Pentagon Says a Covert Force Hunts Hussein

[ForestsBeatBushes]

By THOM SHANKER and ERIC SCHMITT
Published: November 7, 2003


The top American military commander for the Middle East has created a covert commando force to hunt Saddam Hussein, Osama bin Laden and key terrorists throughout the region, according to Pentagon and military officials.

The new Special Operations organization is designed to act with greater speed on intelligence tips about "high-value targets" and not be contained within the borders where American conventional forces are operating in Iraq and Afghanistan.

and continue:

http://www.nytimes.com/2003/11/07/international/middleeast/07SADD.html?th

[MSchreader]

1. Two years

And tens of thousands of lives too late.

Martin

[Man_in_the_Moon]

2. hmm, interesting

not be contained within the borders where American conventional forces are operating in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Wonder if this means what I think it means?

That this 'covert force' will ignore borders (such as the ones with Pakistan, Syria, and Iran)?

Bet these guys are going to be doing snatch and grabs all over the place.

[dArKeR]

3. I don't believe this force goes anywhere except the main streets

and there very reluctantly.

[fshrink]

4. Such a force

has of course been there all along, and probably well before. The move is to instill the idea that the misgovernment has something akin to an initiative. That's a buying-time tactic, which means "we haven't started yet so that's why we haven't got anything yet".
This is also, basically, the only type of things that a misgovernment can do: buying time while cashing in.