Binladen dead.

[Steve]

Pretty much.

Will they launch more attacks? Maybe. If they do, they have to expose their networks, which means we can go after them. They have to replace the ordinance that they expend. Which means they have to smuggle more ordinance in to replace what they use in Afghanistan / Iraq. In doing so, they expose their smuggling operations. Which means we have a better chance of tracking them down.

I spent a couple of years in Kandahar. While I was there, the hajis rarely took down Americans with IEDs. They did get a lot of locals though. Which doesn't really engender feelings of love and brotherhood among the populace.

Oh, and worried about increasing ISAF fatalities? Really? I always thought ISAF stood for "I Saw A Fob". Didn't really see many ISAF forces out on the roads. The Brits patrolled in the areas around their bases. And the Canadians ran their leased German tanks through the Panjwe* Valley pretty regularly. But I didn't see a whole lot of other troops outside the wire running missions. And my happy a$$ ran all the heck over 205th Corps. And not a few of those trips were playing nursemaid for ISAF dignitaries. Their own countries didn't provide security for them. Too dangerous. They used us Americans, and then got pissy when we had to shoot up the locals to make mission. Unless somebody in ISAF found a spare set of testicles, I highly doubt ISAF is going to be exposed to a ton more risk, other than maybe more mortars and rockets.

*And no, I have no idea how to spell Panjwe. Sadly, I don't speak squiggly.

[Eyes On]

I thought ISAF was "I Saw Americans Fighting" or "I Shoot At Friendlies."

[Nox]

Why the burial at sea?
That makes no sense what so ever.
Never mind, I forgot about the muslim tradition of burial before sundown however the argument could be made that Bin Laden stopped being a muslim when he became a mass murderer.
Islam is the religion of peace after all.

I don't get it either - there would be more weight carried if the body were to have been videotaped rather than pictured (Claims of Photoshop could be rampant by those trying to make the idea of UBL live on) and the forces should have kept the body for absolute positive verification, not some facial recognition crap.
They did it with Saddam's 2 sons, they did it with another baddie in Afghanistan..why all the touchy feely bullshit for the muslim religion now?
Keep the body on ice, get concrete video proof it's him, then cremate his stupid a$$ and dump it in the ocean - and hopefully in hell Hitler makes him his phony pony.
For being the most sought after criminal in the world.. a capture/kill, removal of the body to a ship, DNA and facial recognition verification and then burial at sea in what 24 hours or less?
Isn't that a little.....fast?

At any rate, I hope his worthless carcass is eaten by a shark that;s fed from a sunken pork transport ship then crapped out over the wreckage.

[Nails]

I don't get it either - there would be more weight carried if the body were to have been videotaped rather than pictured (Claims of Photoshop could be rampant by those trying to make the idea of UBL live on) and the forces should have kept the body for absolute positive verification, not some facial recognition crap.
They did it with Saddam's 2 sons, they did it with another baddie in Afghanistan..why all the touchy feely bullshit for the muslim religion now?
Keep the body on ice, get concrete video proof it's him, then cremate his stupid a$$ and dump it in the ocean - and hopefully in hell Hitler makes him his phony pony.
For being the most sought after criminal in the world.. a capture/kill, removal of the body to a ship, DNA and facial recognition verification and then burial at sea in what 24 hours or less?
Isn't that a little.....fast?

At any rate, I hope his worthless carcass is eaten by a shark that;s fed from a sunken pork transport ship then crapped out over the wreckage.

Your assuming there is no video, which is wrong. John Brennan gave a briefing about how the President followed the raid in real time through a video uplink. This means video and probably a lot of it. Also, I bet that the entire burial service was videotaped as well. (Just like when the navy buried Russian sailors in 1974. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QU3zVz3i_r4)

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-13263426

[Nox]

I'm only assuming what they've told us so far, and nothing more.
They say there are pictures, but nothing said about video - and until something is mentioned, I'm going to go by what's been reported because to assume I know more is less than intelligent.
I'm not sure what the sea burial is going to provide if it's been videotaped, other than a white sheet wrapped body going overboard off the board.

