Noam Chomsky: My Reaction to Osama bin Laden's Death
We might ask ourselves how we would be reacting if Iraqi commandos landed at George W. Bush's compound, assassinated him, and dumped his body in the Atlantic.
New footage emerges of bin Laden compound
Al Jazeera has obtained new footage of the compound where Osama bin Laden was killed. The pictures show the interiors of the house where the al-Qaeda leader is thought to have been hiding for up to six years. Imtiaz Tyab reports from Abbottabad, Pakistan.
Pentagon Releases Videos of Osama bin Laden
Newly released videos show Osama bin Laden inside his hideout, watching himself on television and rehearsing for propaganda videos. The clips were selected by the Pentagon from what it says it seized from bin Laden's compound. (May 7)
Pakistan lawmakers demand president step down
Prominent Pakistani lawmakers called for President Asif Ali Zardari and other senior government officials to resign Saturday after the American raid that killed Osama bin Laden and embarrassed the nation. The demands followed a week in which countless questions swirled about how much the Pakistani government knew about bin Laden's hiding place and why the military was powerless to prevent U.S. commandos from helicoptering into the country to kill the al Qaeda chief.
Radars were inactive, not jammed: air chief
Pakistan Air Force has assured the government that no foreign helicopters or fighter planes will be allowed to violate the Pakistani air space in future and if ordered, the PAF can shoot down the US drones.
Torture May Have Slowed Hunt For Bin Laden, Not Hastened It
Torture apologists are reaching precisely the wrong conclusion from the back-story of the hunt for Osama bin Laden, say experienced interrogators and intelligence professionals.
Bin Laden compound was a command center: U.S. official
The compound in Pakistan where U.S. forces killed Osama bin Laden was an active command center from which he directed al Qaeda, a senior intelligence official said on Saturday as he released videos showing bin Laden watching himself on tape and rehearsing speeches.
Briefing on Bin Laden Documents
The Obama administration has briefed reporters on Saturday, including The Times's Elisabeth Bumiller, on the contents of some videos seized during the commando raid of Osama bin Laden's compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan.
The Defeat of the United States by Al Qaeda
Since the announced killing of Emanuel Goldstein — er, Osama Bin Laden — I've seen much speculation on what kind of big terror attack we can expect in retaliation. But if Al Qaeda was capable of a large-scale, spectacular reprisal attack, I think they'd already have done it between 9-11 and now. Their actual pattern since then has been one of poorly organized, penny ante attacks, carried out by poorly trained people — suggesting that they picked the low-hanging fruit on 9-11.
White House releases home movies of Bin Laden watching himself on the news
Extraordinary home videos taken from Osama bin Laden's hideout show the terrorist leader watching news coverage of himself on television. The videos were seized by Navy SEALs after Bin Laden was killed Monday. They were shown to reporters this afternoon by intelligence officials.
66% Pakistanis believe person killed in US raid was not Osama
ISLAMABAD: A majority of urban Pakistanis believe that the person killed by US special forces during a raid in the garrison city of Abbottabad on Monday was not Osama bin Laden, according to a survey.
May 06, 2011
Doubts grow on US version of strike against bin Laden
The head of the CIA has admitted that there was no live video footage of the raid on Osama bin Laden's compound as further doubts emerged about the US version of events.
Media Scrambles as Bin Laden Story Crumbles
While the establishment media was busy parroting President Obama's announcement of Osama bin Laden's supposed assassination, reporting the unsubstantiated claims as if they were unquestionable facts, much of the so-called “alternative” press was far more cautious — and accurate, it turns out. But more importantly, with the new official storyline indicating that bin Laden was in fact unarmed, bigger and much more important questions are beginning to emerge.
Obama murdered bin Laden for a fistful of votes
U.S. President Barack Obama ignored all the ethical criteria, and murdered bin Laden in order to achieve success at any price in advance of the elections. Even someone who prefers Obama to his opponents has good reason to fear the cynicism that Obama demonstrated in the bin Laden affair.
Osama Bin Laden Raid: Al Qaeda 'Playbook' Revealed
U.S. intelligence is now in possession of a veritable "playbook" of al Qaeda operations -- from potential terror attack targets to information on international safe houses and top commanders -- thanks to the Navy SEAL raid that took down Osama bin Laden Sunday, officials told ABC News today.
