Bin Ladin is dead

[Jae Onasi]

Finally.

http://www.upi.com/Top_News/US/2011/...3121304304908/

Keep it semi-civil, please, and no bashing religions here. Thanks.

[ZimmMaster]

Damn, Jae beat me to it. But YES! Good Riddance. President Obama is giving a speech as I type.

[Boba Rhett]

Amazing news. Has anybody heard more of the circumstances?

[Jae Onasi]

Initial reports say either a missile or bomb, possibly from a drone, got him. CNN is saying he was killed in a mansion outside of Islamabad in Pakistan. I hope al-Qaeda falls apart after this.

[mimartin]

And just who told Jae to turn on the TV!



8 years to the day since President Bush gave the mission accoplished speech aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln.


According to NBC News the US has his (Osama's that is) body.

[Jae Onasi]

Originally Posted by mimartin

And just who told Jae to turn on the TV!

mimartin did! And boy, am I ever glad!!

[JesusIsGonnaOwnSatan]

Al quaeda has probably been conducting cloning experiments in middleofnowhereistan..

Originally Posted by Jae

I hope al-Qaeda falls apart after this.

I personally doubt it.. Im sure they have had leadership contingency plans for some time.

[Canderis]

[Jae Onasi]

Heh--from my twitter feed:

darthvader Darth Vader
Yeeeeeesssssss! #binLadendead
8 minutes ago

[JesusIsGonnaOwnSatan]

Live stream from the White House: http://www.facebook.com/l.php?u=http...orturl&h=cbf12

[Ctrl Alt Del]

Originally Posted by Jae Onasi

I hope al-Qaeda falls apart after this.

I hope not. God knows if the next impending threat will be more... threatening.

[Working Class Hero]

Meh, it isn't really going to change anything. Al-Queda will still be bat**** crazy and still want to bomb the **** out of everybody else.

I'm just waiting for the Pakistani Muslims to whine about the Americans killing a Muslim on Pakistani soil. That'll be a nice bellylaugh.

[Totenkopf]

Just finished watching BO's mercifully short speech (decent one for a change). Congrats to the US Special Forces guys who pulled it off. I don't believe al-qaeda is going to disappear very soon, but it has been dealt a big blow.....regardless of how they try to spin it. Perhaps OBL should have operated out of Tehran or Pyongyang (or at least not screwed w/Pakistan).

[Arannor]

The Pakistani Muslims can whine all they want, we found Bin Ladin went in and got the job done.

Job well done to the soldiers that were apart of the operation.

[mimartin]

Originally Posted by Redeemed Jedi

Job well done to the soldiers that were apart of the operation.

No, job well done by all the soldiers from all the countries that have served, scarified and died to fight this war against al-Qaeda and terrorism. Be it abroad or here at home.

[Arannor]

Originally Posted by mimartin

No, job well done by all the soldiers from all the countries that have served, scarified and died to fight this war against al-Qaeda and terrorism. Be it abroad or here at home.

Yes, yes. Thank you for correcting me!!!

[Working Class Hero]

I'd say it has much less to do with the military than the Pakistani officials who had the balls to tell them where Bin Laden was hiding.

Is anybody else finding it disturbing that intelligence regarding this operation appears to have been confined to the military and Obama? We don't know how many compounds they've blown up until now on faulty intelligence and not heard one peep about it, but now they all get to wave their dicks and the air and take credit for going into another country and committing assassination?

[Jae Onasi]

Originally Posted by Redeemed Jedi

Job well done to the soldiers that were apart of the operation.

Originally Posted by mimartin

No, job well done by all the soldiers from all the countries that have served, scarified and died to fight this war against al-Qaeda and terrorism. Be it abroad or here at home.

Job well done to all!
Point Man says thank you, too.

Oh, we're having ham tomorrow night in honor of the big event.

[Primogen]

May he rot unmourned.

I wonder who's getting the $25,000,000 bounty the government put on his head?

[mimartin]

Originally Posted by Working Class Hero

I'd say it has much less to do with the military than the Pakistani officials who had the balls to tell them where Bin Laden was hiding.

And just why was Osama Bin Laden hiding in Pakistani for the Pakistani official to tell the US where he was hiding? Could it have something to do with those soldiers in Afghanistan putting Bin Laden on the run, forcing him to find a different hiding place that was not as secret?

Edit Sounds like he may have been there close to 5 years.

Originally Posted by Working Class Hero

Is anybody else finding it disturbing that intelligence regarding this operation appears to have been confined to the military and Obama?

Nope and with the way information exchanged today, I'm not really sure why it bothers anyone. They could not even keep Bin Ladin death a secret for 1 hour to allow the President to inform the nation. If the US had been destroying innocent compounds I'm sure Al Jazeera would have been all over it.

