Osama Wants Peace

Al-Qaeda talking truce with US

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20060119/ts_nm/security_qaeda_dc
Here's an unexpected turn of events. He claims that despite al-Qaeda's preparations for fresh US attacks, he wants to sue for peace. He claims that he's got several projects underway and the only way we can prevent them from happening is to accede to bin Laden's demands. He claims that he doesn't want to fight any more, but can we take it at face value?

From Yahoo News:
Osama bin Laden warned that al Qaeda was preparing new attacks inside the United States, but said the group was open to a conditional truce with Americans, according to an audio tape attributed to him on Thursday.



"The operations are under preparation and you will see them in your houses as soon as they are complete, God willing," said the speaker on the audio tape, who sounded like bin Laden.

In the tape, broadcast by al Jazeera television, bin Laden said al Qaeda was willing to respond to public U.S. opinion in favor of withdrawing troops from Iraq.

"We have no objection to responding to this with a long term truce based on fair conditions."

It was not immediately known when the tape was recorded. A U.S. counterterrorism official said U.S. intelligence was assessing the tape in an effort to determine its authenticity.

Bin Laden issued an audio tape in April 2004 in which he also offered a truce -- on that occasion to Europe, but not to the United States. Analysts saw the move at the time as an attempt to drive a wedge between the United States and its allies and to scare wavering coalition members out of Iraq.

Bin Laden's last audio tape was in December 2004. The interval between then and now was by far his longest public silence since the September 11 attacks on the United States in 2001.


Wow, what a shocker. It's a surprising turn of events and an intriguing offer. But not believable. "Death to Americans" has been their rallying cry for so long. Why is it suddenly "live and let live"?
18,140 views 66 replies
Reply #1 Top
forum bump to get the word out!
Reply #2 Top
Liberals say.....let's go for the truce.

It worked for Spain, right?
Reply #3 Top
Why is it suddenly "live and let live"?


Heh, every fight I've ever been in you can tell your winning when the other guy says "let's call it square and be friends." Sounds like they can see their on the ropes to me...
Reply #4 Top
I think he thinks he can trick us. Wasn't Al Qaeda's whole call to war against us that they would force all to convert to Islam or die? Hmm, I don't imagine they changed their minds on that. Coming from the "I want to learn how to fly and not land" people, I don't trust a thing they say except when they say "death to all Americans".
Reply #5 Top
Heh, every fight I've ever been in you can tell your winning when the other guy says "let's call it square and be friends." Sounds like they can see their on the ropes to me...

This is what I'm wary about: what changed? Are we actually winning, despite the media's attempts to downplay successes and victories? Are our precision-guided munitions hitting with precision?

Or is this an attempt to play to anti-war leanings within the United States? Play up to our weaknesses rather than conquer our strengths...
Reply #6 Top
I think it is both singrdave. The former due to the latter.
Reply #7 Top
Tell him that American troops will stay in Iraq as long as Iraqis want American troops to stay, perhaps longer, but not shorter.

Propose that he withdraw HIS troops, which the Iraqis do not want anyway.

Reply #8 Top
Bin Laden made a similar offer to Europe in 2004. He doesn't want peace, he knows it will be rejected, as the Europeans did.

Its a propaganda move, if more attacks happen, they will say 'Well we offered a truce and you turned us down... WARMONGERS!'

Its all bollocks.
Reply #9 Top

they will say 'Well we offered a truce and you turned us down... WARMONGERS!'


I hope the US replies with a similar offer.

Terms:

1. Stop killing Muslims.

2. Stop killing non-Muslims.

3. Withdraw your troops from Iraq.

4. Withdraw your troops from Afghanistan.

And while it is diplomatically impossible, I would love them to add:

5. We have no problems with your troops being in Saudi Arabia and have withdrawn our own troops as you requested.
Reply #10 Top
Useless trivia:

1. In German "bin" means "am" (as in "I am") and "Laden" means "shop". "Bin Laden" sounds like a foreigner saying "I went to the shop". In fact, a Turkish-German comedian made that joke shortly after the attacks.

2. In most European languages the name "Osama bin Laden" sounds quite funny, especially considering that very few boys' names end on "a". It remains a mystery why the bearer of that name would actually actively try to be on the news all the time.
Reply #11 Top
3. Withdraw your troops from Iraq.

4. Withdraw your troops from Afghanistan.

How about "Withdraw your troops from Western nations"? I, for one, would love to have a sleeper-cell-free West.
Reply #12 Top

How about "Withdraw your troops from Western nations"?


