Abid Ullah Jan has given a detailed account of Al Qaida. Here is some of it to share:
MOST of us believe that the war on Afghanistan was not only a tremendous success, but also perfectly legitimate. Victory was achieved quickly. The Taliban government was overthrown and Al-Qaeda a non-entity before 9/11 was dispersed. “Radical Islamists” in neighboring Pakistan accepted it as a defeat and seemed demoralized. After the fact, some scoffed at the backwardness and weakness of the Taliban. Above all everyone has now accepted that the invasion and occupation of Afghanistan is the result of the 9/11 attacks in New York and the Taliban’s “harboring terrorists.” The events of 9/11 generated worldwide sympathy for the United States Almost all heads of state sent condolences and pledged assistance in hunting down the alleged perpetrators. The Bush administration, sensing the excellent opportunity, seemed happy to feign consulting widely for extra support for the preplanned war on Afghanistan. Without any real investigations and confirmation of the instant allegation, the U.N. Security Council unanimously passed a resolution requiring all member countries to pursue “terrorists” and the financial systems supporting them.
NATO invoked Article 5 of its Charter, declaring 9/11 as an attack on all nineteen NATO states. The Organization of American States followed suit. Few if any states were to reject requests for assistance from the United States over the following months. We will assess the legal value of these developments in chapter 6 of this book. Suffice it to mention here that 9/11 generated enormous sympathy for the United States.
As a result, the Bush administration immediately identified Osama bin Laden and the least known organization by the name of Al-Qaeda as the culprits. Interestingly, Three days before President Bush’s inauguration, Colin Powell at his confirmation hearing discussed for the first time his priorities as the nation’s new secretary of state. He spoke on 20 topics—from China and the Balkans to U.N. sanctions and Iraq. He never mentioned the Al-Qaeda “terrorist group.” Similarly, Tony Karon’s exclusive report in Time magazine, Bin Laden Rides Again: Myth vs. Reality, was published just two months before 9/11, but despite detailing the hype surrounding Osama bin Laden, the report made no mention of an Al-Qaeda “terrorist network.” In the heat of 9/11, the Taliban were also declared guilty by association. Bush said, he wanted Osama “dead or alive,” and though many found this primitive, very few could understand the desire for vengeance. It is interesting that until 9/11, Bush was very much a lame duck president, the butt of jokes, and under attack for the way his election depended on fraud (later proven) in Florida. By starting a war, he united his country behind him. The events of 9/11 not only saved his presidency but also helped in his re-election.
On September 15, 2001, Bush gave the Taliban an ultimatum: hand over Osama and close his camps, or face the consequences. Afghanistan’s Grand Islamic Council did recommend that head of state Mullah Mohammad Omar persuade Osama to leave, and United States and British politicians, as well as the opposition Northern Alliance within Afghanistan, repeatedly said that there are signs of splits within the Taliban.
On September 18, 2001, the Foreign Minister said it might extradite Osama if the United States provided “solid and convincing” evidence of his involvement in terrorism. Having no evidence, not even a shred of it, Bush told Congress, “There will
be no negotiations or discussions. . . there’s no need to discuss innocence or guilt . . we know he’s guilty.”
Page 13-15
A f g h a n i s t a n : T h e G e n e s i s o f t h e F i n a l C r u s a d e
By Abid Ullah Jan
Posted 2 years ago on 24 Jan 2010 18:22
# 
