Pakistan: US Blew Undercover Operation

[chuckhoward]

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/5626850/

msnbc staff
msn.com
August 7, 2004

Excerpt:

"The al-Qaida suspect named by U.S. officials as the source of information that led to this week’s terrorist alerts was working undercover, Pakistani intelligence sources said Friday, putting an end to the sting operation and forcing Pakistan to hide the man in a secret location.

Under pressure to justify the alerts in three Northeastern cities, U.S. officials confirmed a report by The New York Times that the man, Mohammad Naeem Noor Khan, was the source of the intelligence that led to the decision."


Blogger Juan Cole provides the analysis here:

http://www.juancole.com/2004_08_01_juancole_archive.html#109185597245383648

"Simon Cameron-Moore and Peter Graff of Reuters reveal the explosive information that the Bush administration blew the cover Monday of double agent Muhammad Naeem Noor Khan. On Sunday August 1, Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge announced a new alert against an al-Qaeda plot concerning fincial institutions in New York and Washington, DC.

Pressed for details by the New York Times, some Bush administration official revealed that the information came from a recently arrested man in Pakistan named "Khan." The New York Times published his name on Monday.

(snip)

In other words, the Bush administration just blew the cover of one of the most important assets inside al-Qaeda that the US has ever had."

Juan Cole
juancole.com
August 7, 2004

This is so much worse than the Valerie Plame outing. Essentially, "4 more years" has a higher priority with this administration than winning the war on terror. Teresa Heinz Kerry was right: "4 more years of hell."

[Kagemusha]

1. This story seems to be suffering from weekenditis.

Unless Reuters is forced to backtrack on this story though, it's big..

[liberalmuse]

2. Treasonous bastards!

Bush 'outed' the undercover agent to cover his own ass. So basically, Bush will sell out America and her allies (I don't believe Pakistan is what we want to call an 'ally') to save his paper thin, murderous skin. Hanging is too good for the Bushies.

[emad]

6. Check this:

In his latest gaffe, President George W Bush has appeared to suggest that his administration is forever thinking up ways of harming the US and its people. "Our enemies are innovative and resourceful - and so are we," the US president told a high-level meeting of Pentagon officials.

"They never stop thinking about new ways to harm our country and our people - and neither do we."

Edit:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=102&topic_id=732508&mesg_id=732508

[iconoclastic cat]

3. What idiots! A lot of people need to be fired, right up to Shrubby!

This story should not be lost. Keep it kicked. Write your congresscretins. Yell. Gossip. Do what DU does best: throw a hooley!

[UpInArms]

4. kicking it back up to the top

:kick:

[Lugnut]

5. Amazing!

This gang can't do a blessed thing right. :eyes:

[muriel_volestrangler]

7. dupe

of http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=102x732538

[Kadie]

8. Here is another link through Yahoo

Friday August 6, 8:31 PM

Pakistani in sting operation named by U.S. -paper

LONDON (Reuters) - A Pakistani computer expert linked to U.S. security alerts and the arrest of 12 terrorism suspects in Britain was part of an undercover sting operation before Washington revealed his name, a U.K. newspaper said on Friday.

The report raised suggestions that U.S. officials, determined to present a public justification for security alerts that caused widespread disruption in New York and other cities, may have jeopardised the British police swoop.

British police sources acknowledged that they were forced to mount the raids in which they arrested the 12 more hastily than planned, but denied a report that five suspects had escaped.

U.S. officials revealed the name of Mohammad Naeem Noor Khan in anonymous briefings with journalists to justify the "orange alert" that led to some of the most disruptive anti-terrorism tactics since the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks.

more...
http://in.news.yahoo.com/040806/137/2fdm8.html

[Moderator]

9. Duplicate

Please add any new links to the older thread, if they are not already there.

Here: http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=102x732538