And while the Pres might have followed through video uplink, I don't doubt it was from a Predator drone flying overhead which is usually what happens.
What I mean by video is someone in a US uniform standing right next to the body as the face is uncovered by a sheet, with whatever is going on in the background.
Basically, giving all the conspiracy theorists and naysayers imperical proof that it isn't a faked anything, and it's the real deal lying on the slab.
Don't get me wrong, I'm not complaining that the world is taking the current word for it, but damn it'd be nice to have absolute, 100% un-fuck-withable proof that it's his dead a$$ and shut every individual that wants to say otherwise right the hell up.
Not 'top down' drone video, not the fuzzy "oh shit, my camera is a little dirty" video, but crisp clean unmistakeable 'is that brain in his eyebrow?' video.

[Steve]

I thought ISAF was "I Saw Americans Fighting" or "I Shoot At Friendlies."

Also acceptable: I Slaughter Afghan Families

[KA-BAR]

most of the pics we have taken of inusrgents or high value targets ...

they still had a face that could be shown in a pic...

Osama has a bullet in his fuckin face and the pic is probably not that pretty.


chances are it will be classified for about the next five to ten years.

all of the realtime stuff that those in the situation room got...was info from blue force tracker, drone and other video & audio feeds that were with the boots on the ground. they watched it happen as if it was on TV.



so there are no pictures of jesus christ on the cross....just some books word on it... guess everyone shoud just give up on that....no real proof there.

[congofal]

Don't forget there is tons of video of the Moon Landings and people still argue that they where faked, so no matter what evidence there is (video or photos) people are still going to question if they are real or faked.

[KA-BAR]

The long view of history I believe is going to largely confirm that Bush's initial approach in the Afghan region was correct. Iraq will take a lot more debate.

I think both Bush and Obama deserve credit for this. Bush for developing the initial policy, laying the pressure as was, and then reforming our approach at the end of his presidency that led up to this. Obama for continuing it, fine-tuning it, and having enough faith in the generals, professionals, and soldiers that executed this. The last of the three in turn I agree deserve the most credit. They pounded the shoe leather tracking this guy and in the end took the genuine risk of executing this mission, much as they have done day-in and day-out. Even if Bin Laden may have lost influence over the years, this sends out major signals in every regard to noone who is a genuine threat can get away. That high level of a kill can often do a lot to shatter the ranks of any organization, because now everyone within Al-Qaeda and it's variously tied militias can no longer trust anyone or believe to an inkling that they can work without surveillance, regardless of tight-knit their operation is.

Regarding Pakistan, the double-game has been going since at least the late 1990's when ISI backed the Taliban in both arms and cash as they took over Afghanistan, and the country its self has an extensive history of either directly and indirectly funding madrassas and as a society are still getting dividends from their islamist policies in the 1970's, much of those finding their home in the Pakistani military and intelligence services, which effectively govern the country. Pakistani democracy is simply the skin over what is still very much a military dictatorship, and it's probably our continued intervention and diplomatic pressure that has kept it from reverting.

Regardless, I'm on the same boat in terms of the double-scheming, but anyone who has even a rough background into Pakistani history especially in the past 40 years will know though that their foremost regional interests are in the control of Afghanistan, and through the past 30 years have demonstrated that they are willing to back anyone who can secure them that control via proxy state. The Mujahadeen fit that role through the 1980's, The Taliban fit that role in the late 1990's, and Karzai fit that role until a few years ago until it became clear that his government will likely not survive once we draw down. And if one pays attention to the trends, Pakistan has proven an extensive history of recieving arms and supplies from the U.S. and other major powers, letting them intervene in the region, but all the while subverting that same power in order to ensure that at the end of the day they are in position to re-assume control in whatever form it may be. Considering what all Afghanistan offers in terms of the opium trade, resources, potential gas pipeline trails (which would funnel through the Indus Valley and into Karachi,) they have every notion to be interested and assertive in trying to dominate it. The problem coming in that fact that they are also willing to support men of very perverted worldview and ideology, the Taliban being the clearest example of this.

