Osama bin Laden Dead!

[Langy]

Major news outlets are currently reporting that Osama bin Laden was killed by a US missile/bomb some time last week, and for the past week we've been verifying that it was him. Obama is set to address the nation soon. You can watch it live here and at other locations.

EDIT:

Contrary to earlier reports, Osama was killed during an assault on a compound just outside of the capital of Pakistan earlier today, not a bomb last week. He was apparently shot in the head, though it's not clear if we simply executed him or if he was resisting capture.

More info here.

[Inquisitor Lok]

Lol i was about to post this too
Pretty big news if its true.

They're are also going to stream it on CNN;
http://www.cnn.com/video/flashLive/l...stream3&hpt=C1

[-Str!ker-]

I was posting on it to. What do you guys think this will bring? I'm glad we finally got him for all the turmoil and death he has caused both here and in the Middle East.

[Trizzdog]

I should probably make a meaningful post about this but my fucking god I'm currently browsing about 5 forums and all I see is suddenly a bajillion threads about Osama bin Laden. At first I thought it was some spam bot breakout. I'll actually pay attention to this when the dust settles.

[Langy]

*Huge* moral boost, and a big boost to the President's approval rating, though neither effect may last for a particularly long time. Not sure what the international effect might be.

[CommodoreKitty]

Yeah, that is what I have been hearing. I have to be honest, after all this time I was sure that we were never going to get him. Good to see I was wrong. Whatever terrorists were under him will probably just join other organizations, but this is still a blow. I should think.

[Ogra_Chief]

Enjoy Hell you bastard...

[-Str!ker-]

As much as I don't like to celebrate people being dead. He got what was coming to him and I'm glad it was from our guys then just dying of a disease in some cave. I kinda wonder though if the victory will be short lived and he becomes a martyr to those he led and spur on more attacks?

[Croaxleigh]

From what I've heard on ABC, they waited several days to talk about it because they wanted to make sure it was him. They've done DNA tests on the body, comparing it to genetic material from his sister who died in the US a few years ago.

I kinda wonder though if the victory will be short lived and he becomes a martyr to those he led and spur on more attacks?

Supposedly the FBI and other law enforcement agencies are on high alert because of the possibility of retaliatory actions that might have been planned for this occasion.

[SpitfireMK461]

[Makenshi]

Damn I can already see this in his campaign next year: "Bin Laden eluded them for almost 8 years, I got him in less than 4". Not that it's true, there's a lot involved in such a pursuit.

[absauston]

I think him being dead has probably caused a jihad somewhere. Anyway, his actions will continue to affect the way we live, even though he is dead. Crazy isn't it?

[SpitfireMK461]

Really it's been 18 years of chasing him, ever since the first WTC bombing in '93.

[Saberdark]

I came in here without reading who posted it and assumed it was a troll/spam of some sort. Good to see I was wrong.

Personally I'm more surprised that he wasn't dead a long time ago. I've been assuming he was dead in a cave somewhere and we would never even know about it.

He's probably going to be more effective as a dead symbol than he ever was alive the last few years though.

[Croaxleigh]

Damn I can already see this in his campaign next year: "Bin Laden eluded them for almost 8 years, I got him in less than 4". Not that it's true, there's a lot involved in such a pursuit.

Well, Obama did mention killing him in one of the debates before the election. If nothing else, I guess it counts as keeping campaign promises.

[Mr Carrot]

Got to go into the office on the first train at.... 4:50am to do crisis reports urgh.

This is going to affect the rationale for Uk and Fr deployments in Afghanistan,

but anyway GG Yanks, America fuck yeah!

[Shaitan]

It wasn't a bomb however, they actually killed him in some sort of manned operation.

[Paladin]

Maybe after we wait out the inevitable furor that follows we can actually reduce the fucking terror alert below orange for the first time in 10 years. But somehow I doubt it, it's too useful to the government.

[Croaxleigh]

Paladin: They did away with the color-coded system back in January. It was replaced with a two-tier alert system, but there haven't been any alerts issued through the new system as yet.

[Paladin]

Then why is it every airport I passed through on my trip to and from Europe (Orange County, Houston, and San Francisco) were all constantly broadcasting that the current terror alert status was orange?

[Langy]

It wasn't a bomb however, they actually killed him in some sort of manned operation.

Yeah - turns out the earlier reports weren't 100% accurate. He was shot in the head by a SEAL team while in a mansion just outside Pakistan's capital, and this was earlier today, not last week. In any case, very good news. I have to wonder if he was just executed, though, or if he resisted capture personally.

[Buguba]

This is wonderful news for all the families he's broken. This is a great blessing for everyone (except Bin Laden of course).

[JAL-18]

We got him!

[Croaxleigh]

Then why is it every airport I passed through on my trip to and from Europe (Orange County, Houston, and San Francisco) were all constantly broadcasting that the current terror alert status was orange?

Not sure. The Homeland Security page on the terror alert system confirms that the color system is gone, though. The new system uses specific alerts (as in "We have reason to believe that something specific is going to happen" instead of "yeah, we're fucked") that have a built-in expiration date. I imagine that it'll get its first real test drive now that Bin Laden is dead, since it hasn't been used at all yet.

[guardsman lover]

Well, at least some people got satisfaction.

How the big picture will go, I don't really know. Sit tight.

[Mr Carrot]

Will bite,

end of GWOT this summer, draw down in Afghanistan, raison d'etre of GWOT has been slapping OBL for the last decade, UK and Fr will highly unlikely able to maintain public support for operations in Afghan, US support is already low. To be honest it's going to be hard to keep people caring about it now.

OBL is not only a great excuse to change how things are done, the fact he was in Pakistan shows that the pro-active focus is completely pointless in GWOT - transitioning to the security services overwatch stance which has been the actual effective portion of the GWOT since we pissed the initiative up the wall in 2002.