[Totenkopf]

Originally Posted by mimartin

And just why was Osama Bin Laden hiding in Pakistani for the Pakistani official to tell the US where he was hiding? Could it have something to do with those soldiers in Afghanistan putting Bin Laden on the run, forcing him to find a different hiding place that was not as secret?

It's nice that there some w/in the Pakistani govt that are cooperating with us, but w/o the military operation OBL would still be alive, wch. Mim is quite right, but if you wish to extend some credit to the Pakistani's, that's not unreasonable.

Originally Posted by wch

Is anybody else finding it disturbing that intelligence regarding this operation appears to have been confined to the military and Obama?

Not remotely. It WAS a covert op, which means by its very nature it's SECRET. But given the importance of the news, it isn't something that would have remained so for very long.

[Sabretooth]

Originally Posted by Working Class Hero

I'm just waiting for the Pakistani Muslims to whine about the Americans killing a Muslim on Pakistani soil. That'll be a nice bellylaugh.

For killing Osama? No, not happening.

Originally Posted by Working Class Hero

Is anybody else finding it disturbing that intelligence regarding this operation appears to have been confined to the military and Obama? We don't know how many compounds they've blown up until now on faulty intelligence and not heard one peep about it, but now they all get to wave their dicks and the air and take credit for going into another country and committing assassination?

The compound was being monitored for weeks before the operation. And this is Pakistan, not Afghanistan - the media is strong here. If faulty compounds were being blown up, it would have been all over the Muslim world's news channels.

I've been following Pakistani news channels for a while now, things are interesting. The operation was apparently conducted at 12:30 and was completed in 40 minutes. Curiously, the helicopter crash was reported at about 01:20 - 01:30. I'm guessing it was a diversion for the US forces to move the body.

Amusingly, the Pakistan Military Academy is located near Abbottabad. How convenient for them to not know who lives in oh-so-super-high-security compound.

Originally Posted by Totenkopf

It's nice that there some w/in the Pakistani govt that are cooperating with us, but w/o the military operation OBL would still be alive, wch. Mim is quite right, but if you wish to extend some credit to the Pakistani's, that's not unreasonable

For what, not investigating this super-high-security compound where Osama bin Laden was hiding? Pakistan could have taken care of this whole problem years ago if they wanted to.

[Lord of Hunger]

Reaction to this event: THANK ****ING GOD THAT **** IS DEAD!!!

My salute to the covert operatives that pulled this off. I'd shake their hand and by them each a drink, but that would compromise their secrecy.

Not to be political, but a friend and I agree that this is going to be firepower for the 2012 Obama Campaign. He thinks it'll be part of the momentum Obama needs to turn his presidency around.

[Mav]

Originally Posted by Primogen

I wonder who's getting the $25,000,000 bounty the government put on his head?

If it was a US operation by US military, then nobody gets a bounty, at least that's how I understand it.

hrmm this is what it takes to get me to post in Kavar's, may it never happen again.

[Totenkopf]

Originally Posted by Sabretooth

For what, not investigating this super-high-security compound where Osama bin Laden was hiding? Pakistan could have taken care of this whole problem years ago if they wanted to.

In light of more info having come out about the whole operation, it seems that waterboarding had more to do with the success of this mission than anything the Pakistanis may have done. Apparently, the name of the courier that they traced to find OBL was gotten through enhanced interrogation of KSM and then later confirmed by same w/another terrorist had payoffs farther down the road. Not telling Pakistan anything till after the fact likely had more to do with its success than any co-op we'd have gotten from their fractured govt players (ISI in particular).

[Sabretooth]

I really doubt Pakistan had much of a role to play in this, and Obama's statements about their help could really just be to hold off the fallout in Pakistan (i.e. the US can just storm in and kill random people in Pakistan if they wanted to). Reports show that Pakistani forces arrived on scene long after the Americans did.

Besides, this compound is a stone's throw away from the Pakistan Military Academy, the Pakistani equivalent of America's West Point. Conveniently they never bothered to wonder who lives behind the eighteen-foot-walls topped with barbed wire.

[Liverandbacon]

About time. This was largely a symbolic victory, there are people out there currently who are a far larger threat than Osama has been for quite some time. Time to move on and do the same to them.

Originally Posted by Jae Onasi

I hope al-Qaeda falls apart after this.

They aren't going to. Far too organized not to be prepared for something like this. Also, I hope they don't, since this is definitely a situation where it's better to have a known evil than an unknown one, as it makes gathering intelligence easier. If Al Qaeda completely disintegrated, its various parts would form new groups, or latch on to others.

Originally Posted by mimartin

No, job well done by all the soldiers from all the countries that have served, scarified and died to fight this war against al-Qaeda and terrorism. Be it abroad or here at home.

