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'It took the shock of 9/11 to put the possibility of an invasion of Afghanistan forward as a practical option'
by Zaki Khalid
[Terminal X Special Report]
A retired US official who worked at the Pentagon says that US forces planned to enter Afghanistan with boots on the ground long before 9/11, an event which proved merely as a catalyst.
Walter Becker Slocombe served for seven years as Undersecretary of Defence for Policy between 1994 and 2001 and later, Senior Advisor on security for the Coalition Provisional Authority (Baghdad) in 2003. He started his career in American security affairs in 1969 when he joined the US National Security Council.
The revelation mentioned at the beginning of this report is not new; rather, it is one of the many brief revelations which form part of a top secret interview conducted by DoD officials on December 19, 2003 and which was only just recently declassified.
The 9-page Memorandum categorized MFR 04017363 has a lot to offer regarding the aftermath of the attack on US forces in Khobar, Saudi Arabia (in 1998, which were allegedly carried out by Osama bin Laden) and the pretext that led to US forces invading Afghanistan, plans of which were in consideration quite before the dreadful 9/11 incident.
Slocombe revealed that US forces were considering a special operations forces raid in Afghanistan in 1998 after the Khobar attacks and in this regard, the US military had mobilized all its naval assets including TLAMs (Tomahawk Land Attack Missiles) within range of pinpointed targets in Afghanistan.
He says that intelligence related to OBL's whereabouts were at most times disputed which would not prove sufficient for justifying an attack on the country. Hence, Slocombe adds, 'it took the shock of 9/11 to put the possibility of an invasion of Afghanistan forward as a practical option'.
"To invade a country", Slocombe reveals, "it takes two-three divisions and $10 billion".
He added that getting support from a recently established military government in Pakistan was tough. Furthermore, no Central Asian state was willing to ally itself with the US in an invasion of Afghanistan.
These remarks put into question the US strategic policies for the CENTCOM region and will put Pentagon officials in the hot-seat once again, since it clearly indicates that 9/11 proved merely as a catalyst for an American military attack on Afghanistan, it's geopolitical plans were already formulated years ago. The question arises: Why?
Photo above shows a Delta Force bodyguard standing besides Walter B. Slocombe to the left in Bosnia. Source: americanspecialops.com
Read more: Retired US official: American forces planned Afghanistan invasion in 1998, 9/11 was merely catalyst | Terminal X
@Kaan
by Zaki Khalid
[Terminal X Special Report]
A retired US official who worked at the Pentagon says that US forces planned to enter Afghanistan with boots on the ground long before 9/11, an event which proved merely as a catalyst.
Walter Becker Slocombe served for seven years as Undersecretary of Defence for Policy between 1994 and 2001 and later, Senior Advisor on security for the Coalition Provisional Authority (Baghdad) in 2003. He started his career in American security affairs in 1969 when he joined the US National Security Council.
The revelation mentioned at the beginning of this report is not new; rather, it is one of the many brief revelations which form part of a top secret interview conducted by DoD officials on December 19, 2003 and which was only just recently declassified.
The 9-page Memorandum categorized MFR 04017363 has a lot to offer regarding the aftermath of the attack on US forces in Khobar, Saudi Arabia (in 1998, which were allegedly carried out by Osama bin Laden) and the pretext that led to US forces invading Afghanistan, plans of which were in consideration quite before the dreadful 9/11 incident.
Slocombe revealed that US forces were considering a special operations forces raid in Afghanistan in 1998 after the Khobar attacks and in this regard, the US military had mobilized all its naval assets including TLAMs (Tomahawk Land Attack Missiles) within range of pinpointed targets in Afghanistan.
He says that intelligence related to OBL's whereabouts were at most times disputed which would not prove sufficient for justifying an attack on the country. Hence, Slocombe adds, 'it took the shock of 9/11 to put the possibility of an invasion of Afghanistan forward as a practical option'.
"To invade a country", Slocombe reveals, "it takes two-three divisions and $10 billion".
He added that getting support from a recently established military government in Pakistan was tough. Furthermore, no Central Asian state was willing to ally itself with the US in an invasion of Afghanistan.
These remarks put into question the US strategic policies for the CENTCOM region and will put Pentagon officials in the hot-seat once again, since it clearly indicates that 9/11 proved merely as a catalyst for an American military attack on Afghanistan, it's geopolitical plans were already formulated years ago. The question arises: Why?
Photo above shows a Delta Force bodyguard standing besides Walter B. Slocombe to the left in Bosnia. Source: americanspecialops.com
Read more: Retired US official: American forces planned Afghanistan invasion in 1998, 9/11 was merely catalyst | Terminal X
@Kaan
