US Election 2004

In the New York Times, retired General Tommy Franks responds to Senator Kerry’s specific and frequent criticism of the battle of Tora Bora and the invasion of Iraq. 

Regarding Tora Bora, Kerry has said that Osama bin Laden was at the site of the battle and that he escaped because President Bush relied exclusively on our Afghan allies to fight the battle.  You may remember this repeated in the presidential debates.  In addition, as a core argument in his campaign, Kerry asserts that the invasion of Iraq was a distraction from our fight in Afghanistan and against al-Qaeda.

General Franks led the troops in both Afghanistan and Iraq.  In his NY Times op-ed, Frank refutes Kerry’s campaign rhetoric with facts:

As commander of the allied forces in the Middle East, I was responsible for the operation at Tora Bora, and I can tell you that the senator's understanding of events doesn't square with reality.

First, take Mr. Kerry's contention that we "had an opportunity to capture or kill Osama bin Laden" and that "we had him surrounded." We don't know to this day whether Mr. bin Laden was at Tora Bora in December 2001. Some intelligence sources said he was; others indicated he was in Pakistan at the time; still others suggested he was in Kashmir. Tora Bora was teeming with Taliban and Qaeda operatives, many of whom were killed or captured, but Mr. bin Laden was never within our grasp.

Second, we did not "outsource" military action. We did rely heavily on Afghans because they knew Tora Bora, a mountainous, geographically difficult region on the border of Afghanistan and Pakistan. It is where Afghan mujahedeen holed up for years, keeping alive their resistance to the Soviet Union. Killing and capturing Taliban and Qaeda fighters was best done by the Afghan fighters who already knew the caves and tunnels.
 
Third, the Afghans weren't left to do the job alone. Special forces from the United States and several other countries were there, providing tactical leadership and calling in air strikes. Pakistani troops also provided significant help - as many as 100,000 sealed the border and rounded up hundreds of Qaeda and Taliban fighters.
 
Contrary to Senator Kerry, President Bush never "took his eye off the ball" when it came to Osama bin Laden. The war on terrorism has a global focus. It cannot be divided into separate and unrelated wars, one in Afghanistan and another in Iraq. Both are part of the same effort to capture and kill terrorists before they are able to strike America again, potentially with weapons of mass destruction. Terrorist cells are operating in some 60 countries, and the United States, in coordination with dozens of allies, is waging this war on many fronts. [T. Franks, War of Words, The New York Times, 10/19/2004]

General Tommy Franks before retirement
Image Source: Department of Defense 

Update 10/24/2004:  Allen Forkum has extensive commentary on Kerry's Tora Bora claims HERE. 

Tora Bore (10/24/2004)

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• #1 Comment from nassrolla 
  10/30/04 4:03 AM | Permalink

  what wil bush or etheier kerry do for iran