Not sarcastic enough.
Reply #13 Top
I see it as what Shovel does.  They are losing (after all, a soldier can kill many terrorists, but a suicide bomber is only good for one bang).  But Andrew has an interesting counter proposal!  He would reject it of course, but it would show his duplicitous ways.
Reply #14 Top
Osama can kiss my "All-American" you know what! I would just as soon see his house burnt to the ground with him in it!
Reply #15 Top
If the peace offer is genuine (it isn't), it would mean that attacking Afghanistan and Iraq were both phenomenal successes for our side.

Al-Qaeda must have noticed something, otherwise they would not have waited until now to make the proposal.

The question is, what have they noticed?
Reply #16 Top
yall are really making too much of this tape.

first of all, it's audio only (which says a lot--it aint like al quaeda shies away from video).

secondly, it's clearly evidence of weakness (altho his admirers may not be able or willing to see it that way).

thirdly, he could have easily read a couple pages of listings from the peshawar phone book (if there is such a thing) because the apparent message isn't what the tape is all about. nobody but the truly deluded is gonna be convinced he's really offering terms. instead, this tape is obviously intended to assure his supporters and sympathizers he's still alive & free. (i'm not contending it's benign by any means...as long as he remains that way or his associates are able to maintain that image, we're in danger.)

Liberals say.....let's go for the truce.


speaking of the truly deluded. time for your meds dog.
Reply #17 Top
It's obviously a tactic to help feed the division in the US. Think about it, if we reject the idea the Dems will protest that we had a chance to settle things with them (knowing it's all bull) and yet we throughthru it out the windows and another round of Bush Bashing will begin.

I would find it interesting and funny to actually see the US consider the idea. It could be used as a tactical advantage, make Osama come out of hiding to conduct negotiations himself and BAM!!!!, "someone" took advantage and killed him. (not a likely scenario but one can dream).

In the end I have to agree with drmiller. I second that motion.
Reply #18 Top
The question is, what have they noticed?


the question should be, if you're not joking--have i really overestimated you this badly?
Reply #19 Top
The question is, what have they noticed?


Maybe they noticed that the resident troll ( I believe you all know who he is) is giving them bad PR and so they decided to give up.
Reply #20 Top

the question should be, if you're not joking--have i really overestimated you this badly?


I never got the idea that you somehow held me in high regard. You never said.

Nevertheless, I was referring to an earlier article of mine where I made the case that Al-Qaeda made a mistake when they overestimated popular support among Sunnis.

It's possible that Al-Qaeda have noticed. Somebody might have told them. They clearly didn't know in the past. (Otherwise they would not have attacked a Palestinian-run hotel in Jordan.)
Reply #21 Top
It's obviously a tactic to help feed the division in the US. Think about it, if we reject the idea the Dems will protest that we had a chance to settle things with them (knowing it's all bull) and yet we throughthru it out the windows and another round of Bush Bashing will begin


apparently i was wrong in thinking only osama's zombified supporters would be sucked into thinking he was actually making a peace overture. apparently bush's zombified supporters are equally susceptible to this kinda thing.
Reply #22 Top
Maybe they noticed that the resident troll ( I believe you all know who he is) is giving them bad PR and so they decided to give up.


you're gonna give drmiler a swelled head with that kinda talk.

seriously? maybe monkeys are gonna be flyin outta my butt
Reply #23 Top
So let me get this straight: he wants a truce, so that we can finish rebuilding Iraq and Afghanistan in peace, and he can finish his preparations for his next big set-piece terrorist massacre in peace.

Fuck that. I say we keep up the fighting until it's over.
Reply #24 Top
DJ:
I would find it interesting and funny to actually see the US consider the idea. It could be used as a tactical advantage, make Osama come out of hiding to conduct negotiations himself and BAM!!!!, "someone" took advantage and killed him.

Your scenario reminds me of David Letterman's first broadcast from Afghanistan, where he announced that the winner of a brand new Buick Skylark was... Osama bin Laden! Now would he please come to Camp X-Ray to claim his prize...

Kingbee:
apparently i was wrong in thinking only osama's zombified supporters would be sucked into thinking he was actually making a peace overture. apparently bush's zombified supporters are equally susceptible to this kinda thing.

Oh, so now it's "zombified" to hope that this is sincere? I think everyone, both sides of the aisle, hopes for peace. This tape should be received with optimism, then scrutinized for "genuiniosity".

Besides, the only people who will pretend to take this overture seriously will be partisans who see a political advantage to do so.
Reply #25 Top
Hey, if Yasir Arafat can go from baby killer to statesman, so can Osama, right? Let's put him up for the 2020 Nobel Peace Prize, shall we?