UPDATE- Bin Laden is Dead-President spoke

[Dark Knight]

On CNN, Muslim leaders and regular Muslims in America are all saying they are just ecstatic as everyone else at the news of his death, and some said they look forward to seeing the postmortem photos of him, as well.

 

[Trino]

I know that there are many that will not share the view, but I do commend our military for being the "bigger man", and sticking with traditions of burial for Osama's body. It was undoubtedly a kindness that he didn't deserve, but commendable none the less.

"But the lingering question is why at sea? The official said that finding a country willing to accept the remains of the world's most wanted terrorist would have been difficult, so the decision was made to bury bin Laden at sea. Furthermore, one suspects that the U.S. would not have wanted there to be a physical grave site for fear of it turning into a place of worship for bin Laden's followers. There are rumors, however, that the U.S. asked Saudi Arabia to take the body (bin Laden was born in Saudi) but they allegedly refused."

Read more: http://newsfeed.time.com/2011/05/02/why-was-bin-laden-buried-at-sea-so-quickly/#ixzz1LD8IpWj2

 

[believe09]

On CNN, Muslim leaders and regular Muslims in America are all saying they are just ecstatic as everyone else at the news of his death, and some said they look forward to seeing the postmortem photos of him, as well.

It makes sense that allies, Americans and leaders would take to the airways expressing their views on this.

I dont know that extremist viewpoints such as Bin Laden's are widely accepted in any religion. JMO.

For me, this is a mere footnote in one of the gravest catastrophies I have ever witnessed in my lifetime.

Peace to all...

 

[mck16]

"But the lingering question is why at sea? The official said that finding a country willing to accept the remains of the world's most wanted terrorist would have been difficult, so the decision was made to bury bin Laden at sea. Furthermore, one suspects that the U.S. would not have wanted there to be a physical grave site for fear of it turning into a place of worship for bin Laden's followers. There are rumors, however, that the U.S. asked Saudi Arabia to take the body (bin Laden was born in Saudi) but they allegedly refused."

Read more: http://newsfeed.time.com/2011/05/02/why-was-bin-laden-buried-at-sea-so-quickly/#ixzz1LD8IpWj2

It really matters very little to me where he is buried or not buried. At least I know his soul is where it should be and will be for eternity. jmo

 

[not_my_kids]

Not certain it was kindness. Rather it may have been the US didn't want a funeral riot or a memorial.

True, true. But I'm sure if we had really wanted to, we could have found a way to stretch it out to 25 hours after he was killed (just to be petty), instead it was less than 12. At least that's what we're being told, and I see no real reason to doubt it.

 

[Capri]

A few still photos of the compound (from the outside), and one photo of the helicopter left behind after being blown up.

http://photoblog.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2011/05/02/6569239-osama-bin-ladens-hideout-revealed

 

[Kimberlyd125]

I am struggling with this. I appreciate everyone's position here, but I am not elated or rejoicing. We were appalled at images of people celebrating 9/11 in the Middle East, and yet we are doing the same. It makes me sad.

So will the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq come to a close then?

BBM - I wouldn't think so. OBL was not the sole reason for being there. We are fighting terrorism. OBL was a "leader" in terrorism, but there are MANY more.

 

[Charlie09]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ahAz4c2H3Sw

That was really cool!

 

[Capri]

"According to Pentagon officials, photos of Bin Laden's dead face do exist but those widely distributed on the Internet are fake. At some point, if only to convince die-hard Bin Laden followers, officials are expected to release a corpse photo, as has been done in the past when famous villains such as Che Guevara and Iraqi President Saddam Hussein were killed or captured. Additionally, such special ops are typically videotaped by mini-helmet cams to document a sensitive mission and assist in debriefing and future training."

Graphic image below: Please be forewarned that an image lower down on this post looks like the bloody face of a dead body. Some viewers might find it disturbing. We don’t think the wounds are real, but you still might not want to look at it.

An image circulating on the Internet and displayed on some television news programs abroad purports to show Osama bin Laden’s bloody corpse. No U.S. or Pakistani officials have confirmed its authenticity, and two U.S. officials have warned NBC News that the image is a hoax.


**************Hoax image at link (Graphic, looks gruesome, even if it is photoshopped, which it apparently was. ) Look at the composite to see the original pic they believe it was taken from.

http://photoblog.msnbc.msn.com/_new...-bin-laden-death-photo-just-the-photo-is-fake

 

[believe09]

BBM - I wouldn't think so. OBL was not the sole reason for being there. We are fighting terrorism. OBL was a "leader" in terrorism, but there are MANY more.

A yup. There are many more.

 

[not_my_kids]

A yup. There are many more.

