Excerpt
Osama bin Laden, the mastermind of the most devastating attack on American soil in modern times and the most hunted man in the world, was killed in a firefight with United States forces in Pakistan on Sunday, President Obama announced.
In a late-night appearance in the East Room of the White House, Mr. Obama declared that “justice has been done” as he disclosed that American military and C.I.A. operatives had finally cornered Bin Laden, the leader of Al Qaeda, who had eluded them for nearly a decade. American officials said Bin Laden resisted and was shot in the head. He was later buried at sea.
The news touched off an extraordinary outpouring of emotion as crowds gathered outside the White House, in Times Square and at the ground zero site, waving American flags, cheering, shouting, laughing and chanting, “U.S.A., U.S.A.!” In New York City, crowds sang “The Star-Spangled Banner.” Throughout downtown Washington, drivers honked horns deep into the night.
“For over two decades, Bin Laden has been Al Qaeda’s leader and symbol,” the president said in a statement broadcast around the world. “The death of Bin Laden marks the most significant achievement to date in our nation’s effort to defeat Al Qaeda. But his death does not mark the end of our effort. There’s no doubt that Al Qaeda will continue to pursue attacks against us. We must and we will remain vigilant at home and abroad.”
Bin Laden’s demise is a defining moment in the American-led fight against terrorism, a symbolic stroke affirming the relentlessness of the pursuit of those who attacked New York and Washington on Sept. 11, 2001. What remains to be seen, however, is whether it galvanizes Bin Laden’s followers by turning him into a martyr or serves as a turning of the page in the war in Afghanistan and gives further impetus to Mr. Obama to bring American troops home.
How much his death will affect Al Qaeda itself remains unclear.
"WikiLeaks: Osama bin Laden killed after tip-offs from Guantanamo" by Tim Ross, The Telegraph (UK) 5/2/2011
Excerpt
Khalid Sheikh Mohammed (KSM), who was repeatedly subjected to methods including “waterboarding” and stress positions, provided the CIA with the name of bin Laden’s personal courier, according to US officials.
A second source – also an al-Qaeda “leader” held at Guantanamo Bay – then confirmed the courier’s identity, sparking an intense manhunt that resulted in the dramatic final raid.
Secret documents seen by The Daily Telegraph disclose that this second source – the terrorist operations chief, Abu Faraj al-Libi – played a key role in finding “safe havens” for bin Laden and lived in the military town where he was finally found.
The killing of the world’s most wanted man as a direct result of information obtained from Guantanamo detainees such as KSM will reignite the debate over whether torture is a legitimate interrogation technique in the "war on terror". Both KSM and al-Libi were subjected to harsh techniques during their interrogations in CIA prisons.
"Elgin residents welcome demise of bin Laden; caution about terrorism" by Mike Danahey, Courier-News (Chicago Sun-Times) 5/2/2011
Excerpt
Local residents welcomed the news of the killing Sunday of Osama bin Laden by U.S. Navy SEALs during a raid on a mansion in Pakistan. But some cautioned it does not signal the end of terrorism and the al-Qaida organization that bin Laden led.
Elgin firefighter and city councilman Rich Dunne spent 30 years with the military and retired last year with the rank of chief master sergeant with the United States Air Force.
Between Sunday night’s news of bin Laden’s death and Monday morning, Dunne said he heard from 10 or so friends he has made in various branches of the military, including a former Navy man who had fought in a major battle in Fallujah, Iraq.
“I told him it was a great day for the SEALS. And while everyone felt bin Laden met a well-deserved demise, this does not mark the end of the War on Terrorism. There’s still work and due diligence to be done,” Dunne said.
From watching on television the gatherings in New York and Washington, D.C., what impressed Dunne was what a woman who had lost someone in the World Trade Center said.
“She noted that it wasn’t a celebration of a death, but a coming together for closure,” Dunne said.
Elgin cardiologist Dr. Khalid Riaz, who was born in Pakistan, noted that while it is a good thing that bin Laden, a symbol of extremism, is gone, “the conditions persist that allow extremism to take root.”
In Pakistan, where bin Laden was found, “lives are not going to change overnight. The poor are still poor. There still are not enough schools. That facts on the ground remain the same. Every single day remains unchanged,” Riaz said.
In the hopes of changing those conditions, Riaz, a naturalized U.S. citizen, was in his homeland of Pakistan last week, a journey he takes several times a year as a member of the Schaumburg-based Human Development Foundation. This time, the trip involved site visits to Lahore and Karachi and a board of directors meeting in Islamabad.
Osama bin Laden (full show 53min)
Watch the full episode. See more PBS NewsHour.
We got him!!!!
Notice to ALL terrorists: We WILL find you no matter how long it takes.
PS: Does "hide in plain site" ring a bell?
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