But yeah good times.

[dd14]

Can we bring our military home now?

[Akranadas]

@ Mr Carrot

Bin Laden was the symbol of Terrorism throughout the world. With the US finally taking him down, it shows that they can take out Terrorism, support for their actions in Afgahistan might actually rise.

[Starblade]

Well, that was easy.

[Mr Carrot]

Not by any predictions I have read, the point is that AQ will either disprese or have a go, OBL has always been a figurehead after the wrecking of AQ central command in the 2001 attacks on Afghanistan. You can never 'defeat' terrorism, you can mititgate it. Obama understood this prior to his election, he now has a perfect excuse to ditch the GWOT agenda now the public enemy has been offed.

Given that finding and killing OBL was the most popular reason for public support for Operations in Afghanistan I highly doubt there will be an upsurge in support for the NATO nation building mission (again with OBL not even being in Afghanistan....).

[Mirage Knight]

Smart thing using a SEAL team to nail him too. They not only have a body but also more than likely snagged a fair bit of intel relating to al-Qaeda's operations.

It's not the end of al-Qaeda, but this is an important milestone hopefully marking the beginning of the end. This demonstrates that with the right information, not even their top leaders can escape retribution.

[DeafMute]

So this is all 100% true?
Great news tbh, SEAL team?

My fav of all the US special forces. Fuck Yeah America!

[Mirage Knight]

Yup - SEAL team of 20-30. Shot him in the head during a firefight.

BOOYAH

[Ramrod]

I was woken up half an hour ago by my mother, who's frantically telling me "Obama's dead! They killed him!" First thing I think to myself is "what? The birthers can't be that crazy!" Then I read the actual headline. I would have facedesked if there had been a desk nearby.

Goodbye, you bastard.

[n0z3k1ll3r]

Contrary to earlier reports, Osama was killed during an assault on a compound just outside of the capital of Pakistan earlier today, not a bomb last week. He was apparently shot in the head, though it's not clear if we simply executed him or if he was resisting capture.

Not that I'm in anyway grieving for the bastard, but if he was executed isn't that... well a bit questionable? I don't think the conventions on not executing prisoners has a rider of "unless you really hate them".

[Kane935]

Were is the information that states that a SEAL team were apart of this operation? In either case, good job, and finally. But I doubt that it this point it will make a difference. Al-Qaeda is many headed hydra and it will probably be a tangible threat for a while longer yet.

[Paladin]

n0z3: The convention only applies if he had already been taken prisoner. If you shoot them before you take them prisoner it's just simple prudence

[molo]

I love that this has just been announced and there is already confusion about the details, some of it bordering on conspiracy theory... "I WONDER IF HE KNEW ABOUT THIS WHEN *" is cropping up all over.

[Akranadas]

My Favourite that I've read is that they captured him in 2002 and froze him till they needed the morale boost.

[Starblade]

I love that this has just been announced and there is already confusion about the details, some of it bordering on conspiracy theory... "I WONDER IF HE KNEW ABOUT THIS WHEN *" is cropping up all over.

I read that also killed were three men, one who might have been his brother, and a female meat shield.

Considering all that we have done trying to kill him I'm not sure if we can call this a victory or not. At least he's actually dead.

[n0z3k1ll3r]

n0z3: The convention only applies if he had already been taken prisoner. If you shoot them before you take them prisoner it's just simple prudence

If that's the case then it isn't an execution. Hence why I asked about that specifically.

[Croaxleigh]

So apparently, Fox News managed to botch the announcement just a bit.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mMP7Ys57ha4

[Starblade]

I feel this should be playing too for some reason.

[Paladin]

If that's the case then it isn't an execution. Hence why I asked about that specifically.

They're the media. If the operation was essentially just a no warning, immediate sniper kill attack, they'll characterize that as an execution.

[Energizer Bunny]

What does this do for US relationa with Pakistan? Strikes me they havent exactly come out of this smelling with roses given that he turned out to in a mansion in a wealthy suburb of Islamabad rather than in some cave in one of the far flung mountains.

[Langy]

Not that I'm in anyway grieving for the bastard, but if he was executed isn't that... well a bit questionable? I don't think the conventions on not executing prisoners has a rider of "unless you really hate them".

When I wrote that it was just idle speculation (and I'd also apply it to 'walked into room, saw him, shot him before he could surrender even though he was unarmed'), but since then I've heard that he was actually resisting.

Too bad the human shield died. Wonder who she was?

[TheWickedGerman]

Too bad the human shield died. Wonder who she was?

Hmm, They said no civilians died in the operations on the German Radio, maybe it was a family member that it wasn´t considered a civilian? Glad that he is dead though, he deserved it for sure. I´m not usually someone who supports revenge but this guy is responsible for so many death and suffering.

I wonder what long term consequences this will have, it could even lead to more terrorism, if they "rally behind the martyr".

They discussing here already the implications for the German anti-terror-laws that would end jan 2012 normally and are currently under investigation for an extension.

They also said in the radio that this will help help im for his re-election a lot. Is this true? To what degree can this be credited to him, if at all? Or will the majority don´t care and just support "the President who killed Obama" ?

[Mac_Bug]

OK, I'll bite, how do we know it's actually Osama? Maybe he died in a cave long ago and nobody found out so they decided to fake a better death of him? CNN just said they buried his body at sea, so...

PICS OR IT DIDN'T HAPPEN - Donald Trump

[Alliance]

yeah, while killing OBL will be a great morale boost an will most likely have some effect on AQ activities, it will do nothing to STOP terrorism, just like taking out Imad Mughniyeh did in israel.

[Vintage]

I think it's pretty fucked up Pakistan just let him chill in a mansion all this time.