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Al Qaeda Attack Video Appears to Be Staged

February 16, 2007 3:08 PM

Attackers2_nr An al Qaeda-produced video claiming to show how U.S. and Afghan forces were driven out of a heavily defended base in the last few weeks appears to be a phony.

U.S. and NATO military officials have studied the tape but say they have no record of any such attack in the last month, and an analysis of the tape by ABC News raises many questions of whether the base was even occupied when it was supposedly attacked.

There are green leaves on the trees, no snow on the mountains and the fighters appear to be dressed rather lightly for the harsh Afghan winter where nighttime temperatures have been around 15 degrees this month.

Scenes of the bases, supposedly shot before the attack, show only one person walking up a hill at long range.   

Scenes of the base, supposedly shot after the attack, show no evidence of damage, bodies, blood stains, spent shells or abandoned equipment other than one broken-down pickup truck.

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Nighttime attack scenes are so dark, it is impossible to make out who is firing what kind of weapon.

And the contention that the fighters "liberated" the Zabul province area, where the tape was supposedly shot, is scoffed at by top Afghan experts contacted by ABC News.

"The U.S. presence in Zabul is still strong. The U.S. is still fighting and is doing development projects in the area," said Seth Jones, an analyst at the Rand Corporation, who has just returned from Afghanistan.

Jones said there have been a series of coordinated attacks by al Qaeda and Taliban fighters in that province but that he was there at the time of the supposed attack and "never heard of any such incident."

The tape has all the standard trademarks of the al Qaeda propaganda operations with the same graphics and production techniques that have marked dozens of previous tapes.

This latest tape begins with a statement from al Qaeda's No. 2 man, Ayman al Zawahri, that the tape will prove that President Bush's strategy in Afghanistan is failing.

As is often the case with its most important productions, al Qaeda has provided both an Arabic and English language version, with the English version narrated by former Californian Adam Gadahn.  Gadahn's role as a top leader of al Qaeda has led to his indictment by a federal grand jury for treason.   

February 16, 2007 | Permalink | User Comments (24)

User Comments

they really are reaching now,eh?its pretty fun to watch them look this pathetic! wow..these al queada folks are hurting for some kinda good news!

Posted by: stephen | Feb 16, 2007 3:35:07 PM

they are so pathetic i laughed myself out of my chair and onto the floor.

Posted by: Raymond | Feb 16, 2007 3:51:31 PM

The footage was obviously staged. The media couldn't get this story out fast enough when they thought U.S. forces had been routed. The foot-dragging they're doing now to cover the doubts of authenticity isn't surprising.

Posted by: Ed | Feb 16, 2007 3:58:40 PM

No doubt these terrorists have seen how the liberal media have helped them to demoralized our soldiers in the fight against them,so this time they want to make full use of the media to promote their evil agenda. Thanks to you Sean Penn, Susan Sarandon, Rep. Murtha,JaneFonda et al,(cheerleaders of the Al Queda)

Posted by: Mildred | Feb 16, 2007 4:06:12 PM

Well when all comes to and end. JESUS IS LORD!

Posted by: Brandon | Feb 16, 2007 4:41:34 PM

People will believe what they want to believe. Those who support the Taliban and Al Quaeda will believe this video to be the truth no matter how much evidence is presented to the contrary. Sad, but true!

Posted by: Russ Briggs | Feb 16, 2007 4:50:34 PM

Losers!!!!! to bad Dick Durbin was'nt the narrator

Posted by: Gerard | Feb 16, 2007 5:10:43 PM

Are you serious, this is fake. I normally believe "everything" I see on the news or on TV. This is just terrible. The Alqaeda should not be allowed to lie to us like this. I am appalled by their behaviour we should pass some laws prohibiting this....

Posted by: Mike Jones | Feb 16, 2007 5:25:14 PM

Tomorrows wars will not be fought with tanks or airplanes on the battlefieds of the world they will be fought on internet web sites and from the floor of the U.S congress with non-binding resolutions from the likes of Nanci Pelosi and John Kerry.

Posted by: Mike Jones | Feb 16, 2007 5:29:35 PM

If true, and I believe the video is staged, the question immediately becomes, why?

The only answer that makes logical sense is that the Taliban are not having much success at recruitment.

If one goes on the assumption that the Taliban will have more recruits if it can be shown that the US is faltering, then this assumption would be a reason to produce such a video.

However, given the lack of electricity/internet in the FATA of Pakistan, one wonders whether or not this propaganda will be successful. Two scenarios exist.

Posted by: LTC Caveman | Feb 16, 2007 5:44:37 PM

Someone needs to Let Dan Rather that this was staged. I do not want to see him doing a report on this with 60 minutes next Sunday night.

Posted by: Mike Jones | Feb 16, 2007 6:13:49 PM

AlQuaida is getting to be SSSooo 19th century here lately!They should know by now that were just about 20 ft behind.As long as we kill ALL there leaders we will have nothing but misfits to kill,what a shame.They probably STILL DON'T know how to tie there shoes(that is for those that wear -um)If they stick around long enough to do that we'll shoot-um in the back.

