Monday 2 May 2011

F(a)ux news

They do it all by themselves really don't they...

evgenymorozov Evgeny Morozov

So the compound has no telephone or Internet service? Wait, Osama wasn't in charge of the world's first cyber-jihad?...

The Man Who Broke the News of the US Attack (But Didn't Know It)

Sohair Athar --- @ReallyVirtual on Twitter --- is, in his words, "an IT consultant taking a break from the rat-race by hiding in the mountains with his laptops". His current hideout is in Abbottabad, about 80 miles from Lahore in Pakistan. Athar was not the only person, however, who tried to find seclusion in the area --- a Mr Osama Bin Laden was also looking for some peace and quiet.
Late on Sunday night, Athar became the first witness --- although he never realised it --- to the US operation to kill Osama Bin Laden:

Helicopter hovering above Abbottabad at 1AM (is a rare event)....
Go away helicopter - before I take out my giant swatter :-/ ...
A huge window shaking bang here in Abbottabad Cantt. I hope its not the start of something nasty :-S ...
All silent after the blast, but a friend heard it 6 km away too... the helicopter is gone too....
http://bit.ly/ljB6p6 seems like my giant swatter worked ! [The link is to a blog that reported, "A big blast is heard near the biggest military academy of Kakool, in Abbottabad . People are saying that it is due to a helicopter crash near the Kakool academy's residential academy. Security forces have surrounded the place and investigations are underway."] ....
The few people online at this time of the night are saying one of the copters was not Pakistani....
Funny, moving to Abbottabad was part of the 'being safe' strategy....
Technically, it is unidentified until identified, and it is a flying object, so year, why the hell not, we have seen weirder stuff....
The abbottabad helicopter/UFO was shot down near the Bilal Town area, and there's report of a flash. People saying it could be a drone....
People are saying it was not a technical fault and it was shot down. I heard it CIRCLE 3-4 times above, sounded purposeful....
It was too noisy to be a spy craft, or, a very poor spy craft it was....

Three hours ago, Athar resumed Tweeting, still unaware or unconvinced --- despite President Obama's announcement --- of the US operation against Bin Laden: "Interesting rumors in the otherwise uneventful Abbottabad air today....Leave Abbottabad alone, Osama and Obama...."
An hour ago, however, the situation sunk in: "Uh oh, now I'm the guy who liveblogged the Osama raid without knowing it....And here come the mails from the mainstream media....*sigh*"
Scott Lucas @'EnduringAmerica'

daveblev Dave Blevins

Oh great, it's the return of the right-wing patriotic redneck people and their stupid flag waving. patriotism is lame.

