Bin Laden was shot while shooting back, the official reported. Contrary to some reports, the operation was intended to kill or capture bin Laden, although all involved thought capture was unlikely.
Intelligence officials discovered the compound in August while monitoring an al-Qaida courier. The CIA had been hunting that courier for years, ever since detainees told interrogators that the courier was so trusted by bin Laden that he might very well be living with the al-Qaida leader.
On the one hand, Osama bin Laden, the son of a gun who was responsible for the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, is dead. He died in a firefight with U.S. forces this weekend at his heretofore secret compound in Pakistan. One of the reports last night said the U.S. has bin Laden’s body in custody, which made me wonder where his mind is.
Are we to believe that U.S. intelligence officials knew this compound existed for five years, yet the Pakistan government was never able to pin down who exactly was living in it? The AP story later suggests that intelligence on the building’s occupants came from “multiple sources” but does not say which ones. It also reports that the raid was conducted “without collaboration with Pakistani intelligence.” Perhaps because advising Pakistani intelligence of the raid may have compromised the mission? It would seem that Islamabad has a lot to answer for this morning.
Now that American has its hands on the prize — dead or alive, the president said, and we have him dead — you can bet that the boys hiding out in the caves in the Middle East have a trick or two up their sleeve. If they were mad before, they’ll be even more irritated now.
Josh Barkley, a member of the Ossian Town Council, posted on Facebook last night that he was praying Homeland Security was on its game.
No comments:
Post a Comment