Pakistan paints dismal image of bin Laden's end
Pakistan's military paints a different picture than the United States of Osama bin Laden's final days: far from the terror mastermind still trying to strike America, he's seen as an aging terrorist hiding in barren rooms, short of money and struggling to maintain his grip on al-Qaida.
The Osama Bin Laden Exception
When I first wrote about the bin Laden killing on Monday, I suggested that the intense (and understandable) emotional response to his being dead would almost certainly drown out any discussions of the legality, ethics, or precedents created by this event. That, I think, has largely been borne out, at least in the U.S. (one poll shows 86% of Americans favor the killing, though that's hardly universal: a poll in Germany finds 64% view this as "no reason to rejoice," while 52% believe an attempt should have been made to arrest him; many European newspapers have harshly criticized U.S. actions; and German Prime Minister Angela Merkel's declaration of happiness over bin Laden's death provoked widespread criticism even in her own party). I expected -- and fully understand -- that many people's view of the bin Laden killing is shaped first and foremost by happiness over his death.
Pentagon backtracks on claims that Bin Laden put up a fight
After shooting Mr Kuwaiti dead in the guest house, along with a woman who was there, the US Navy Seals moved on to the main building and no further shots were fired in resistance, the officials said, painting a somewhat different picture from the prolonged firefight initially described. The raid culminated with the killing of Bin Laden on the top floor of the compound residence proper.
Furious bin Laden supporters vow to take revenge
HUNDREDS of Osama bin Laden supporters clashed with English Defence League extremists today as a "funeral service" for the assassinated terror leader sparked fury outside London's US Embassy.
The Trump Backlash Begins
By taunting the tycoon with jokes and taking out Osama, the president muscled Donald Trump out of the news. Howard Kurtz on why the master showman will find it hard to repair his image.
U.N. rights investigators seek facts on bin Laden death
U.N. human rights investigators called on the United States on Friday to disclose whether there had been any plan to capture Osama bin Laden and if he was offered any "meaningful prospect of surrender and arrest."
Bin Laden's wife spent 5 years in Pakistani house
One of three wives living with Osama bin Laden told Pakistani interrogators she had been staying in the al-Qaida chief's hideout for five years, and could be a key source of information about how he avoided capture for so long, a Pakistani intelligence official said Friday.
Bin Had
Bin Laden might have been a bad guy ... but the way his life and death have been used has been dishonest.
May 05, 2011
The Assassination of bin Laden: Its Use and Abuse
The assassination of bin Laden has been celebrated as a great strategic victory by the White House, the European capitals and all the major mass media outlets throughout the world. The killing has served as a major propaganda tool to enhance the standing of the US military in the eyes of the domestic public and to serve as a warning to overseas adversaries.
The Assassination of Osama Bin Laden
Those persons who deal with these issues know that on September 11 of 2001 our people expressed its solidarity to the US people and offered the modest cooperation that in the area of health we could have offered to the victims of the brutal attack against the Twin Towers in New York.
Evidence at bin Laden's home raises nuclear concerns
Intelligence analysts are sifting through phone numbers and email addresses found at Osama bin Laden's compound to determine potential links to Pakistani government and military officials while U.S. officials and analysts raise concerns about the safety of Pakistan's nuclear materials.
Obama: bin Laden sea burial 'was respectful'
Earlier this week, we told you that some Islamic scholars questioned President Obama's decision to bury Osama bin Laden at sea--arguing that a maritime burial isn't in keeping with Muslim practice.
More Questions on Bin Laden
It is at times of peak emotion that rationality is most important. With that in mind, we published "Twelve Questions on Bin Laden." This drew a strong response from readers interested in carefully studying the situation. Here are some more matters to ponder and discuss:
China slams US bin Laden operation
China has criticized the United States for violating' Pakistan's sovereignty by carrying out a military operation to kill al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden.
Source: Only 1 killed in bin Laden raid was armed
Only one of the five people killed in the raid that got Osama bin Laden was armed and fired any shots, a senior defense official said Thursday, acknowledging the new account differs greatly from original administration portrayals of a chaotic, intense and prolonged firefight.
