As someone who lost friends on 9/11 (my office was then on the 82nd floor of Tower Two), knowing that the man responsible for the brutal murder of nearly 3,000 Americans is dead is deeply satisfying. It is even more gratifying knowing his death came as a result of American military action.
In the long term, I believe there is tremendous value in announcing to all those planning to do us harm that we will never stop coming after them. In a very Roman manner, the United States proved to the world that we will never stop searching and that there is no place to hide from our just wrath. Although the Islamic fascists who have declared war on America have always been able to recruit sufficient fanatics willing to kill themselves so as to advance their vile cause, the leadership has always been more circumspect. With few exceptions these men value their lives highly.
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Perhaps the knowledge that their actions will inevitably lead to America’s hunting them to the ends of the earth, intent on their death, will cause them to pause and reconsider attacking us in the future.
Even if Osama’s death does not put an end to the Islamic threat, it is still important for Americans to know that their country can and will sustain a manhunt for however long it takes.
Despite this great success, in the near to medium term I expect little change. Since shortly after 9/11, Osama has been little more than a figurehead. Even prior to 9/11 his only real value to the movement was as a source of funds. When those funds dried up so did most of his authority to command. Moreover, since 9/11, the U.S. military has done an outstanding job in tearing the original al-Qaeda to shreds. Osama truly represents the last of al-Qaeda’s old guard. The rest are dead or being held at Gitmo.
Surely, there is value in killing such an important inspiration to the Islamic-fascist movement. At the very least, jihadi morale will plummet — for a time. Unfortunately, the new al-Qaeda does not need bin Laden to continue operations. Long ago, al-Qaeda shifted to a decentralized organizational structure capable of attacking American and other Western interests without any guidance from the top. Thankfully, American military and intelligence agencies continue to pursue these scattered organizations with utmost ferocity. These ongoing American military operations are what keep us safe.
The war against Islamic fascism is far from over. Winning it will require relentless pursuit of our nation’s enemies in a brutal war that is often fought in the shadows. We have taken a huge step forward in this war, but victory remains a distant goal.
America has much to celebrate this morning. But it is too early to let our guard down.
We are, however, a little closer to the day when we can.
Over the next few days and weeks, we will find out a lot more about how Osama was discovered and how Special Operations Forces broke into his compound and killed him. I already have one question: How could Osama have lived in a huge compound — some say a mansion — since at least August (likely much longer) without coming to the attention of Pakistan’s all-pervasive intelligence service? That they were not aware of his presence is all the more unbelievable as it appears that his residence was in a town dominated by a Pakistani military base. Moreover, he was living in a compound at least eight times larger than any other house in the area, one constructed only in 2005. Did Pakistan’s intelligence service really miss it?
It is, however, to the credit of the Pakistani military that they provided valuable support for the attack, as it appears the American assault helicopters launched from a Pakistani airbase. Still, in a country as chaotic as Pakistan it is possible that one hand does not know what the other is doing. Other scenarios are, however, just as likely: We may not have told the Pakistanis the ultimate target, or when presented with evidence that we knew Osama’s location the Pakistanis may have decided he was no longer worth trying to protect.
Despite the fact that our special forces were on the ground only 40 minutes, I assume that they did not leave the compound before emptying it of everything of intelligence value. It will be interesting, therefore, to see if Osama’s movements over the past ten years are recorded on some computer disk now in our possession. I also expect that we may now possess a treasure trove of information that will fill in a number of intelligence gaps.
At the very least, we will likely discover whom Osama counted among his friends. I for one never considered it possible that he could have hidden so long in Pakistan without help from some very important persons in that country, and without the financial support of other persons in the region. No one his age and with his physical ailments can long survive hiding in a cave. So, it will be very interesting to discover who helped and protected him all these years.
— Jim Lacey is professor of strategic studies at the Marine Corps War College. He is also the author ofThe First Clash.
I am also going to be quite curious about how we found Bin Laden and the details of the operation. If the Pakistanis knew where he was all along, I wonder what it was that finally induced them to reveal his whereabouts.
Yes, unfortunately, we will probably experience new attacks (or new attempts to make attacks - unsuccessful, I hope). But it is a blow, and one that I hope spells the beginning of the end, as long as that may take, to Islamic radicalism.
I don't believe, though, that the "leadership" is circumspect around their followers. They may be with us, but that does not prevent their stealth. Our guard must remain up.
A hartfelt THANKS to all our men & women in uniform. Job well done. May god bless you and keep you out of harm's way. Hope you come home safely and swiftly. THANK YOU
It isn't a difficult bit of thinking to see who helped him all these years. He's in a pretty swank compound, so large that it had to attract attention, in a town filled with active duty military and military retirees. He's about halfway between a military institute and a hospital.
I'm going to go way out on a limb here, but I'm guessing it wasn't the Amish helping him.
The reports stated Bin Laden was killed last week and that we have the body etc...but BHO in his address last night used the word "today" to describe when he ordered the "strike"...makes no sense!!!???
While watching the news of Bin Laden's death this morning, I am struck by all the young people in the streets across the country chanting USA, USA waiving flags and singing our National Anthem. This is by far more interesting to me then Usama's death, which was inevitable if long in coming.
Are they now loyal patriots or have they always been patriots. We have seen and heard of so much America bashing in our schools and universities that I was beginning to think patriotism has been lost with our youth. I am encourage by their celebrations and sincerely hope that it represents the true feelings of our future leaders.