Posted by: Ken | Feb 16, 2007 6:54:31 PM

It's too bad that people believe this material. It's sad that MSM focus on Dems attempting to defeat Repubs vice versa ... instead of focusing on building, reconstruction, and helping a people that have suffered decades of oppression and rule under theocracy and tyranny!

Posted by: Oliver | Feb 16, 2007 7:00:33 PM

It is obvious that OUR National News Media has helped these sub-human violators of their own country's rights to produce this trash by showing them how in examples in their news broadcasts,,,which are no more then "Blame America for EVERYTHING". They stage this garbage and expect Americans and their own pathetic followers,(mostly uneducated inbreds) to believe this tripe. The sad part is that some Americans, or rather those living here but consider themsleves "citizens of some other country", believe this and help spread the word of our own demize. When the time comes that these animals are in our malls and theaters killing us the media will still want to Blame America instead of these Godless creatures.

Posted by: Herman | Feb 17, 2007 8:39:30 AM

This footage should be shown as much as possible. Along with the pictures of Adam Gadahn when he was a goofy teenager in the US. I think it speaks volumes of legitimacy of Al Qaeda. How can they get respect from their peers as bunch of B rate actors with a pimple face kid from Cali as one of their leaders. I Love It! Two thumbs way up!

Posted by: Brian | Feb 17, 2007 9:18:15 AM

Well, the obvious lesson learned is for them to allow our media to make the propaganda for them. We do it much better!

All they have to do is lay low, and bide their time. We will be withdrawing in "defeat" before summer's over.

Posted by: Mike | Feb 17, 2007 2:12:16 PM

Al Qaeda/Taliban faking "news"? No surprise, a while back a friend, a well known sci-fi writer sent me a batch pf photos of alleged rapes of Iraqi women by American troops, asking if they could be authentic. It was pitifully easy to spot them as fakes, taken somewhere in central Europe, using paintball guns and "uniforms" from a milsurp rag bag and old sovbloc helmets. The audience for this is the unsophisticated and ignorant, ready to believe anything that makes America look bad.

Posted by: "gunner | Feb 17, 2007 2:20:30 PM

So what happens when you cannot spot the fake photos from the real photos? (Reuters have on several occasions doctored there own images - see Israeli / Lebanon conflict)

What happens when you cannot spot the fake news reports from the genuine news reports? (Many people watch the Jon Stewart show and think this is actually a real news show. Many people get their news & information only from shows like this.)

What happens when you cannot see the truth from the lies?

What happens when you no longer care about the truth over the lies? What happens when all you care about is the fortification of your own political party?

Posted by: JelloBiafra | Feb 19, 2007 1:02:05 PM

If the John Stewart show was all America watched perhaps you'd all be much better off. Unfortunately the US public prefers the spoon fed jazzy headlines, rather than substance. A comedy sketch beats Fox news any day. As for the video- most ARE fake- including the CIA produced Bin Laden video. Give me a break! The gullibilty of Americans never ceases to amaze the parts of the world that actually examine the facts before starting a lynch mob.

Posted by: Michael Thompson | Feb 19, 2007 4:20:05 PM

Yes, I remember when Jon Stewart reported on the the Israeli / Lebanese war last year. His own people were mercilessly being slaughtered by 100's of missles shot off by the Palestinians each and every day.

While Innocent men, women, and children were being murdered in Israel (HIS OWN PEOPLE), all Jon could do was make jokes about it. He doesn't even have the back to defend his own people.

I lost all respect for him at that time. He just laughed as his own people were being killed. And for what? Rating?

Were the kidnapped Israeli soldiers ever found? Who cares! Jon sure did get a laugh out of that one.

What a great hero and journalist. Great integrity that man...

Posted by: SUV.Driving.Lib | Feb 19, 2007 5:07:55 PM

We should be more like the Europeans then I guess eh Mike? Are they the enlightened ones that we should be looking up to and listening to?


"One in six Europeans is now living below national poverty thresholds."


These are the countries you love and admire Mike? We need to be more like Europe, eh Mike?

Your hatred of America makes me sick. Move to France where they are less 'gullible'. You won't do it though. There are no jobs, and they have no future.

Posted by: anon | Feb 19, 2007 5:10:09 PM

It is the end of winter and soon to be spring in the cold areas of Afghanistan. But Zabul is not one of these areas. Spring arives in faster than areas like Kabul, Ghazni and Bamyan. Therefore, just seeing the green leaves is not a proof that the vedio was staged. The denial of the Army does not help too. For the sake of truth, let the experts provide further evidence.

Posted by: Tahir | Feb 27, 2007 6:16:07 AM

The Afgan terrorists counted on the MSM to react exactly as they did, they are nothing but a tool of the enemy (Useful Idiots).

Posted by: Garvin | Feb 27, 2007 6:54:53 AM

I REALLY THINK THATS CRAZY

Posted by: LARRY DARNELL | Mar 1, 2007 8:02:47 PM

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