The Hunt for Bin Laden
When I read this lengthy account of the battles in Korengal Valley, Afghanistan, several thoughts crossed my mind. What an ordeal for the soldiers. What a courageous reporter. And considering what they endure and the casualties, why the hell is this valley so important?
Googling around, I found a year older story, when things looked more promising there. The map shows its strategic importance, just across the Pakistan border where Bin Laden and al-Zawahiri are thought to be dug in.
Consider it like a perimeter moat, the front line of the Taliban and Al Qaida defenses. Only by air can it be breached as yet, and the air strikes do not get to the targets - maybe 100 miles further in - without numerous natural features in the way, including thousands of civilians. So the ground fight wears on. Progress is hard to measure.
From there, there’s an award winning photographer. His 11 picture slideshow provides more perspective. In #6 you’ll see Dan Kearney, the lead character in the NY Times link above. In #10 you can get a grasp of the rough steep terrain they struggle to conquer. It seems 1,000 troops are needed to cover so much turf. So the stalemate continues, undermanned.
ABC did a documentary on this. It even shows some of the same folks in the first link above. Including some who were wounded or died. The four videos below help emphasize and illustrate the long story that began my post.
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It all underscores how hard it is to get through to Al Qaida’s leaders. And you still have to wonder if there isn’t a better way.
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