Thanks. I'd just recommend adding intelligence agencies to that list.

Originally Posted by Working Class Hero

Is anybody else finding it disturbing that intelligence regarding this operation appears to have been confined to the military and Obama? We don't know how many compounds they've blown up until now on faulty intelligence and not heard one peep about it, but now they all get to wave their dicks and the air and take credit for going into another country and committing assassination?

Transparency would be disastrous for a covert operation. Any information shared with the public can be seen by our enemies, and it's pretty obvious that sharing info regarding this mission before completion would have defeated the entire purpose. As well as crippling intelligence agencies' ability to get anything done, that sort of change would result in mass resignations. I don't know many people who would be willing to dramatically increase their likelihood of getting killed, just so that Joe Average can feel a little bit more in the loop.

[adamqd]

Originally Posted by Boba Rhett

Amazing news. Has anybody heard more of the circumstances?

Originally Posted by Jae Onasi

Initial reports say either a missile or bomb, possibly from a drone, got him. CNN is saying he was killed in a mansion outside of Islamabad in Pakistan. I hope al-Qaeda falls apart after this.

News reports this side of the Pond are reporting a single gunshot to the head, American Bullet... Apparently they have Photos of the Body, but obviously too graphic for TV.

[Astor]

Apparently they've disposed of his body at sea.

While it is of course good news, and a massive story at that, I can't see it affecting things much.

[Liverandbacon]

Ugh, apparently they're doing the sea-burial in accordance with Muslim tradition. Screw that. Wrap him in a pig skin and feed him to some other pigs, a la Snatch.

The idea that all people deserve respect in death is absurd.

[Astor]

Originally Posted by Liverandbacon

Ugh, apparently they're doing the sea-burial in accordance with Muslim tradition. Screw that. Wrap him in a pig skin and feed him to some other pigs, a la Snatch.

The idea that all people deserve respect in death is absurd.

I agree, especially with the person in question, but I can understand the burial at sea, though. It'd make finding and retrieving his body near impossible.

But then again, they did that in Transformers, and they could have easily incinerated the body.

And apparently there are some pictures of his body doing the rounds on the internet. Obviously I can't link to them here, but they should be easy enough to find for anyone determined to see for themselves, or just morbidly curious.

EDIT: I wonder, was this one of the important things Obama mentioned during his Birth Certificate speech?

[Darth_Calo]

US army breached and cleared the mansion he was hiding in. crossfire ensued. four dead, no american lives lost. Osama Bin Laden personally fired at American troops but was killed by a single assault rifle round to the head. Also dead, One of Bin Laden's sons, as well as his top courier and the courier's brother. Quick, clean, and simple. Body was photographed, identified, and disposed of in accordance to Muslim traditions with a burial at sea. good riddance.

[adamqd]

I think the burial at sea was to avoid some kind of extremist shrine if he were buried, or left in the hands of his family. Throw him in the sea, a drop in the Ocean... I think the Muslim tradition part is the "Disposal within 24 hours" rather than the Method, which could of course just be public relations or coincidence, rather than respect for the body.

[Darth_Calo]

Originally Posted by adamqd

I think the burial at sea was to avoid some kind of extremist shrine if he were buried, or left in the hands of his family. Throw him in the sea, a drop in the Ocean... Good riddance.

probably. I personally think they should have burned the body but hey what do I know

[Primogen]

It's one last finger given to the extremists - we terminated our enemy, and now we're treating him with -respect-. Just one more sign that we're better than them in every way that matters.

[Pho3nix]

Oh dang, I always imagined bumping into him somewhere and getting the bounty. I'd rather have him alive than dead.

[Alexrd]

Obama just assured his re-election.

Anyway, one less terrorist in the world.

[Astor]

Originally Posted by Alexrd

Obama just assured his re-election.

I don't know. I'm sure people might have thought the same about Bush Snr. and the first Gulf War.

Besides, a lot can happen between now and election day. Just look at what's happened so far this year, and it's only just May.

[Alexrd]

Originally Posted by Astor

I don't know. I'm sure people might have thought the same about Bush Snr. and the first Gulf War.

Besides, a lot can happen between now and election day. Just look at what's happened so far this year, and it's only just May.

No, you're right. My comment was more like a small joke to his presidential campaign, since (IIRC) he promised to end the fight against Bin Laden & Co.

[Q]

Originally Posted by Pho3nix

Oh dang, I always imagined bumping into him somewhere and getting the bounty. I'd rather have him alive than dead.

It's actually much simpler and cleaner this way. No opportunity for him to grandstand and attention-whore during the media circus that his trial would become.

I also like that they took him out the old-fashioned way, with a bullet to the head in a firefight, instead of with a missile from a drone. If I were him, I'd want to go down swinging like that, too, so it actually worked out well for both sides, IMO.