Photos show three dead men at bin Laden raid house
Photographs acquired by Reuters and taken about an hour after the U.S. assault on Osama bin Laden's compound in Abbottabad in Pakistan show three dead men lying in pools of blood, but no weapons.
Pakistan army wants cuts in US military personnel
Pakistan's army on Thursday called for cuts in the number of U.S. military personnel inside the country to protest the American commando raid that killed Osama bin Laden, and threatened to cut cooperation with Washington if it stages more unilateral raids on its territory.
Osama bin Laden death: Pakistan says US may have breached sovereignty
As more detailed accounts of the assault on Bin Laden's compound in Abbottabad by US special forces emerged, international lawyers, religious leaders and human rights groups called for clearer justification of the legitimacy of the raid.
Pakistan warns America not to stage any more raids
Pakistan warned America Thursday of "disastrous consequences" if it carries out any more unauthorized raids against suspected terrorists like the one that killed Osama bin Laden.
First the tears, now the anger: Pakistanis burn U.S. flags as backlash over Bin Laden's death grows
These were the angry scenes across Pakistan today as Muslims staged protests against the killing of Al Qaeda leader Osama Bin Laden. Hundreds of people marched through Multan, burning U.S. flags and waving placards as they warned the terrorist's death could produce many more radical figures to take his place.
Fidel Castro criticizes US for bin Laden kill
Fidel Castro has criticized the United States for the manner in which its forces killed al-Qaida mastermind Osama bin Laden, saying it executed him in front of his family.
Staged Al Qaeda Rail Attack Plot To Be Used To Further Implement TSA At "Soft" Spots Nationwide?
Just days after the staged media spectacle of the assassination of Osama Bin Laden, the corporate media and the Department of Homeland Security have released intelligence that claims that Al Qaeda is considering attacking U.S. railroads on the 10th anniversary of the September 11th terror attacks.
9/11 Family Invited To Presidential Ground Zero Visit Snubs Obama
As 50 carefully selected families prepare to join President Barack Obama for a ceremony at the World Trade Center site Thursday, one of the invited 9/11 families have decided to pass on the Commander-in-chief's visit.
Spin and evasion over Bin Laden's death will sow distrust and hatred
The White House's first account of the killing of Osama Bin Laden at the hands of U.S. Navy Seals was crystal clear. He had died while firing an automatic weapon and using his wife as a 'human shield', thereby forcing her to sacrifice her life. Now it emerges that this first account was wholly inaccurate.
Why the US had it wrong about bin Laden's hideout
The dramatic raid on Osama bin Laden's compound in a Pakistani town this week capped a decade-long manhunt, but it also revealed just how wrong the US had been about where the world's most wanted terrorist was hiding.
Could the bin Laden Raid Have Revealed a Secret New Helicopter?
A picture of the tail rotor of the chopper that the Navy Seals' Team Six detonated revealed unfamiliar features. Reports say it could be a new, secret helicopter. When the Team Six members reached Osama bin Laden's compound in Abbottabad one of the choppers made a "controlled but hard landing," according to reports, probably due to higher than expected temperatures.
Secret, stealth chopper in compound wreckage?
Images of the wreckage of the helicopter left behind at Osama bin Laden's compound by U.S. forces have prompted speculation that the chopper is a secret, highly-modified version of the military's iconic Black Hawk.
An eyewitness of Pakistan said, "I have lived here all my life, I have never seen Osama Bin Laden come or go from here. We are a close knit community. At least we would have seen him once, but we did not. And even if he was killed, the Pakistan army should have conducted the operation"
How secretive and shabby the Americans are
As with John F Kennedy, whose brain was stolen, his car washed of its blood, film of his autopsy made to vanish, his alleged assassin murdered and that assassin's evidence unrecorded, burnt or discarded, we have here, now, a significant body, the corpse of the world's most wanted man, ‘buried at sea'. Why do this? Why even think of it, when identifying him forensically was critical to the peace of the Arab and Muslim world?