I too hope this signals the beginning of the end of our military's time in the ME.
More, I hope that in 25 years I won't be subjected to Osama bin Laden t-shirts on American teenagers at the shopping mall. The Che Guevara ones today are bad enough...
All a little too convenient for my liking; one only needs to review the subterfuge this administration orchestrated with the "defense" of DOMA to understand the lengths this group is willing to go to lend the appearance of acceptability to their depravity.
@VonSloneker
While I share your optimism as I wrote on Mr. Hanson's post that indeed this is a good day for America but we must remember that while this is a huge victory symbolically, strategically it means nothing.
Regrettably the struggle against islamo-fascism/terrorism will likely remain a long blood slog.
As for Che T-shirts, judging by the raucous college crowd outside the white house...likely not, on the other hand until we see photo evidence likely we'll have years of 'Osama vacationing in the tropics with Elvis and Jim Morrison' tripe for years to come...
1 – Good that US forces killed him up close and personal. It sends the right message. Better late than never.
2- Let’s get busy exploiting all intel collected on site – there’s plenty more enemies out there.
3- Pakistan, could we have a word with you please?
4 – Watch out for terrorist attacks retaliating – expect attempts at a “spectacular” to recapture high ground in the headlines.
5- Body handled according to Islamic tradition? Tacitly recognizing that we know he was a “good” Muslim and that we respect Muslims who think likewise. That’s OK I guess, since it’s true. And it’s not our style to deliberately defile enemy corpses.
6– Buried at sea so there’s no “shrine?” Shrines are something more found in Shi’ism, not among Sunnis. OBL and his people don’t believe in shrines – are vehemently against them in fact. So this is in accordance with what they’d want anyway – except that they’d want him buried in the ground, not in the sea.
7 – “It’s Bush’s fault” – They won’t be telling us that about this particular continuation of his work.
I understand that Osama Bin Laden was born on March 10, 1957. If that is true, he was 54 years old when the U.S. government killed him and was 44 on 09/11/2001. Most people in their mid-forties to mid-fifties can move around pretty well. I heard reports that he needed kidney dialysis; if that is true, then he would be a slower mover.
- Does his death cut into his funding stream? If so, that will tremendously cripple the Al-Qaeda* organization.
- In accessing the Bin Laden compound we essentially did the same as if we had taken Moscow during the Cold War. Surely we gained massive amounts of intelligence which may similarly impact Al-Qaeda*.
- What will happen in Pakistan internally?
- Will Middle Easterners believe we killed him, or will they see it as a fiction and fabrication?
- How long will we hold on to the great feeling of national pride and reverence we feel today? How long before the usual suspects come out on our own shores denouncing this? It was less than a week for 9/11. We shall see.
* Al-Qaeda of course is a franchise operation with many different components worldwide.
Doesn't anyone, besides me, believe it's, at very least, a striking coincidence that at a moment when Obama's re-election seems seriously in doubt, an event so spin-worthy occurs?
And spin it, they have. Yet, even in the self-imposed glory of the day, Obama couldn't help but throw in an exceptional note concerning Muslim leaders. "Bin Laden was not a Muslim leader..." he said in his usual agenda-driven, self-acclaiming pontification.
Seems to me, as a non leader of muslims, bin Laden certainly led a lot of muslims to assist in his murderous pursuits. He certainly obtained considerable financial backing from other, I suppose, non leader muslims, who happen to be leaders of muslim nations.
Obama's personal agenda is plain to anyone not still trapped in the goo of his hope and change mantra, or to anyone who was never entrapped and, also, not fearful of honestly criticizing the great, not-to-be-criticized, infallible diety-in-chief. He has continually excused the behavior of terror-sponsoring nations, suggesting in no uncertain terms, it was, in fact, our fault. Do people have memories? This man said these things. He believes them. He still despises America's history, America's greatness. His heart has not changed.
Obama and his ilk have worked diligently to spread the belief that America is in decline and there is nothing we can do about it. We'd better get used to it and expect a different world in which America is no longer the sole superpower and, in their new world, is no longer the world's greatest nation. They have done their best to undermine history to reflect their view that America never was great.
Don't forget that man. He must be replaced by a leader who loves America, who honors America's past and believes in its future as the great peace-loving, benevolent superpower it has been for the better part of a century. Don't let his campaign foolery work you. Stay focused on what you know about him. Don't get caught up in a moment of exultation over a minor event in a great war on terror in which our enemies are not only evil terror organizations, but all who support them. We are at war with nations who stealthily hide behind curtains, but pull strings on the actors. Obama would have you forget them, for they are, he's made clear, his friends.
Despite his ideological agenda, Obama has proved himself a politician and politicians desire one thing most of all: to be re-elected and he's doing his fumbling best to spin his way to it. Your vote is all that stands between your America and Obama's America. Which do you want...really?
sombreros divertidos- exploiting intel would be great but you are asking this from an administration that refuses to charge 249 individuals, organizations and mosques in the USA where we have evidence from the Holy Land Foundation case.
I'm in agreement with everything Mr. Lacey had to say. I just wanted to stress the point of the intel I hope we gained from his compound. I realize we were in and out in 40 minutes, but I would feel much better if we had taken that place apart brick by brick and left no stone unturned.
Regardless, I am certain the CIA is making quick work of anything gained. From the sounds of it they gained a ton of intel.
