Comments on: How Small Raids Net Big Gains

By: Buk

Buk — Fri, 29 Jan 2010 08:12:44 +0000

Sounds too good to be true. I think it’s propaganda. Why would 7 people be responsible for that much information on a world wide scale? If it contained that much information why not the whereabouts of Bin Laden or the means to contact him? Why would you even place those 7 people inside the war zone? If AQ set up a headquarters of operations wouldn’t they put it where the military wasn’t likely to find it, like Iran?

By: Wembley

Wembley — Sun, 14 Oct 2007 11:25:35 +0000

Curious how much they concentrate on AQ in Iraq when they’re only about 5% of the insurgent problem.
Maybe it looks better to push the ‘foreign agitator angle’ — or maybe someone has tunnel vision.

By: demophilus

demophilus — Fri, 12 Oct 2007 05:03:40 +0000

@Patvann:
Are you pissing on everyone here, or anyone in particular? Or, do you just need to piss? If so, take it outside, behind a dumpster, like a man.
FTR, summer soldiers and sunshine patriots make a better impression when they can spell.
I mean, I read a lot of stupid knee jerk liberal AND reactionary bullsh$t here, and elsewhere on teh Internets, but I can hack it. Once upon a time, I took an oath to protect the Constitution, including the First Amendment. I can take the noise to protect the signal, thank you very much.
If you can’t hack free speech, move to North Korea, or China, or Iran. If you have something cogent to say about the article, sober up and say it. Otherwise, STFUAGBTW.

By: PorcupineTree

PorcupineTree — Fri, 12 Oct 2007 02:29:23 +0000

This article is rediculous, why on earth would we ever announce we have credible intel? Why are no other news services carrying this story…BBC network news and cable news have nothing. OTH it sure would be nice to get a break if it were true, but I cant beleive our armed forces would be so stupid as to disclose it.

By: Juan

Juan — Fri, 12 Oct 2007 02:25:58 +0000

I can’t imagine this is the sort of thing that would be easy to keep secret.
Mohammed: Hey, you remember how Ali had all those passport numbers, addresses, and transport routes on a computer?
Yasef: Yeah, what about it?
Mohammed: What happened to that guy?
Yasef: No idea.
I’m pretty sure they figured that one out pretty quickly.

By: Jamie

Jamie — Fri, 12 Oct 2007 00:16:37 +0000

Maybe they gleaned the needed information out of the op and acted on it. Therefore thought the value of the message was important and the terrotist know that their network was compromised or that particular cell so keeping it secret no longer mattered that we also know that the generally the level of bombing has significantly dropped off in Iraq.

By: Patvann

Patvann — Thu, 11 Oct 2007 23:11:21 +0000

Looks as though the BDS-suffering cheerleaders for AQ are well represented within the comments section…Waiting under the rocks, to emerge and diminish any and all good news from the front.
It’s been a few days kiddy’s, how about asking Mommy for more Cheetoe’s and some clean underware (not to mention taking a shower) before the next round of news, cuz ya’ll kinda smell like Che.

By: demophilus

demophilus — Thu, 11 Oct 2007 19:15:10 +0000

Maintaining fake files is counterintelligence SOP. Some of the 800 names might be for real; others may not be. There may be a key pad or notation for or in the list that would tell a user who was for real, or not.
In that scenario, it would behoove our guys to announce that they had the list, and believed it.
Apart from that, maybe the list was encrypted, and they haven’t cracked all of it, yet. I’m under the impression that when you force someone to change codes or security arrangements, it makes it easier to compromise both the next, and the last.
Apart from that, I’m under the impression that sometimes it’s easier to deconstruct or take down a network after you shake it up a little, watch the links and nodes readjust.
The passport number stuff is interesting. It might show that they weren’t too sure about some of the recruits, and needed to track and vet them. Might also show that they have a line to immigration and border control databases in some states — that would let them cross reference hard passport stamps and actual entry/exit records.
Hard to say what’s for real, when you read something like this. “Bodyguard of lies”, and all that.

By: txzen

txzen — Thu, 11 Oct 2007 18:25:50 +0000

I can actually see that they might keep track so this stuff, it would make working forgeries easier to make, you know wich passports and ID numbers worked then someone dies and you have all their information to give to the forger to make a new passport with a new picture. They want people that can travel freely from say Iraq to Iran for training. I can see having this infrormation would be important to an organized crime group. Maybe even hold the passports so the fighters can’t leave until you let them. But yeah speaking to propoganda I saw a shift in the number and “quality” of videos released since petraus took over. I think the shift was from winnin the hearts and minds of Iraq, wich meant no videos of people being killed, to winning the support for a war where they show the might of the US military more and the successful operations.

By: fred

fred — Thu, 11 Oct 2007 18:16:46 +0000

This is nothing more than propoganda — you people need to stop drinking the kool-aid..