"On the Rocks," The Re-Death of Bin Laden's Frozen Corpse
The incident this week in Abbottabad, Pakistan was always intended to be "self-discrediting." In a time of rigged voting machines and rule by decree, a time of military tribunals and tortured defendants, the concept of evidence and accountability is a joke. Consider the current bin Laden farce what it was intended to be, the American government reminding its people and the people of the world how little respect it has for them.
'Fog of War' My Ass: White House and CIA Caught in a Lie about Osama Bin Laden Assassination
In the end they couldn't get away with it. As I noted back on Monday in my first article on the Sunday Navy SEAL raid into Pakistan that killed Osama Bin Laden, President Obama himself spilled the beans in his initial midnight statement, when he said, "After a firefight, they killed Osama bin Laden and took custody of his body."
White House Sees Bin Laden Killing as Precedent
The US raid that killed Osama bin Laden in Abbottabad came without any permission from the Pakistani government. Most people overlooked this given the nature of the target, and assumed the attack was a "special case."
Raid poses narrative challenge for White House
For President Barack Obama, the test now is in the telling. The White House has struggled to craft its account of the audacious raid that killed Osama bin Laden for both a jubilant American public and a skeptical Muslim world, correcting parts of its narrative, withholding others and, after internal debate, deciding not to release photos that could be considered too provocative.
Osama bin Laden dead: Blackout during raid on bin Laden compound
The head of the CIA admitted yesterday that there was no live video footage of the raid on Osama bin Laden's compound as further doubts emerged about the US version of events. A photograph released by the White House appeared to show the President and his aides in the situation room watching the action as it unfolded. In fact they had little knowledge of what was happening in the compound.
President Barack Obama, Vice President Joe Biden and Secretary of State Hilary Clinton, along with members of the national security team, receive an update on the mission against Osama bin Laden in the Situation Room of the White House Photo: PETER SOUZA What were they actually watching? Was this Photo Staged? Originally the White House also suggested top officials watched the raid live through a video feed. Terror czar Brennan, for example, claimed that they “had real-time visibility into the progress of the operation." CIA boss Leon Panetta later exposed that claim as false in an interview with PBS, saying: "There was a time period of almost 20 or 25 minutes that we really didn't know just exactly what was going on." — thenewamerican.coms
Gaddafi's Libya reminds U.S. who issued the first bin Laden arrest warrant
In an attempt to portray itself as an ally in the battle against al-Qaeda, Libya reminded the United States on Wednesday that Moammar Gaddafi's government, not anyone in Washington, was the first to issue an arrest warrant against Osama bin Laden, back in 1998.
Top Secret Stealth Helicopter Program Revealed in Osama Bin Laden Raid: Experts
Before an elite team of U.S. Navy SEALs executed a daring raid that took down Osama bin Laden, the commandos were able to silently sneak up on their elusive target thanks to what aviation analysts said were top secret, never-before-seen stealth-modified helicopters.
Media Lies and Misinformation on Bin Laden
Corporate media manipulators love a big story they can hype, distort and falsify to attract large audiences, unaware they're getting managed news, not truth.
No Proof Has Been Offered Suggesting That The Official Osama Bin Laden Death Narrative Is Even Remotely True
There has been an endless amount of propaganda coming out dealing with the official Osama Bin Laden death narrative but there hasn't been one shred of evidence proving that these events actually transpired as we are being told they did. We are just expected to believe whatever the corporate controlled media propagandists and the criminal government bureaucrats tell us even though there has been zero proof brought forward suggesting that anything they are saying is true.
Three senators may have been fooled by fake bin Laden pictures
Three Republican senators who claimed to have seen images of Osama bin Laden after he was killed may have been duped. Republican Sen. Scott Brown of Massachusetts said Wednesday that he had been fooled by a fake photograph ostensibly showing an image of bin Laden post-mortem.
Oops! Sen. Brown duped by fake bin Laden photo
U.S. Sen. Scott Brown — who said earlier today he saw a picture of Osama bin Laden taken after the Sept. 11 mastermind was killed — fell victim to a fake photo of the al-Qaeda leader's death that made the rounds after U.S. forces shot him on Sunday. "The photo that I saw and that a lot of other people saw is not authentic," Brown said in a statement.