I agree there. The downside to this, which is bound to sink in rather quickly, is that even though we killed the number 1 guy, it just means the number 2 guy got an unscheduled promotion.

 

[momtective]

In Washington, CIA director Leon Panetta warned that "terrorists almost certainly will attempt to avenge" the killing of the mastermind behind the Sept. 11 attacks.

"Bin Laden is dead," Panetta wrote in a memo to CIA staff. "Al-Qaida is not."

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap...Che3Jw?docId=7079d8b79ab04465a1030dfaf9e04510

 

[Capri]

"Preparations for at-sea burial began at 1:10 a.m. EST and were completed at 2 a.m. EST," the official said. "Traditional procedures for Islamic burial were followed."

More details in article:

http://www.dailypress.com/news/sns-rt-news-us-binladen-butre7411ya-20110502,0,5004837.story

 

[Cypros]

I am struggling with this. I appreciate everyone's position here, but I am not elated or rejoicing. We were appalled at images of people celebrating 9/11 in the Middle East, and yet we are doing the same. It makes me sad.

So will the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq come to a close then?

My feelings are much like yours, believe. I am glad that Bin Laden has finally received his due, and I am especially glad to finally have some form of justice result from 10 years of war and killing (and too many innocent victims), but I cannor bring myself to sing and dance. When watching the revelers on TV last night I remembered how disgusted Americans were when Palestinians danced in their streets after the events of Sept 11th, 2001. The killing of Bin Laden is the most recent of a cyclical pattern of violence that goes back decades before Sept 11th and in which none of the participating parties is innocent.

 

[Kat]

I agree there. The downside to this, which is bound to sink in rather quickly, is that even though we killed the number 1 guy, it just means the number 2 guy got an unscheduled promotion.

Might be al zawahiri. I thought of that last night and then saw an article backthread that mentioned him.

I've been hearing about him for years. Not just the media but from my Husband when he talked to me about Iraq.

The thing about al zawahiri is that he isn't innately charming and charasmatic as bin laden was to his followers. I read an article last night where a reporter gave his impressions of Bin Laden after having met with him in an interview back at the beginning of the last decade and there was a charisma to bin laden that was evident while in his presence. Not my words but words that were echoed many times over the years by even western reporters that were face to face with him. IMHO a classic sign of a psychopath/sociopath etc...

Al zawahiri might have fall into the same definition of the type of person but he lacks the manipulative skills to be a frontman leader like bin laden and he's not adored and revered as bin laden was either. There are a more than a few that just plain don't like him even if they are fighting on the same side. He already has to be on watch all the time for assassins.

His name has been joined with OBL's in the past but he was always the man behind the curtain compared to OBL. With OBL being far more dangerous in his ability to recruit and compel those recruits with just a word and a look into his eyes. IMHO OBL was a cult of personality in his leadership and he and al-Qaeda were not only inseperable in the minds of many others worldwide but in the minds of those that joined al Qaeda and served in their ranks.

IMHO it's going to take a while for AQ to regroup and I'll be surprised if there isn't infighting for control and assasinations of leaders until the alpha dog wins. KWIM?

Just some thoughts.

 

[kato]

We will not stand down like cowards who run away in the night.

Only the head of the snake has been cutoff. The snake will grow another head.

Terrorism still reins and it still threatens our freedom.

Every military man and woman knows when they enlist there is a very good possibility they will be fighting terrorism on foreign soil.

None of them go in blindsided and unaware. This is what they chose to do for their country.

God bless America!
And the best military force in the world!

IMO

That is not the meaning I intended.

 

[not_my_kids]

The three, all members of the Navy's elite commando unit, have refused non-judicial punishment — called a captain's mast — and have requested a trial by court-martial.
Ahmed Hashim Abed, whom the military code-named "Objective Amber," told investigators he was punched by his captors — and he had the bloody lip to prove it.
Now, instead of being lauded for bringing to justice a high-value target, three of the SEAL commandos, all enlisted, face assault charges and have retained lawyers.


Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/world/2009/1...rges-capturing-wanted-terrorist#ixzz1LDTNFRk7

Allegedly, three of SEALS punched a guy that got between them and Bin Laden. They are facing criminal charges. REALLY????? And a healthy serving of WTF?????

NEVERMIND. I forgot to date check. This article was emailed to me and the sender was someone that is usually very reliable, so I didn't bother to date check. I AM AN IDIOT. Supreme apologies everyone.

 

[gitana1]

"He did resist the assault force, and he was killed in a firefight," an official said. NBC News reported that he was shot in the left eye.

Four adult males were killed: bin Laden, his son, and the two couriers.

"One woman killed when used as a shield," and other women were injured, the officials said. The women's names were not given; it's not clear whether bin Laden's wife was among them.

