Great news that Osama Bin Laden is dead and congratulation to all involved, not sure if it will actually make any difference to Islamic terrorism but these are unpredictable times we re living in and predictions are ten a penny.
Lets hope it has a positive effect.
On the other hand, beware of those declaring an end to the so called global war on terrorism and the need for a new defence review because we all know what that means.
A peace dividend.
I too am sceptical about the effect on terrorism. After all, the Prophet Mohammed has been dead for 14 centuries and deluded nutters still commit atrocities in his name. Like the poor, they will always be with us (or, more accurately, against us).
For crying out loud can you just for a while stop being pessimists and at last just be glad that this murderer is dead.
We all know that this is not the end of terrorism,that is a given fact but this is a major blow and one that has taken a vast amount of effort on behalf of all the agencies.
We have enough glass half empty people as it is,and I say well done to the US Special Forces and Intelligence people.
@gopher – I’ve already said it’s very good news, since we started discussing this on the Open Thread.
Bin Laden was never indited for 9/11 – the FBI confirmed this on their site. There was ‘not susfficient evidence’ for him to be formally charged with that. What he was wanted for were USS Cole attack, East African embassey bombings and the failed van bombing of the WTC.
I am a lil wary, the body being tipped into the sea, I want more solid evidence as we all know, he had pleanty of doubles… that and of course revenge attacks.
Either way, its a good kick in the groin for the terror community as a whole. Lets hope the message sinks in. This news will cheer up many in the US just as much as we and the royal wedding did – bad example! XD
Congrats to the team and people involved, a heli lost but no casualties and few deaths, quick and sharp.
Dear al Qaeda no.2 (awaiting promotion!)
please ignore the sound of the helicopters; return to your figs and orange juice, they are only traffic-spotting a water buffalo snarl-up on dirt route 1.
Continue what you are doing and once again please ignore the sound of the incoming helicopters.
thank you
Welcome news, but not the end of terrorism I fear. There are no doubt a few more yet to be brought to justice lurking around perhaps also in Pakistan. Makes me wonder about the goverment their didnt we just give them some aid?
@ TD – Something like this?
http://www.worldpoliticsreview.com/articles/8701/bin-ladens-death-beginning-of-the-end-of-the-war-on-terror
Sad that the eejit decided the easy way out. Much prefer that the muppet grew-some and had his time in court.
A long, slow, painful death in prison is what he deserved. Once more justice – temporal – has been denied…!
The simplistic will call for another cut in defence, they always do as they never want to face reality.
What next for Pakistan?
Who on this earth will ever be stupid enough to believe anything they say in future?
As to OBL himself, i agree completely with Fluffy, the rest of his life in a federal prison would have been a better punishment.
Interesting to read that he tried to use a woman to shield himself, also i find the fact that the HAMAS spokesman called him an Arab warrior and condemmed it as an assasination, to be quite significant. That could have serious repercussions and may turn out to be a mistake on their part. Nice to see the mask starting to slip.
As I wrote on Open Thread,
HURRAH, HURRAH, HURRAH.
Sadly he was not the only terrorist in the world.
Future wars may be for resources, such as food, water, oil, gas,iron, copper, coal, rare earths, etc.
So no peace dividend. We would be better to cut aid to Pakistan, that is probably funding the terrorists. Aid to India, just funds the corrupt. One doctor charged patients for treatment he was supposed to give free thanks to DfID. He had 30 accounts with four & a half million stashed in them. DfID is worse than useless. Most of its staff just sit in air conditioned offices. They rarely see what really goes on. Just write” everything is fine” reports.
DfID should have its budget halved. Money saved should go to UK defence transport kit(handy in a civil emergency) & to Britains neglected infrastructure.
Go SEALS!!!!!!!
After Libya any politician stupid enough to talk about a peace dividend from this event should be put in the stocks. Whatever the rhetoric, Osama bin Laden is not the cause of our military commitments – our own leaders are. If anything potential ‘retaliation’ to this is to be expected though this is just as likely to be from a UK based group as from Taliban forces against our soldiers. The danger from Al-Qaeda is not its leadership but its membership at the grass-roots level and their presence in societies all over the world. The absurd thing about the War on Terror is that it will never end and victory is impossible – terrorism is a tactic not an enemy. One might as well declare war on war itself.