US Knew Where Osama Was Since 2005
The unredacted Guantanamo files show clearly that the trail to Abbottabad was known to the US intelligence services at least since 2005, when al-Libi, another Abbottabad dweller, was captured.
The Agendas Behind the Bin Laden News Event
The US government's bin Laden story was so poorly crafted that it did not last 48 hours before being fundamentally altered. Indeed, the new story put out on Tuesday by White House press secretary Jay Carney bears little resemblance to the original Sunday evening story. The fierce firefight did not occur. Osama bin Laden did not hide behind a woman. Indeed, bin Laden, Carney said, "was not armed."
For Obama, Big Rise in Poll Numbers After Bin Laden Raid
Support for President Obama has risen sharply following the killing of Osama bin Laden by American military forces in Pakistan, with a majority now approving of his overall job performance, as well as his handling of foreign policy, the war in Afghanistan and the threat of terrorism, according to the latest New York Times/CBS News poll.
This Was Revenge: Obama Snatches Defeat from Jaws of Victory
As the news of Osama bin Laden's death filtered out onto the streets of America it triggered unsightly scenes of undiluted hysteria, chest-thumping and back-slapping which has sadly become a trademark of the vengeful 'hang'em high' lobby that emerged from the rubble of 9/11.
President Obama will not release bin Laden photos
President Barack Obama has made the decision not to release any of the photographs of "the deceased Osama bin Laden," White House Press Secretary Jay Carney said Wednesday.
Osama bin Bogeyman? 'CIA getting rid of old asset'
For more on Bin Laden's demise and what it could mean for the world, RT talks to James Corbett, editor of the Corbett Report.
Photos show three dead men at bin Laden raid house
The photos, taken by a Pakistani security official who entered the compound after the early morning raid on Monday, show two men dressed in traditional Pakistani garb and one in a t-shirt, with blood streaming from their ears, noses and mouths. The official, who wished to remain anonymous, sold the pictures to Reuters.
Osama Bin Laden Is Dead —Again!
When Obama announced OBL dead, it was established as a fact — the truth. Where truth is concerned, it clearly matters where you were born — or else the truth does not matter.
Bin Laden's daughter confirms her father shot dead by US Special Forces in Pakistan
Senior Pakistani security officials said Osama bin Laden's daughter had confirmed her father was captured alive and shot dead by the US Special Forces during the first few minutes of the operation carried out at the huge compound in Bilal Town, Abbottabad.
Hundreds join Quetta rally to honour bin Laden
Hundreds took to the streets of Quetta on Monday to pay homage to Osama bin Laden, chanting death to America and setting fire to a US flag, witnesses and organisers said.
Pakistan 'Told US About Osama Home In 2009'
Pakistan government and intelligence services have insisted they shared key information about Osama bin Laden's compound up to two years ago with their American counterparts.
Obama reserves right to act again in Pakistan
The White House said Wednesday that US President Barack Obama reserves the right to act again against top terror suspects inside Pakistan, following the raid which killed Osama bin Laden.
Osama bin Laden hideout 'worth far less than US claimed'
Osama bin Laden's house, described by the US government as a $1m (£605,000) mansion, is in fact worth no more than $250,000 say property professionals in Abbottabad, the town where he was killed. The revelation is the latest of several erroneous descriptions about the nature of Bin Laden's hideout — and the manner of his death — which have dogged the White House in recent days.
May 03, 2011
The Slippery Story of the bin Laden Kill
The early narrative of the assault on Osama bin Laden had him using his wife as a human shield and firing from behind her. Now we learn he wasn't armed.
Was Bin Laden's Killing Legal?
Is this what justice looks like? Al-Qaida boss Osama bin Laden was killed on Sunday in a secret military operation in Pakistan. Americans are celebrating, but there are serious doubts about whether the targeted killing was legal under international law and the laws of war.
What If Bush Did It? A Nation Celebrates What It is Told
In a dramatic late-night appearance in the White House press room, President George W. Bush announced that Iraq's weapons of mass destruction had been found in a secret stronghold near the Syrian border.