The team blew up the disabled chopper upon their departure with bin Laden's remains, which resulted in a "massive explosion," the official told NBC.

Pakistan officials were unaware of the operation and scrambled fighter jets after getting reports of the explosion. But the U.S. helicopters were able to leave without further incident, the official said.

No U.S. personnel died. The officials would not name the type of helicopter, or the military units involved, or say how many U.S. personnel participated.

A U.S. official told NBC News that Obama was able to monitor the situation in real time from the Situation Room inside the White House.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/42853221/ns/world_news-south_and_central_asia/?gt1=43001

Can you imagine how nerve wracking that would have been, sitting there, getting a live time play by play and hoping nothing goes wrong?

Secret prisons - maybe Gitmo, too - gave intelligence that started this ball rolling. It is often said that intel is the primary defense/prevention we have, and boy, did it pay off big time.

Now, let's get Al Zaraheri.

I also expect some larger scale attack, just to prove that AQ can function w/o OBL.

And I am so proud of all those who've worked, given everything, to find this evil, evil man, and risked everything (and gave everything, in a lot of cases) to bring him down. Your sacrifices are not forgotten; your lives were not given in vain; and you, unsung though you may be, are my heros.

Thank you, thank you, thank you; not just to the military men and women, but to their families - parents, spouses, children - for your gift to the US. Your sacrifices are not unnoticed. Your grief is shared. I am proud of you for giving us your family member, so that we can be protected against the evil that walks this world.

And to the victims of 9/11, you were the original sacrifices. You have been avenged. Rest easy, rest peacefully, rest eternally in God's Arms, knowing that those of us left behind have taken your cause to the end.

We got the SOB.

Best-
Herding Cats

The success of this mission is due mostly to the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency and the NSA codebreakers and, of course, the incredibly heroic Navy Seals!

Virginia Beach-based SEALS were tasked to kill bin Laden


The helicopter carrying Navy SEALs malfunctioned as it approached Osama bin Laden's compound at about 3:30 p.m. ET Sunday, stalling as it hovered. The pilot set it down gently inside the walls, then couldn't get it going again.
It was a heart-stopping moment for President Barack Obama, who had been monitoring the raid in the White House Situation Room since 1 p.m., surrounded by members of his war cabinet.
"Obviously, everyone was thinking about Black Hawk Down and Desert One," a senior administration official recalled.
The SEALs disembarked.
"The assault team went ahead and raided the compound, even though they didn't know if they would have a ride home," an official said.

He was buried at sea less than 12 hours later. He was 54.

http://hamptonroads.com/2011/05/virginia-beachbased-seals-were-tasked-kill-bin-laden

The article you cited is really great. Everyone should read it.

I am struggling with this. I appreciate everyone's position here, but I am not elated or rejoicing. We were appalled at images of people celebrating 9/11 in the Middle East, and yet we are doing the same. It makes me sad.

So will the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq come to a close then?

Yeah, but we aren't wildly celebrating the death of thousands of innocent civilians. They were. That's the difference.

 

[Wise Old Owl]

The three, all members of the Navy's elite commando unit, have refused non-judicial punishment — called a captain's mast — and have requested a trial by court-martial.
Ahmed Hashim Abed, whom the military code-named "Objective Amber," told investigators he was punched by his captors — and he had the bloody lip to prove it.
Now, instead of being lauded for bringing to justice a high-value target, three of the SEAL commandos, all enlisted, face assault charges and have retained lawyers.


Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/world/2009/1...rges-capturing-wanted-terrorist#ixzz1LDTNFRk7

Allegedly, three of SEALS punched a guy that got between them and Bin Laden. They are facing criminal charges. REALLY????? And a healthy serving of WTF?????

That article is from 2009. I don't see any relevance to this. Is this detainee that they punched in the gut the informant from Gitmo that kinda got this ball rolling?

 

[gitana1]

The three, all members of the Navy's elite commando unit, have refused non-judicial punishment — called a captain's mast — and have requested a trial by court-martial.
Ahmed Hashim Abed, whom the military code-named "Objective Amber," told investigators he was punched by his captors — and he had the bloody lip to prove it.
Now, instead of being lauded for bringing to justice a high-value target, three of the SEAL commandos, all enlisted, face assault charges and have retained lawyers.


Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/world/2009/1...rges-capturing-wanted-terrorist#ixzz1LDTNFRk7

Allegedly, three of SEALS punched a guy that got between them and Bin Laden. They are facing criminal charges. REALLY????? And a healthy serving of WTF?????

That's a 2009 article. http://articles.cnn.com/2010-05-06/...e-two-other-navy-seals-assaulting?_s=PM:CRIME