Bin Laden I worry is going to become proof of this, although I hope to God that he got there through factions that the Pakistani military is indeed trying to eliminate since recent years have shown that many of those tribal/islamist groups do not have the support of the vast share of the Pakistani people or military. Worst case scenario is going to be though that Al-Qaeda and likeminded groups do have a prolific amount of officials, officers, and generals within the Pakistani military and intelligence, and with them being a nuclear state, you can see where this is going. I agree with you though Extreme, we need to go ahead and start preparing for India becoming a player in the region now, because it's becoming clearer and clearer that a significant portion of the Pakistani gov't, army and ISI can not be trusted, and they're betraying our trust in likely some of the worst ways imaginable for what is likely amounting to little more than a prolonged regionalist agenda.


we need to put our chip on india....and if pakistan decides to court china....we will dismantle them piece by piece.

[PanzerFaust]

Don't forget there is tons of video of the Moon Landings and people still argue that they where faked, so no matter what evidence there is (video or photos) people are still going to question if they are real or faked.

this.

[MitchD]

The official says the challenge is that the picture that includes the most recognizable image of OBLs face – from the hangar in Afghanistan – is so gruesome and mangled its not appropriate for say the front page of the newspaper. On the other hand, this is the one that is most identifiable as him.

http://whitehouse.blogs.cnn.com/2011/05 ... os/?hpt=T1

[KA-BAR]

stolen from Troy Mohr's FB...

You may or may or may not see it coming, but it doesn't really matter. You're not going to have time to react. Because a bullet can travel at speeds exceeding 3200 feet per second, which is too fast to duck or yell or plead. Hang in there. ...Taking a cap to the dome means that it will be over faster than a fatal wound anywhere else.

The bullet with your name on it slides past hair, skin and muscle before it smashes into one of eight cranial bones engineered to keep your brain safe. Unfortunately, it's too late for that now. Bullets beat bones. The projectile's entrance into your skull makes easy shrapnel of your calcium, phosphorus, sodium, and collagen case. As a souvenir of the opening, you gain a circular hole rimmed with abraded skin. Distance matters, too: The closer you are to the bullet, the more the gun's smoke and powder could burn your flesh.

But enough about the blemish; the real work happens deeper. The connective tissue and fibrous membranes that act as internal cushioning are split open just before the bullet dives into your cerebrospinal fluid. This fluid serves as a shock absorber. It, with some other structures, allows you to ride roller coasters and join mosh pits without injury. But again, because your 3.4-pound control system is being taken out, this will be your last head bang.

The bullet travels through your brain faster than the speed at which your tissues tear. This means that it's actually pushing tissues out of the way, stretching them beyond their breaking points. When high velocity long arms are responsible, bullets traveling at thousands of feet per second will exit your body before your tissues have a chance to rip.

The ability to process information and solve problems? All gone when the bullet shoves its way through your prefrontal cortex. Your ability to index memories? Gone with your hippocampus. In the bullet's wake, a long temporary cavity is left. When the tearing finally does happen, your tissues will snap back toward the initial opening and overshoot their original position. You know that back and forth thing that happens when you kick one of those springy door stops? Well that's what your tissues do when the shock waves kick them.

Then the passage collapses. The high-speed firearm that produced the bullet created a disruption in your brain 10 times its diameter.

But you're lucky, relatively speaking. If you were shot in the heart, your blood pressure would quickly drop, but it would take 10 to 15 seconds to lose brain function. In that time you could draw your gun, utter last words, or spend some time thinking about your unfortunate situation. But a shot to the brain is different. Your brain stops functioning almost immediately. In just a fraction of a second, you're gone.

[KA-BAR]

100 hard drives, 5 computers, 100's of flash drives, DVDs and other digital storage devices.

Intel GOLD!

[DJ]

100 hard drives, 5 computers, 100's of flash drives, DVDs and other digital storage devices.

Intel GOLD!

Indeed, probably the best thing to come out of this. Offing OBL is very cool, but the intel is probably going to result in a lot more of the terrorists getting Excedrin headache # .308................

[KA-BAR]

+1 DJ...uh oh, we agree on something....next we will be holding hands talking about the future....