I can't help but ask: Whatever happened to Osama bin Laden? It has been over 16 months since the US government set out to find and "kill" him, but they have not done so.

Is he sitting somewhere sipping on hot tea with some of his comrades? Is he dinning with a hand full of CIA agents somewhere in Pakistan, India or even Europe? We don't really know and we will never know.

What I do know is that if the American satellites can read a license plate of a moving vehicle on the ground, they can surely find this fugitive roaming around "somewhere" in the back of an old beat up Toyota pick-up truck.

I have a very difficult time convincing myself that the Americans can't find this man with their superiority in the intelligence arena, technology and the influence that they have on other nations.

The bottom line here is that if the US wanted to capture him "dead or alive" they could, but most likely they choose not to taking into account that they don't already have him!

Long-term plan

One might ask why I came up with such a conclusion? It is because if it was known that Osama was indeed in US custody then the "war on terror" would be over in Afghanistan, wouldn't it?

Then the job in Afghanistan would be over and the US military would have to evacuate the country since it was "liberated" and their mission was accomplished. They would have no excuse to stay in there any longer.

But, not so fast! The Americans have no intention of leaving that area now as they have a long- term plan that includes controlling Afghanistan.

Furthermore, there would be no need to allocate tens of billion of dollars a year to establish a new "home land security" agency to fight "terrorists" in the US if Osama was no longer a "threat".

And not to forget that without this terror "threat" the military would not have asked for an additional US$300 billion in next year's budget to fight the "terrorists."

The Bush people can fool themselves about their intentions in Afghanistan, but I seriously doubt they can fool the world. It is oil and controlling a country that has a strategic location that they want. It was only recently that Pakistan, Afghanistan and Turkmenistan signed a US$3.2 billion pipeline passing through the three countries and of course, American oil companies are taking part in this deal. And that is just the beginning.

The Americans have established a base in Afghanistan and no one can tell them to leave. How can they? When Hamid Karzai, the "president" of Afghanistan himself is protected by American bodyguards.

America, once more, has succeeded in placing a puppet government that would play by its rules.

Is Iraq next in line?

Movies and politicians

This American game reminds me of movies, where we often see the "bad" guy go on a rampage. He kills people freely but when the "good" guy closes in on him and is about to capture him and bring him to justice, the "bad" guy finds a way to elude the "good" guy.

It is clear that if the "bad" guy was captured in the first 30 minutes of the movie, the movie would be over!

The Bush administration does not want to finish the Osama story yet! I call the Osama story: the "Osama excuse!"

As long as America can use this excuse, they will do what ever they please and will justify it. Once they are done, they will "somehow," find him and bring him to "justice!"

The Bush people, like Hollywood producers, do not want to kill off the "bad" guy, at least not for now. There is no difference between Hollywood movie producers and most American politicians; they both play games with people.

I can see Hollywood capitalising on this saga by making a movie that they would call 'The hunt for the illusive Osama'.

It is clear that the Americans have an influence on almost every country in this world and they are exploiting such powers to the maximum.

Used and abused

They openly admit that it is their "national interest" that they take into account when dealing with other nations. This attitude holds true with the Kurds, as we are no exception to the American rule.

How many times have they used and abused us in the past? Will the Americans give it a second thought if it was in their "interest" to abandon the Kurds once more when the time comes?

I can guarantee that those Kurds who put complete trust in the Bush administration will regret it in the future. The Kurds cannot blindly follow American's wishes. They must look after our own interest. It would displease me a great deal to see them played into the hands of the Bush administration.

If Bush was sincere, he could guarantee, in writing, that if the Kurds joined his "war" they would not be abandoned. Furthermore, I would not want to see the Kurds pushed to the front line in the war with Iraq as most likely planned by Bush.

The Kurds should not do America's "dirty" work for them. Let them fight the war they want to start. If Bush has no plans of placing Kurds in the front line of his war, then why is he talking to them about the future of Iraq? What do the Kurds have to offer the Americans for "liberating" Iraq?

Since when have the Americans ever considered our well being? I can honestly say that there are not many Americans that I trust when it comes to Kurdish issues. They are "helping" the Kurds for their own interest.

Even those Americans who call themselves "friends" of the Kurds, I do not place much faith in them and if we investigate, we will find that they are receiving "something" in return. As the famous American proverb says, " There is no such thing as a free lunch."

I have lived in America for 27 years and I completely understand them and know what makes them "tick."

Bush has made it clear that he is going to "pay off" the Turks if they submit to his demands. He has publicly promised billions of dollars in "aid" to Turkey if they agree to let the Americans use their territory to attack Iraq.

Enough is enough

Why can't they make any promises to the Kurds? Is it because we are not worthy? Is it because they couldn't care less what will become of us? Frankly, I am fed up with the Americans telling the world that they are "protecting" the Kurds.

If they are sincere, they can at least stop the Turks, America's "best buddy," from constantly threatening the Kurds.

I truly and sincerely hope that our trusted Kurdish politicians do not fall into the American trap. I pray that we Kurds do not pay the price of any American failure or miscalculation that might come after attacking Iraq. It will devastate me to see another mass exodus by the Kurds.

Turkey and even Jordan have warned all Iraqis not to make an attempt to flee to their countries. What the hell are we? Are we a plague or a disease that the Turks and Jordanians don't want?

What has become of us? I place my trust and faith in our Kurdish leadership not to allow us to become refugees in these countries that are telling us that we are not welcomed.

We Kurds have experienced the refugee life more than enough times in the past. Enough is enough! GVNN/KurdishMedia.com