentary said they believed the United States was not interested in finding bin Laden, despite the $25 million price Washington has placed on his head.

The documentary stopped short of that conclusion but raised questions about the U.S. hunt for bin Laden, such as whether Washington is more concerned about preserving stability in Pakistan, where many support bin Laden, than in finding him.

In September,
President Bush dismissed as an "urban myth" the idea his administration had become distracted from its effort to track down bin Laden.

source:French troops had bin Laden in sights: documentary

a bit more info in this here (in french)

website of the news agency producing the documentary.

$kelet0r · 12-21-2006, 01:05 PM

i'm not really suprised - we more or less knew this back in 2003 when Iraq was invaded for no reason

X3DChris · 12-21-2006, 01:10 PM

Lets not also forget who backed this guy Binladin for years in the eight's he was created by the CIA.

O.D.A. SNAKE-EATER · 12-21-2006, 07:53 PM

never happened

[R-MOD]dunehunter · 12-21-2006, 08:56 PM

I'm no French spec-ops sniper, but if I had a guy in my sights, for who I would get 25 million dollars for shooting, and who just so happened to be a terrorist responsible for thousands of deaths, I would probably take the shot.

BrokenArrow · 12-21-2006, 10:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dunehunter

I'm no French spec-ops sniper, but if I had a guy in my sights, for who I would get 25 million dollars for shooting, and who just so happened to be a terrorist responsible for thousands of deaths, I would probably take the shot.

I don't think members of the military of any nation are eligable for the reward.

Kitoro · 12-21-2006, 10:58 PM

They had to call the pentagon and the pentagon called the administration and the administration had to call the laden family: after 2 hours went up, bin laden went to bed with his pony.

Darkpowder · 12-22-2006, 07:50 AM

I heard it was british troops

Wraith · 12-22-2006, 10:45 AM

I heard it was fucking alians that beamed him up then gave him a new face and that is who is currently running iraq....

BTW, nice to see you about saobh

~~ArmedDrunk&Angry~~ · 12-22-2006, 10:48 AM

Were those the same aliens that killed Nicole Brown Simpson ?
They are very busy.

12-21-2006, 01:10 PM	#3
X3DChris Join Date: Aug 2006 Posts: 424	Lets not also forget who backed this guy Binladin for years in the eight's he was created by the CIA.
X3DChris Join Date: Aug 2006 Posts: 424	. Go Ron Paul http://video.google.com/videoplay?do...arch&plindex=0

12-21-2006, 07:53 PM	#4
O.D.A. SNAKE-EATER Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: FOB NUNYA Posts: 235	never happened
	My life is simple, my food is plain, and my quarters are uncluttered. In all things, I have sought clarity. I face the troubles and problems of life and death willingly. Virtue, integrity and courage are my priorities. I can be approached, but never pushed; befriended but never coerced; killed but never shamed. Admiral Yi Sun Shin --- 1545-1598

12-21-2006, 10:58 PM	#7
Kitoro Join Date: Mar 2006 Posts: 124	They had to call the pentagon and the pentagon called the administration and the administration had to call the laden family: after 2 hours went up, bin laden went to bed with his pony.
Kitoro Join Date: Mar 2006 Posts: 124

12-22-2006, 07:50 AM	#8
Darkpowder PR Beta Testing Team Member Join Date: Aug 2006 United Kingdom Location: UK Posts: 1,009	I heard it was british troops
	CLICK -> Communications and VOIP Guide for PR "They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old. Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn. At the going down of the sun and in the morning, We will remember them"

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12-21-2006, 01:05 PM	#2
$kelet0r Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Dublin, Ireland Posts: 1,298	i'm not really suprised - we more or less knew this back in 2003 when Iraq was invaded for no reason

12-21-2006, 08:56 PM	#5
[R-MOD]dunehunter Forum Moderator Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Belgium Posts: 5,212	I'm no French spec-ops sniper, but if I had a guy in my sights, for who I would get 25 million dollars for shooting, and who just so happened to be a terrorist responsible for thousands of deaths, I would probably take the shot.

12-22-2006, 10:45 AM	#9
Wraith Retired PR Developer Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Eugene, OR Posts: 1,739	I heard it was fucking alians that beamed him up then gave him a new face and that is who is currently running iraq.... BTW, nice to see you about saobh

12-22-2006, 10:48 AM	#10
~~ArmedDrunk&Angry~~ Banned Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Long Island Posts: 6,971	Were those the same aliens that killed Nicole Brown Simpson ? They are very busy.

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