@Jan
Our osama, I mean obama just appointed Leon Panetta, who is supposed to the be the CIA hero in getting OBL… To Sec. of Defense, where he intends to gut the US Military like there is no tomorrow… is that the politician you were referring too?
Personally, I think after the US has doubled it’s defense spending in just ten years… we have weapons systems that can be retired, and others that shouldn’t even be built… F35 comes to mind.
If OBL had been captured alive, can you imagine the number of hostages who would have been taken world-wide (and killed when he remained in custody)? That would have gone on for as long as he was alive.
His death was the best solution for us, and so was a fast burial at sea – no grave to act as a shrine.
The important thing about this is the message it delivers. No matter how long it takes, we will kill you. Its the message the Israelis already deliver to Hamas & Hizbollah. Its the message NATO is delivering the Ghadifi. Its the message a US drone delivered in the Yemen. They have no where to hide. And the message was delivered by an unlikely president.
TW
Yes, Osama safer dead than alive. However, his hasty burial may start conspiracy theories. The Americans should have showed his body to a few world leaders plus US Senators/Reps before burial, so there could be no crazy denials in the future.
Something needs to be done about “Londonistan”, before the next Osama rises here.
The burial wasn’t hasty by Muslim standards – I gather that it’s supposed to take place within 24 hours according to their religion.
I have no doubt that they have comprehensive video and still photographic evidence as well as DNA etc, but they might be reluctant to show these publically because of the criticism they received for showing pics of Saddam after capture.
John hartley
He’s already risen and is in YEMEN . Anwar AL-AWAKI but hes from NEW MEXICO
@ Chris in Virginia
Given that there barely anything of the UK Armed Forces left to cut I think a Peace Dividend is more likely to be declared by Obama than anyone. I think that slashing the US military would be foolish as it will just grant China hegemony faster. The US military could be more efficient with less overlapping capabilities and more ‘ruthless commonality’ – salami slicing won’t achieve significant budget shrinkage, while disproportionately damaging capability – I thing the MoD has thoroughly tested the theory over the past 30 years lol.
The world is better off without Osama but the demand on the US Armed Forces really won’t change one bit.
@ Jan:
I agree the demand for the USA’s military power will still be there, but you watch for a big push from Rep. Ron Paul in the 2012 debates, and election. He is going to rightfully question why we are in NATO, and what is NATO’s mission?
The real bottom line is Europe’s politicians have funded their socialist programs, by short changing defense for three decades now. The citizens are realizing we are on the brink of a major currency devaluation, and even default…
Bottom line, look for a serious change in attitude from across the pond. We aren’t helping Brazil drill that Tupi oil field for no reason. We are bringing our resources closer to home…
Hi CIV,
Yes, that is going to happen: ” rightfully question why we are in NATO”
Other than missile defence (still being built), there are
- one heavy brigade in Germany, as a remember-me-by from the cold war
- one airborne/ mobile in Italy (Balkans/ Med, just to add to the Marines MEU, as an insurance)
- a Stryker Bde in Romania ( a short hop from any new M. East theatre)
So, what is he actually going to be asking about? Reagan (a great president!) had to be reminded what the “UKIG” gap is when he was questioning the value of NATO (as for who to side with at the time)
Apart from the short-term desire for a moral boosting revenge attack, I don’t see his death having a great affect in any direction. It’s an embarresment for radical Islamic terrorism rather than a significant blow to their activities.
AQ is not what it used to be ten yeras ago, and many groups using the name now may be likened to wholey independant tribute acts rather than cells of a single organization.
But whatever, it’s good ridance to a first class twat. Better dead than captured IMO.
Chris in Virginia…
I would not call the NHS a socialist program O.o
Its a bit sad to see the ‘Our osama, I mean obama’
But I do think this gives the US government a good background to wind down operations in Afghanistan, buy whatever amount, and to – yes – cut spending… even if the impact if Bin Liners death hardly caused a ripple in real terms.
