To: Wharf Rat who wrote (126341 ) 12/4/2009 2:49:07 PM From: Win Smith Read Replies (1) | Respond to Well, there's the general problem that the administration didn't want to put more resources into stabilizing Afghanistan when they had the war of W's heart's desire in Iraq to gear up for, but the Tora Bora angle is maybe a little exaggerated. From the pithy wikipedia account:Al-Qaeda fighters were still holding out in the mountains of Tora Bora, however, while an anti-Taliban tribal militia steadily pushed bin Laden back across the difficult terrain, backed by UK Special Forces and withering air strikes by the U.S. Facing defeat, the al-Qaeda forces agreed to a truce to give them time to surrender their weapons. In retrospect, however, many believe that the truce was a ruse to allow important al-Qaeda figures, including Osama bin Laden, to escape. On December 12, the fighting flared again, probably initiated by a rear guard buying time for the main force's escape through the White Mountains into the tribal areas of Pakistan. Once again, tribal forces backed by British and U.S. special operations troops and air support pressed ahead against fortified al-Qaeda positions in caves and bunkers scattered throughout the mountainous region.
