Early reports say Osama Bin Laden is dead

[The Desert Fox]

http://abcnews.go.com/Blotter/osama-bin ... d=13505703

Quote:Osama bin Laden, hunted as the mastermind behind the worst-ever terrorist attack on U.S. soil, has been killed, sources told ABC News.

His death brings to an end a tumultuous life that saw bin Laden go from being the carefree son of a Saudi billionaire, to terrorist leader and the most wanted man in the world.

Bin Laden created and funded the al Qaeda terror network, which was responsible for the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on the United States. The Saudi exile had been a man on the run since the U.S.-led invasion of Afghanistan overthrew the ruling Taliban regime, which harbored bin Laden.

In a video filmed two months after the Sept. 11 attacks, bin Laden gloated about the attack, saying it had exceeded even his "optimistic" calculations.

"Our terrorism is against America. Our terrorism is a blessed terrorism to prevent the unjust person from committing injustice and to stop American support for Israel, which kills our sons," he said in the video.

Long before the Sept. 11 attacks, bin Laden was known as an enemy of the United States. He was suspected of playing large roles in the 1998 bombings of two U.S. Embassies in Africa and the attack on the USS Cole in the Yemeni port of Aden in October 2000.
PHOTO:Â Osama bin Laden
AP Photo
Osama bin Laden is shown in this Dec. 24,... View Full Size
PHOTO:Â Osama bin Laden
AP Photo
Osama bin Laden is shown in this Dec. 24, 1998 file photo.

In addition, authorities say bin Laden and his al Qaeda network were involved in previous attacks against U.S. interests -- including the 1993 World Trade Center bombing, failed plots to kill President Clinton and the pope, and attacks on U.S. troops in Saudi Arabia and Somalia.

Bin Laden also used his millions to bankroll terrorist training camps in Sudan, the Philippines and Afghanistan, sending "holy warriors" to foment revolution and fight with fundamentalist Muslim forces across North Africa, in Chechnya, Tajikistan and Bosnia.

Until the capture of one of his top al Qaeda lieutenants in March 2003, there had been no confirmation of his whereabouts -- or even that he was still alive -- since late 2001, when he appeared in a series of videotapes later released to news organizations.

In recent years, several audio recordings of bin Laden have been authenticated by U.S. officials and made public. In an 18-minute videotape weeks before the 2004 U.S. presidential election, bin Laden threatened fresh attacks on the United States as well as his intent to push America into bankruptcy.

Young Man With a Privileged Life

Born in 1957, bin Laden was a son of Saudi Arabia's wealthiest construction magnate. Saudi sources remembered him as a typical young man whose intense religiosity began to emerge as he grew fascinated with the ancient mosques of Mecca and Medina, which his family's company was involved in rebuilding.

Bin Laden attended schools in Jedda, Saudi Arabia, and was encouraged to marry early, at the age of 17, to a Syrian girl and family relation. She was to be the first of several wives. He attended King Abdul-Aziz University and was slated to join the family business. He soon chose a different path, however.

Former classmates of bin Laden recall him as a frequent patron of nightclubs, who drank and caroused with his Saudi royalty cohorts. Yet it was also at the university that bin Laden met the Muslim fundamentalist Sheik Abdullah Azzam, perhaps his first teacher of religious politics and his earliest radical influence.

Holy shit, if this ends up being true then just... damn. Hard to say what exactly will happen, at least to me.

If this was exactly one month ago, it would be the biggest trolling ever.

[SaintVicious]

hoooray

[Pieman]

All the news channels say he's dead. I've been waiting over an hour for the press statement from Obama.

[username01462781]

This is a good thing, right?

[The Desert Fox]

Congrats to President Obama on his second term.

Linki Wrote:This is a good thing, right?

Pretty much.

[SaintVicious]

Linki Wrote:This is a good thing, right?

Nope, we will still be in the middle east hahahah.
ALSO AMERICA FUCK YEA LICK OUT BUTTS AND SUCK ON OUR BALLS

[HeartofShadows]

Whooptie motherfucking doo for all it accomplishes and I can't wait to see the retaliation.

[username01462781]

HeartofShadows Wrote:Whooptie motherfucking doo for all it accomplishes and I can't wait to see the retaliation.

Shiiiiiiiit didn't even think of that. Fucking buttmad sand niggers raging out over the death of a dirty old wizard.