Osama bin Laden: How it took years to find him but just minutes to kill him

U.S. Forces Kill Osama bin Laden

Almost ten years after the 9/11 attacks, the leader of al-Qaida is dead.
President Obama announced on Sunday night that Osama bin Laden is dead. Not just dead — killed by U.S. operatives.
In a “compound” near an area deep inside Pakistan called Abottabad — not far from the capitol of Islamabad — U.S. operatives engaged in a “firefight” with bin Laden’s handlers, Obama said, and killed the terrorist leader. This was no drone strike. It was a “small team” of U.S. operatives, pulling the trigger and delivering what Obama called “justice” on a man responsible for the deaths of nearly 3,000 Americans.
The operation was the result of eight months of intelligence work, with Obama giving the order to carry out the operation last week. Obama didn’t exactly specify, but it appears bin Laden’s death is the result of a joint operation by the CIA and the Joint Special Operations Command. But Obama said that bin Laden’s body has been recovered.
The Afghanistan war will surely continue. Drone strikes in Pakistan will surely continue. al-Qaida will surely proclaim imminently that it’s merely transitioning into its next phase. But Obama called it the “most significant achievement to date in our effort to defeat al-Qaida.” Killing bin Laden has been the dream of countless U.S. soldiers and intelligence operatives I’ve encountered since 9/11.
Bin Laden’s escape from the U.S. at Tora Bora in 2001 became a potent symbol of American impotence. Since bin Laden reconstituted al-Qaida’s senior leadership in Pakistan, a terrorist cell defined by hijacked religious symbolism and conspiracy theories franchised operations to affiliates from Iraq to Yemen, willing itself into a geopolitical force and killing thousands worldwide. His appearances in years’ worth of audio and videotapes mocked the U.S. and pledged to “bleed it to bankruptcy.”
Starting in 2008, the U.S. massively accelerated attacks from armed Predator drones over the Afghanistan border in Pakistan, killing hundreds. It built an intelligence network in the Pakistani tribal areas, largely from scratch and with — to be charitable — inconsistent assistance from the Pakistani intelligence service. Obama said that the operation couldn’t have happened without Pakistani cooperation.
There’s a longstanding debate in counterterrorism circles about the importance of bin Laden to al-Qaida. For years, al-Qaida theoreticians, chief among them a man known as Abu Musab al-Suri, have attempted to refashion al-Qaida into a global movement that can outlast bin Laden. al-Qaida’s Yemen branch, in its English language magazine, have discouraged American Muslims from joining the jihad overseas, urging them instead to launch attacks inside the U.S. on their own.
al-Qaida has now sustained two massive blows to its relevance in the past few months. First, the revolutions in Egypt and Tunisia refuted al-Qaida’s argument that only violent actions focused on the “far enemy” — the U.S. — could overthrow sclerotic dictatorships. Now bin Laden is dead, without a charismatic figure to take his place. For al-Qaida, it’s show-and-prove time. U.S. counterterrorism officials have to expect attempted retaliatory attacks.
In the Iraq and Afghanistan wars — which would have been inconceivable without bin Laden’s 9/11 attacks — the U.S. learned painfully that the death of an organization’s leader doesn’t equate to the death of the organization. al-Qaida in Iraq remains lethal — but at far diminished levels than during the horror years of 2004 to 2006.
But not every decapitation should be understood as “just” a decapitation. It took months of painstaking intelligence work to kill al-Qaida in Iraq’s most potent leader, Abu Musab al-Zarqawi. The maintenance of that intelligence acumen; along with al-Qaida’s miscalculations that alienated Iraqis; along with a sustained U.S. military effort — all that led to what’s been a demonstrable attrition of the Iraq chapter of al-Qaida’s global efforts.
While pledging that “we will be relentless in defense of our citizens,” and not indicating that this ten-year-long war against al-Qaida is over, Obama is clearly hoping that the reversals suffered this year by al-Qaida are as durable.
The feeling among the global jihadist community? Online, at least, it’s disbelief. “I will wait for the Mujahideen to confirm this, and will not believe until I see a picture of his dead body,” one Internet extremist writes.
“Most top tier al-Qaida forums have forbidden all discussion about the topic, insisting that they will not allow any more messages until there is official confirmation from Al-Qaida,” says top terrorism watcher Evan Kohlman. “Nonetheless, people are posting dozens of messages praying for the safety and well-being of ‘the Mujahid Shaykh.’”
Update, May 2, 12:40 a.m.: Senior administration officials just offered more detail about the lethal raid on a background conference call with reporters. The operation took under 40 minutes. bin Laden “did resist the assault force,” a senior administration official says, but was shot “as our operators came into the compound.” A woman was used as a human shield but doesn’t appear to have died in the firefight — which can’t be said of bin Laden, one of his adult sons and two “couriers.”
The Pakistanis provided intelligence useful to the raid, the official says, but the Pakistani government didn’t know about it beforehand. The official says it was “conducted [with the] utmost operational security.”
The compound itself, the official says, is about five years old, and believed to have been built to shelter bin Laden — wow, so close to the Pakistani capitol — but it’s unknown how long bin Laden was there.
The U.S. lost one helicopter in the operation, but U.S. officials wouldn’t specify more about it. bin Laden’s body is being “handled in accordance with Islamic practices and traditions.” No word on where it is, or if and when it or pictures of it will be released.
As for the overall importance of the killing, the official calls it a “major, essential step in al-Qaida’s eventual disruption.” Intelligence from the raid indicates that bin Laden’s deputy, Ayman al-Zawahiri, will become the new leader, but his authority isn’t “universally accepted,” and the Egyptian Zawahiri will have difficulty maintaining the loyalty of “al-Qaida’s Gulf Arab followers.” While the official predicts attempted retribution attacks, he further predicts that al-Qaida is on a “path of decline [that's] difficult to reverse.”
Spencer Ackerman @'Wired'

blakehounshell Blake Hounshell

SAO mentions that Abbottabad full of retired military officers. Compound 8x larger than homes in the area, built in 2005.

Statement by George W. Bush

Earlier this evening, President Obama called to inform me that American forces killed Osama bin Laden, the leader of the al Qaeda network that attacked America on September 11, 2001. I congratulated him and the men and women of our military and intelligence communities who devoted their lives to this mission. They have our everlasting gratitude. This momentous achievement marks a victory for America, for people who seek peace around the world, and for all those who lost loved ones on September 11, 2001. The fight against terror goes on, but tonight America has sent an unmistakable message: No matter how long it takes, justice will be done.

bartongellman Barton Gellman

Obama: "TONIGHT I called President Zardari". Doesn't fit well with idea that Pakistani cooperation helped make this happen.

Obama's speech

Good evening. Tonight, I can report to the American people and to the world that the United States has conducted an operation that killed Osama bin Laden, the leader of al Qaeda, and a terrorist who’s responsible for the murder of thousands of innocent men, women, and children. It was nearly 10 years ago that a bright September day was darkened by the worst attack on the American people in our history. The images of 9/11 are seared into our national memory -- hijacked planes cutting through a cloudless September sky; the Twin Towers collapsing to the ground; black smoke billowing up from the Pentagon; the wreckage of Flight 93 in Shanksville, Pennsylvania, where the actions of heroic citizens saved even more heartbreak and destruction.

And yet we know that the worst images are those that were unseen to the world. The empty seat at the dinner table. Children who were forced to grow up without their mother or their father. Parents who would never know the feeling of their child’s embrace. Nearly 3,000 citizens taken from us, leaving a gaping hole in our hearts.

