skysurfer
09-10-2008, 08:34 AM
There seems to be webwide speculation about the
nature of a secret weapon the U.S. military
is reported to be using in Iraq, according to
Woodward's new book. (below)
On physicist Jack Sarfatti's list today he speculates:
"I think its probably a nano-engineered small
smart drone of some kind that has bio-sensor
and finds its target that way. Maybe some reverse
ET stuff a la Col Phil Corso. I may be
way off base here - just a wild guess."
What do Listers think?
Dave
http://www.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/meast/09/09/iraq.secret/index.html
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The dramatic drop in violence in
Iraq is due in large part to a secret program the U.S.
military has used to kill terrorists, according to a new
book by Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Bob Woodward.
Bob Woodward's book, "The War Within: Secret White
House History 2006-2008," came out Monday.
The program -- which Woodward compares to the World
War II era Manhattan Project that developed the atomic
bomb -- must remain secret for now or it would "get people
killed,"
Woodward said Monday on CNN's Larry King Live.
"It is a wonderful example of American ingenuity solving
a problem in war, as we often have," Woodward said.
In "The War Within: Secret White House History 2006-2008,"
Woodward disclosed the existence of secret operational
capabilities developed by the military to locate, target and
kill leaders of al Qaeda in Iraq and other insurgent
leaders.
National security adviser Stephen Hadley, in a written
statement reacting to Woodward's book, acknowledged
the new strategy. Yet he disputed Woodward's conclusion
that the "surge" of 30,000 U.S. troops into Iraq was not
the primary reason for the decline in violent attacks.
"It was the surge that provided more resources and a
security context to support newly developed techniques
and operations," Hadley wrote.
Woodward, associate editor of the Washington Post,
wrote that along with the surge and the new covert
tactics, two other factors helped reduce the violence.
One was the decision of militant cleric Muqtada al-Sadr
to order a cease-fire by his Mehdi Army. The other was
the "Anbar Awakening" movement that saw Sunni tribes
aligning with U.S. troops to battle al Qaeda in Iraq.
Woodward told Larry King that while there is a debate
over how much credit the new secret operations should
get for the drop in violence, he concluded it "accounts
for a good portion."
"I would somewhat compare it to the Manhattan Project
in World War II," he said "It's a ski slope right down in a
matter of months, cutting the violence in half. This isn't
going to happen with the bunch of joint security stations
or the surge."
The top secret operations, he said, will "some day in
history ... be described to people's amazement."
While he would not reveal the details, Woodward said
the terrorists who have been targeted were already
aware of the capabilities.
"The enemy has a heads up because they've been
getting wiped out and a lot of them have been killed,"
he said. "It's not news to them.
"If you were a member of al Qaeda or the resistance
or some extremist militia, you would be wise to get
your rear end out of town," Woodward said. "It is very
dangerous."
nature of a secret weapon the U.S. military
is reported to be using in Iraq, according to
Woodward's new book. (below)
On physicist Jack Sarfatti's list today he speculates:
"I think its probably a nano-engineered small
smart drone of some kind that has bio-sensor
and finds its target that way. Maybe some reverse
ET stuff a la Col Phil Corso. I may be
way off base here - just a wild guess."
What do Listers think?
Dave
http://www.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/meast/09/09/iraq.secret/index.html
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The dramatic drop in violence in
Iraq is due in large part to a secret program the U.S.
military has used to kill terrorists, according to a new
book by Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Bob Woodward.
Bob Woodward's book, "The War Within: Secret White
House History 2006-2008," came out Monday.
The program -- which Woodward compares to the World
War II era Manhattan Project that developed the atomic
bomb -- must remain secret for now or it would "get people
killed,"
Woodward said Monday on CNN's Larry King Live.
"It is a wonderful example of American ingenuity solving
a problem in war, as we often have," Woodward said.
In "The War Within: Secret White House History 2006-2008,"
Woodward disclosed the existence of secret operational
capabilities developed by the military to locate, target and
kill leaders of al Qaeda in Iraq and other insurgent
leaders.
National security adviser Stephen Hadley, in a written
statement reacting to Woodward's book, acknowledged
the new strategy. Yet he disputed Woodward's conclusion
that the "surge" of 30,000 U.S. troops into Iraq was not
the primary reason for the decline in violent attacks.
"It was the surge that provided more resources and a
security context to support newly developed techniques
and operations," Hadley wrote.
Woodward, associate editor of the Washington Post,
wrote that along with the surge and the new covert
tactics, two other factors helped reduce the violence.
One was the decision of militant cleric Muqtada al-Sadr
to order a cease-fire by his Mehdi Army. The other was
the "Anbar Awakening" movement that saw Sunni tribes
aligning with U.S. troops to battle al Qaeda in Iraq.
Woodward told Larry King that while there is a debate
over how much credit the new secret operations should
get for the drop in violence, he concluded it "accounts
for a good portion."
"I would somewhat compare it to the Manhattan Project
in World War II," he said "It's a ski slope right down in a
matter of months, cutting the violence in half. This isn't
going to happen with the bunch of joint security stations
or the surge."
The top secret operations, he said, will "some day in
history ... be described to people's amazement."
While he would not reveal the details, Woodward said
the terrorists who have been targeted were already
aware of the capabilities.
"The enemy has a heads up because they've been
getting wiped out and a lot of them have been killed,"
he said. "It's not news to them.
"If you were a member of al Qaeda or the resistance
or some extremist militia, you would be wise to get
your rear end out of town," Woodward said. "It is very
dangerous."