The US defence spending is epicly huge, but as a freind in lakenhrath said, very poorly spent/spread and often put into huge programs that hardly benefit frontline people or capability at all – sounds very familiar to our own defence spending :c
After the initial cheer, (albeit internal), my immediate thought was ‘back to the usual’. There’s a long way to go yet.
To those who suggest slashing the foreign aid budget to Pakistan I would say this, its because of the virtual collapse of the Pakistani education system that has led to an increase in the popularity of the private Madrassa’s financed and operated by Islamist extremists, purely because there are few alternatives. If we want to stop a whole generation succumbing to this influence we have to take the initiative and put Pakistani children through mainstream schooling and away from the Taliban. Unfortunately this is going to cost, although the amount spent in Afghanistan would have probably paid for it many times over. The way I see it, it would be more cost effective than pouring yet more arms into the area or slashing the aid budget, which would compound the problem.
@Arm Chair Civy:
You will have to remind me what the ‘UKIG’ Gap is? I even googled it to try and not seem too stupid. I am familiar with the Fulda Gap, and the ‘Missile Gap’. LOL
@ Mike:
All military procurement in the USA is done not by need for the front line troops, but the need to get re-elected! All these programs are spread to key districts.. i.e. buying more C-17′s than even the AF wants!
The GE/Rolls Royce second engine was only killed because the incoming Tea Party candidates are looking to cut funding any, and every where they can.
This link, and quote, are beautiful!
http://thehill.com/business-a-lobbying/145611-engine-defeat-alarms-gop
“The defense industry doesn’t know what to make of the Tea Party,” said Loren Thompson of the Lexington Institute. “It is accustomed to dealing with politicians motivated mainly by the desire to get reelected. The notion of legislators driven solely by an ideological agenda is hard to assimilate.”
UKIG. Might be UK-Iceland-Greenland gap.
TW
I did not want Bin Ladens corpse on public display, but they could have shown it to Karzai & his government & still given it a reasonably quick burial. Now I fear the conspiracy theories will start.
RS
Aid to Pakistans schools is good if it gets through. Given DfID workers don’t like leaving their comfy air conditioned offices, chances are we are funding jihadist madrassas without knowing it. Or corrupt officials are charging for schooling that should be free, & creaming off DfID & the locals.
Most of OBL’s family is held by Iran, in another compound.
I guess the plan has been to use them as bargaining chips, but that plan expires now?
@John Hartley
“Or corrupt officials are charging for schooling that should be free, & creaming off DfID & the locals.”
Did that not just happen, I am sure I read a story about a Pakistani offical being charged with corruption as he amassed 4.5 million from such a scheme.
@ Tubby
I believe it was a doctor, who was charging people for various tests and consultations which were supposed to be free because he was being funded by aid money.
operation declare victory and get the **** out of dodge is progressing nicely.
if anyones been checking the headlines, its pretty clear a (possibly) dead osama is being used as an excuse to forget afghanistan double quick.
I doubt we’ll see 2015 there.
News Flash.. GOP Rep. Paul Ryan has a plan to more our Medicare program towards a privatized system.. Due to Democrats (think Labour)demogogging the issue, a special election in a heavily GOP House (lower body, Senate Upper Body) District(think Conservative) went to the Democrats though it was a three way race, the so-called Tea Party candidate was a Democrat plant.
My point is look for the GOP to look at Defense for $$$ to make the Rep. Paul Ryan plan to work, with some negotiations with the Dems…
i.e. If obama, (Hillary may challenge him for nomination btw) declares War over, OBL dead, we need drastic cuts in Defense… either way… Defense will be cut.
The GOP (Republicans) will not have a choice, even with the China Bogeyman baloney.. They are building a carrier to our current 10 CVN’s, and like 20 mini-carriers…. F-35B is a flying turkey… look for it to be cut completely, as it’s already on the chopping block.
The GOP is going to do almost anything in 2012 to win full control.