Reflections On Bin Laden's Demise

By Semperpapa

As well known on this blog, my dissent with President Obama is profound and unmistakable. But this morning, following the magnificent news of the death of Osama bin Laden at the hands of SpecOps operatives, via CIA gathered intelligence, I want to give credit where credit is due.

The decision to execute the operation must be praised. To authorize a Special Operation action like this one, deep into enemy territory, the political and Military repercussions potentially high, shows that on May 1st 2011, Obama got it right.

I waited for the President's address to the Nation last night. There were parts I appreciated greatly, especially those regarding the incredible job performance of the Military and of the Intelligence operatives.
But there were some points where I felt the President was emphasizing the pronoun "I" too much, moving the discussion from a National level to one of personal self-gratification.
The truth of the matter is that regardless of any grandstanding that the President could have done, much of the merit for the demise of bin Laden was going to be a feather in the cap of the President. In my opinion, his address would have been much classier and presidential if Obama had refrained from so much "me, myself and I."

In the overall scheme of the speech, though, I was satisfied.

From the operational prospective, this action was outstanding.
The latest I heard, and I am sure more details will surface in the coming days, a group of about 40 Seal Team operators staged at a Pakistani air base in the north of that country and descended upon a large compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan.
The location had been discovered by human intelligence on the ground and after extensive intelligence work, insurance of the presence of the al Qaeda leader was obtained and the President authorized the operation.
According to reports, the SEAL Team traveled by helicopter to the compound, descended on its occupants and engaged them into a firefight, netting bin Laden's and one of his sons. A third victim is reported to have been a woman held in the place as a human shield.

Most importantly, no US casualty was reported, even after one of the four choppers that participated in the incursion had to make a hard landing for mechanical problems and was subsequently destroyed by the commando operatives.
The Team was also able to get Osama's body out for positive identification via DNA testing.

One word about the SpecOps elements. These are American Heroes that operate in conditions that we, common mortals, cannot even imagine. Without even touching on the issue of the continuous danger they conduct their business in, the fact that they are isolated from their families and friends for months at the time to insure their operational security, these folks have a level of training and dedication that is truly uncommon.

Finally, a word on Pakistan. This country, supposedly our ally in combating radical Islamic terrorism, is once again showing that they cannot be trusted. Intelligence about this compound in Abbottabad goes back to 2005. A larger than usual conglomerate of buildings, surrounded by very tall walls with barbed wire on them. According to reports, the city is one with high Pakistani military presence.
The obvious questions, then, are: why did Pakistan not communicate with our government about such "unusual" construction in Abbottabad? How was bin Laden's presence in that city not detected by Pakistani military and intelligence apparatus?
Suspicion is high in this writer's mind, as it is in the minds of many others.
To compound the suspicion, President Obama, stated in his speech, that the operation was American, omitting any thanks to Pakistan.
There are two possible answers: one is that the Pakistani government was in the dark of the true details of the action, in which case it means that they were harboring bin Laden willfully; the second is that the Pakistani government specifically requested that it would remain hidden from any connection to the operation so not to spark the protest of the radical portion of that country.

In the end, the good news is that finally some closure may be reached by the families of the 9-11 attacks victims. Now, if we can achieve similar results with Zawahiri and watch Sheik Mohamed hang from the gallows pole, America would feel even better.

Way to go, SEAL Team and all those in the Military and Intelligence community that supported them in this successful operation.
And thank you, President Obama.

Just my thoughts!