Osama bin Laden's Useful Death
In a propaganda piece reeking of US Triumphalism, two alleged journalists, Adam Goldman and Chris Brummitt, of the Associated Press or, rather, of the White House Ministry of Truth, write, or copy off a White House or CIA press release that "Osama bin Laden, the terror mastermind killed by Navy SEALs in an intense firefight, was hunted down based on information first gleaned years ago (emphasis added) from detainees at secret CIA prison sites in Eastern Europe, officials disclosed Monday."
Pakistan slams 'unauthorized' U.S. raid on bin Laden
Pakistan criticized the American raid that killed Osama bin Laden as an "unauthorized unilateral action," laying bare the strains the raid has put on an already rocky alliance.
U.S. Refusal of 2001 Taliban Offer Gave bin Laden a Free Pass
When George W. Bush rejected a Taliban offer to have Osama bin Laden tried by a moderate group of Islamic states in mid- October 2001, he gave up the only opportunity the United States would have to end bin Laden's terrorist career for the next nine years.
May 02, 2011
'Bin Laden body dumped mafia style — little to win back US credibility'
For more on Bin Laden's demise and what it could mean for the world, RT talks to Christoph Horstel, political and business consultant.
Osama bin Laden's Second Death
If today were April 1 and not May 2, we could dismiss as an April fool's joke this morning's headline that Osama bin Laden was killed in a firefight in Pakistan and quickly buried at sea. As it is, we must take it as more evidence that the US government has unlimited belief in the gullibility of Americans.
Islamic scholars criticize bin Laden's sea burial
Muslim clerics said Monday that Osama bin Laden's burial at sea was a violation of Islamic tradition that may further provoke militant calls for revenge attacks against American targets.
Can US Offer Final Proof Of Osama's Death?
The circumstances surrounding Osama bin Laden's reported death raise urgent questions over how the US is so sure it got its man. US officials have said DNA testing has proved the al Qaeda leader was killed in a villa in Pakistan.
US forces kill Osama bin Laden
Osama bin Laden, mastermind of the attacks of September 11 and the man who ever since has remained an elusive, shadowy presence at the centre of perhaps the world's greatest manhunt, has been killed by special forces troops at a compound two hours outside of Islamabad.
Obama: "At My Direction" U.S. Carried Out Operation Against Bin Laden
"Today, at my direction, the United States launched a targeted operation against that compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan. A small team of Americans carried out the operation with extraordinary courage and capability. No Americans were harmed. They took care to avoid civilian casualties. After a firefight, they killed Osama bin Laden and took custody of his body," President Obama said late Sunday evening.
U.S. team's mission was to kill bin Laden, not capture
The U.S. special forces team that hunted down Osama bin Laden was under orders to kill the al Qaeda mastermind, not capture him, a U.S. national security official told Reuters.
Bin Laden killing prompts Arab anger, relief
Some Arabs mourned him as a holy warrior and martyr, while others saw him as a "pillar of evil" whose deadly attacks on the United States unleashed a backlash against Muslims across the world.
Musharraf: Bin Laden mission violated Pakistan
Former Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf on Monday accused the U.S. of violating his country's sovereignty by sending in special forces to kill Osama bin Laden.
Arabs Riot in Jerusalem Over Bin Laden's Demise, Hamas Angry
While most of the free world praised the United States for having rid it of arch-terrorist Bin Laden, the Hamas organization - which has recently all but merged with Fatah, headed by Mahmoud Abbas - condemned the act.
Wikileaks says US knew of Abbottabad lair from 2008
The United States probably knew by 2008 about Osama bin Laden's lair in Abbottabad, according to the anti-secrecy website Wikileaks on Monday, quoting from a leaked US cable, dpa reported.
Bin Laden's luxury hideout raises questions
Osama bin Laden made his final stand in a small Pakistani city where three army regiments with thousands of soldiers are based not far from the capital — a location that is increasing suspicions in Washington that Islamabad may have been sheltering him.
Osama bin Laden dead -- but no body. Now for an explosion of conspiracy theories
No body. No photograph or DNA evidence -- at least, not yet. [Update: The White House now says there was a DNA match between the body and tissue taken from bin Laden's dead sister's brain.] Conspiracy theorists are an ingenious bunch, but at the moment the White House is making this ridiculously easy for them. Gideon Rachman says he gives it 24 hours before conspiracy theories about Osama bin Laden begin circulating, but they are already flowing vigorously. The Taliban says he's still alive, for example.