On September 11, 2001, in our time of grief, the American people came together. We offered our neighbors a hand, and we offered the wounded our blood. We reaffirmed our ties to each other, and our love of community and country. On that day, no matter where we came from, what God we prayed to, or what race or ethnicity we were, we were united as one American family.

We were also united in our resolve to protect our nation and to bring those who committed this vicious attack to justice. We quickly learned that the 9/11 attacks were carried out by al Qaeda -- an organization headed by Osama bin Laden, which had openly declared war on the United States and was committed to killing innocents in our country and around the globe. And so we went to war against al Qaeda to protect our citizens, our friends, and our allies.

Over the last 10 years, thanks to the tireless and heroic work of our military and our counterterrorism professionals, we’ve made great strides in that effort. We’ve disrupted terrorist attacks and strengthened our homeland defense. In Afghanistan, we removed the Taliban government, which had given bin Laden and al Qaeda safe haven and support. And around the globe, we worked with our friends and allies to capture or kill scores of al Qaeda terrorists, including several who were a part of the 9/11 plot.

Yet Osama bin Laden avoided capture and escaped across the Afghan border into Pakistan. Meanwhile, al Qaeda continued to operate from along that border and operate through its affiliates across the world.

And so shortly after taking office, I directed Leon Panetta, the director of the CIA, to make the killing or capture of bin Laden the top priority of our war against al Qaeda, even as we continued our broader efforts to disrupt, dismantle, and defeat his network.

Then, last August, after years of painstaking work by our intelligence community, I was briefed on a possible lead to bin Laden. It was far from certain, and it took many months to run this thread to ground. I met repeatedly with my national security team as we developed more information about the possibility that we had located bin Laden hiding within a compound deep inside of Pakistan. And finally, last week, I determined that we had enough intelligence to take action, and authorized an operation to get Osama bin Laden and bring him to justice.

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.

For over two decades, bin Laden has been al Qaeda’s leader and symbol, and has continued to plot attacks against our country and our friends and allies. The death of bin Laden marks the most significant achievement to date in our nation’s effort to defeat al Qaeda.

Yet his death does not mark the end of our effort. There’s no doubt that al Qaeda will continue to pursue attacks against us. We must –- and we will -- remain vigilant at home and abroad.

As we do, we must also reaffirm that the United States is not –- and never will be -– at war with Islam. I’ve made clear, just as President Bush did shortly after 9/11, that our war is not against Islam. Bin Laden was not a Muslim leader; he was a mass murderer of Muslims. Indeed, al Qaeda has slaughtered scores of Muslims in many countries, including our own. So his demise should be welcomed by all who believe in peace and human dignity.

Over the years, I’ve repeatedly made clear that we would take action within Pakistan if we knew where bin Laden was. That is what we’ve done. But it’s important to note that our counterterrorism cooperation with Pakistan helped lead us to bin Laden and the compound where he was hiding. Indeed, bin Laden had declared war against Pakistan as well, and ordered attacks against the Pakistani people.

Tonight, I called President Zardari, and my team has also spoken with their Pakistani counterparts. They agree that this is a good and historic day for both of our nations. And going forward, it is essential that Pakistan continue to join us in the fight against al Qaeda and its affiliates.

The American people did not choose this fight. It came to our shores, and started with the senseless slaughter of our citizens. After nearly 10 years of service, struggle, and sacrifice, we know well the costs of war. These efforts weigh on me every time I, as Commander-in-Chief, have to sign a letter to a family that has lost a loved one, or look into the eyes of a service member who’s been gravely wounded.

So Americans understand the costs of war. Yet as a country, we will never tolerate our security being threatened, nor stand idly by when our people have been killed. We will be relentless in defense of our citizens and our friends and allies. We will be true to the values that make us who we are. And on nights like this one, we can say to those families who have lost loved ones to al Qaeda’s terror: Justice has been done.

Tonight, we give thanks to the countless intelligence and counterterrorism professionals who’ve worked tirelessly to achieve this outcome. The American people do not see their work, nor know their names. But tonight, they feel the satisfaction of their work and the result of their pursuit of justice.

We give thanks for the men who carried out this operation, for they exemplify the professionalism, patriotism, and unparalleled courage of those who serve our country. And they are part of a generation that has borne the heaviest share of the burden since that September day.

Finally, let me say to the families who lost loved ones on 9/11 that we have never forgotten your loss, nor wavered in our commitment to see that we do whatever it takes to prevent another attack on our shores.

And tonight, let us think back to the sense of unity that prevailed on 9/11. I know that it has, at times, frayed. Yet today’s achievement is a testament to the greatness of our country and the determination of the American people.

The cause of securing our country is not complete. But tonight, we are once again reminded that America can do whatever we set our mind to. That is the story of our history, whether it’s the pursuit of prosperity for our people, or the struggle for equality for all our citizens; our commitment to stand up for our values abroad, and our sacrifices to make the world a safer place.

Let us remember that we can do these things not just because of wealth or power, but because of who we are: one nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.

Thank you. May God bless you. And may God bless the United States of America.