For now, TERRORISTS YOUR GAME IS THROUGH COS NOW YOU HAVE TO ANSWER TO: AMERICA FUCK YEAH

[cpuguy18]

wooptie doo osamas dead how is this going to make thing better for the american people. We spent 1 quadrillion dollars trying to kill this guy. people are fucking sheep they can't see past the bullshit. the government does not care about you. they just run there own agenda and 911 was an inside job

[Psychoqueen]

Linki Wrote:For now, TERRORISTS YOUR GAME IS THROUGH COS NOW YOU HAVE TO ANSWER TO: AMERICA FUCK YEAH

They are going to be so fucking pissed.

[~Mystery~]

cpuguy18 Wrote:wooptie doo osamas dead how is this going to make thing better for the american people. We spent 1 quadrillion dollars trying to kill this guy. people are fucking sheep they can't see past the bullshit. the government does not care about you. they just run there own agenda and 911 was an inside job

Thank You!!

I thought everyday people were actually somewhat smart concerning politics. But after seeing everyone in us party it up over Osama's death I no longer empathize with anyone.

[cpuguy18]

Thank You!!

I thought everyday people were actually somewhat smart concerning politics. But after seeing everyone in us party it up over Osama's death I no longer empathize with anyone.

me nether the whole idea of politics is stupid you don't have a choice. politics is just an illusion of choice

[Elfy]

I'm not sure whether to believe it or not. Lots of intelligence sources claim he died on 13th December 2001.

[The Desert Fox]

Looks like Al Qaeda needs a new mascot.

[Hannah-chan]

I've read far too much dystopian fiction to believe this without proof. This could well be just a clever press statement to gain support for the Obama government, when in fact it really WAS 2001 that he died. Notice they haven't said how or where or when they killed him, as far as I can see (If I'm wrong please correct me)

But maybe I should stay out of politics when I've just watched V for Vendetta.

[The Desert Fox]

They said he was killed in "Abbottobad, Pakistan" or some shit. They also say that they have the body.

Also, just for the record, I didn't make this topic to be, nor am any of the posts I have made, or may make intended to be, "victory" posts. The two things I said in the previous line are right off of CNN, on the TV in front of me.

Though at this point all we'd need to think that he's dead is a photo of a dead guy wearing a turban and a long beard, lol.

[___________________]

It looks really sick to see a bunch of frat boys in front of the White House pumping their fists in the air declaring America's greatness because we (after 10 years of failing to do so) carried out a revenge assassination

[Hannah-chan]

Yeah, it's not really much of a victory. His work was kinda done.

[Elfy]

Clock Maker Wrote:It looks really sick to see a bunch of frat boys in front of the White House pumping their fists in the air declaring America's greatness because we (after 10 years of failing to do so) carried out a revenge assassination

Yeah, he's just a figurehead and he will be replaced in the blink of an eye.

[Elfy]

Also, did I just hear Obama say "senseless killing of civilians" when talking about 9/11? 3000 died in 9/11, half a million civilians have died in Afghanistan due to bombings by the U.S.

[The Desert Fox]

What I found really funny was how one of the guys in the mob group in front of the White House had a "Bush/Cheney 04" sign on him.

[Bob Dole]

~Mystery~ Wrote:

cpuguy18 Wrote:wooptie doo osamas dead how is this going to make thing better for the american people. We spent 1 quadrillion dollars trying to kill this guy. people are fucking sheep they can't see past the bullshit. the government does not care about you. they just run there own agenda and 911 was an inside job

Thank You!!

I thought everyday people were actually somewhat smart concerning politics. But after seeing everyone in us party it up over Osama's death I no longer empathize with anyone.

That's nice, Skippy.

Let's talk like adults for a second here about the magnitude of what just happened.

As a tactical or strategic victory, in terms of the overall fighting ability of the Taliban insurgency, bin Laden's death means nothing. In fact, during the normal spring flare-up in fighting, it'll probably be more intense. But guess what, the morale hit will more than make up for any flare ups. Rebel forces in Afghanistan, especially AQ, loved holding up the fact that the U.S. couldn't seem to kill bin Laden, the head of the terrorist organization that committed the 9/11 attacks. Probably said it was a sign from God, a blessing that showed that he supported them and their reign of terror. Try recruiting when the opposition finds the position of a man who had allegedly gone "totally dark", sneaks the fuck all the way into the outside of the capital of Pakistan, and does this:

to the idol of your violent terrorist movement. Oh, and has no deaths of their own from this operation to, y'know, kill your top man. Osama's death means that it'll be harder to recruit for AQ and other Islamist terrorist organizations. That alone is worth a thousand dead Taliban.