Eric Margolis: Bringing bin Laden to justice would have meant a trial, not an assassination. If they would have brought him back to go to trial it would've been a disaster on their part......because? THERE IS NO EVIDENCE linking him to 9/11.
The Unfortunate Reality of Bin Laden's Death
Many in America are cheering the reported death of Osama Bin Laden, as it has finally occurred after years of military action, trillions of American dollars and the deaths of thousands of our men and women serving in the military.
Justice or Vengeance?
In the midst of the Arab Spring, which directly rejects al-Qaeda-style small-group violence in favor of mass-based, society-wide mobilization and non-violent protest to challenge dictatorship and corruption, does the killing of Osama bin Laden represent ultimate justice, or even an end to the "unfinished business" of 9/11?
Piles and Piles of Corpses: Killing Osama, Resolving Nothing
The plane I was on landed in Washington, D.C., Sunday night, and the pilot came on the intercom to tell everyone to celebrate: our government had killed Osama bin Laden. This was better than winning the Super Bowl, he said.
Chris Hedges Speaks on Osama bin Laden's Death
I know that because of this announcement, that reportedly Osama bin Laden was killed, Bob wanted me to say a few words about it ... about al-Qaida. I spent a year of my life covering al-Qaida for The New York Times. It was the work in which I, and other investigative reporters, won the Pulitzer Prize. And I spent seven years of my life in the Middle East. I was the Middle East bureau chief for The New York Times. I'm an Arabic speaker. And when someone came over and told Jean and me the news, my stomach sank. I'm not in any way naïve about what al-Qaida is. It's an organization that terrifies me. I know it intimately.
Flashback
Charlie Wilson's War From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Charles "Charlie" Nesbitt Wilson (June 1, 1933 – February 10, 2010) was a United States naval officer and former 12-term Democratic United States Representative from the 2nd congressional district in Texas. He was best known for leading Congress into supporting Operation Cyclone, the largest-ever Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) covert operation, which under the Reagan administration supplied military equipment, including anti-aircraft weapons such as Stinger antiaircraft missiles, and paramilitary officers from their Special Activities Division to the Afghan Mujahideen during the Soviet war in Afghanistan. His behind-the-scenes campaign was the subject of the non-fiction book Charlie Wilson's War by George Crile and a subsequent film adaptation starring Tom Hanks as Wilson.
Bush rejects Taliban offer to surrender bin Laden
After a week of debilitating strikes at targets across Afghanistan, the Taliban repeated an offer to hand over Osama bin Laden, only to be rejected by President Bush.
USA refused Bin Laden's capture February 27th 2001
On 21st February 2001 (7 MONTHS BEFORE 9/11) The Taliban offered to hand over Osama Bin Laden in return for lifting the sanctions that were placed on the country. They also desperately tried to hand Bin Laden over to the USA after a week of heavy bombing when the war started in Afghanistan as so many civilians were being killed.
Taleban in Texas for talks on gas pipeline BBC News: Thursday, December 04, 1997
A senior delegation from the Taleban movement in Afghanistan is in the United States for talks with an international energy company that wants to construct a gas pipeline from Turkmenistan across Afghanistan to Pakistan.
Taleban in Texas for talks on gas pipeline The Telegraph: By Caroline Lees, December 14, 1997
THE Taliban, Afghanistan's Islamic fundamentalist army, is about to sign a £2 billion contract with an American oil company to build a pipeline across the war-torn country.
Taliban in Texas: Big Oil hankers for old pals Asia Times: May 18, 2004
The Taliban didn't want to play ball: every time, they wanted more money and more investments for the roads and the infrastructure of their ravaged country - until an exasperated Washington decided to finish them off. This was discussed in Geneva in May 2001, at the G8 summit in Genoa in July 2001, and finally at a Berlin hotel, also that July, a meeting involving US, Russian, German and Pakistani officials. Asia Times Online later learned in Islamabad that the US plan was to strike against the Taliban from bases in Uzbekistan and Tajikistan before October 2001. Then the terrorist attacks of September 11 happened, providing Washington the perfect excuse to go it alone.