Elfy Wrote:Also, did I just hear Obama say "senseless killing of civilians" when talking about 9/11? 3000 died in 9/11, half a million civilians have died in Afghanistan due to bombings by the U.S.

Reduce your estimates by an order of magnitude, Jack. Here's a little hint. Typically, during urban battles, it's sad, but sometimes civilians get killed by accident. Even when measures are taken to minimize them. There's no one who wants to kill civilians, especially when it'll incite hatred in the people you're trying to turn away from the Taliban.

The US military's approach is also far better than what would've happened had they not gone in at all. The Taliban were very fond of executions and indiscriminate massacres. Not to mention their treatment of women and people who dared to not share their religious beliefs. Shit, they do the same thing in the areas they're holding onto in the regions of Afghanistan not controlled by NATO forces.

So, in conclusion, while the loss of civilian lives due to accidental causes or just plain stupidity is regrettable, the vast, vast majority of NATO troops have no desire to cause casualties and take all reasonable precautions to avoid casualties, except for the occasional psychopath or couple of psychopaths who like to mow down kids.

Also, to anyone who thinks that 9/11 was a plot by the U.S. government, you're idiots, mostly because you can't see the one glaring flaw in any conspiracy involving a massive number of people. Come at me, bro.

Also, the US's GDP is ~$14 Trillion. We would have to spend 71 years worth of our GDP on the War on Terror to meet your estimate, cpuguy18. Don't be a dumbass.

You're still the sheep, you've just joined a different flock. One that is amazingly enough less informed about international affairs than the vast majority.

[Elfy]

FightforRight Wrote:Let's talk like adults for a second

ohohoho

[aaaaaaasd]

I DID NOT FORSEE THIS COMING

But hory shet, if this is actually true then Obama has locked down his second term in power, no question about it.

[Bob Dole]

Elfy Wrote:

FightforRight Wrote:Let's talk like adults for a second

ohohoho

What bro? Are you mad because you got caught dead in a lie?

There's plenty of reasons to protest against the War on Terror. But then there's fucks like you making shit up.

Sit down, shut up, and get educated before you run your mouth.

I know for a fact that I know comparatively little about the situations in Afghanistan and Iraq, besides the basics that anyone could get by reading a few newspapers and digging for facts a little. But I know a lot more than you, who can't even fact-check for basic statistics, or even get a goddamn ballpark estimate right. Highball reports for Iraq, which tends to be a hell of a lot more violent than Afghanistan, is ~100,000 civilian deaths, tallied by the Iraqi Body Count Project. Oh, and get this, the civilian deaths have been falling dramatically in Iraq. Afghanistan's civilian casualties tend to hover around 1,000 a year. Highball.

So, basically, your figure couldn't have come from any reliable source, and you're a liar who can't bother to do the most basic fact checking, or even have the common sense to lie about something I can't look up in 15 seconds.

[aaaaaaasd]

[Bob Dole]

Nah. Was a ground operation. Special forces swooped in, shot his ass up.

[aaaaaaasd]

Some people have been saying that he got blown up by a predator drone, others by a plane, and some sources say that they got him in a mansion in Islamabad.

[Elfy]

FightforRight Wrote:Are you mad

I just pointed out that you were implying that a certain age group has a better understanding just because of their age.

My number wasn't reliable, you go nazi on me, from the looks of it you made yourself mad. But he still can't talk about the killing of civilians when the U.S are responsible for a fuckton more.

[Bob Dole]

Elfy Wrote:

FightforRight Wrote:Are you mad

I just pointed out that you were implying that a certain age group has a better understanding just because of their age.

My number wasn't reliable, you go nazi on me, from the looks of it you made yourself mad. But he still can't talk about the killing of civilians when the U.S are responsible for a fuckton more.

An "adult" is someone who can manage their own shit responsibly. There's 13 year-olds who are adults, and there's 30 year-olds who aren't.

I went "nazi" on you because you's a bitch who can't even get the most basic shit straight. I actually don't give a fuck. I just like to swoop down on the stupid and cocky and deliver some truth.

By the way, NATO troops typically cause fewer casualties in the places they are than the forces they're fighting. If they weren't there at all, insurgent forces would likely kill a lot more civilians, from harsh ruling or simple civil war.

Taliban are the ones who kidnap and murder Iraqis and Afghans who cooperate with Coalition forces, remember?