Ossama Bin Laden was not armed.

[zinfamous]

It's all over the news:

http://news.yahoo.com/s/time/08599206906900

http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/3560829/Black-Hawks-blackened-wreck.html

http://pogoblog.typepad.com/pogo/20...during-raid-on-bin-laden-begin-to-emerge.html

Overloading wouldn't have been a concern - I'm sure they loaded OBL's body, his brother's body, the intel they found on site and a couple of commandos onto the working chopper and then hustled out of there to rendezvous with the Chinooks or whatever else came to lift the second squad.

It was OBL's son, was it not?

 

[Craig234]

Whether it was justified to shoot him in the head or not, I think it reflects poorly on us when our story changes like it did. First, we say he was armed and using a woman as a shield. Then, it turns out he was unarmed and the woman was shot because she was rushing towards the shooter.

So clearly our people have lied already, it makes you wonder how much of the rest of the story is accurate.

I agree. We seem to have these falsehoods in practically every story.

There's an irony in the closing sentence here:

In a briefing with reporters Monday at the White House, Mr. Brennan said one of bin Laden’s wives was used as a human shield to protect the al Qaeda founder. Both were killed in a shootout, and bin Laden was later buried at sea.

“Here is bin Laden, who has been calling for these attacks, living in this million-dollar-plus compound, living in an area that is far removed from the front, hiding behind women who were put in front of him as a shield,” he told reporters. “I think it really just speaks to just how false his narrative has been over the years.”

 

[zinfamous]

honestly, I wouldn't have cared if the fuck face was blowing out candles on a birthday cake and petting a kitten when the SEALs burst in and capped him in the back of his head. Or if he had his dick in his hand a big fat grin on his face. It simply doesn't matter.

think about the fact that casting him as unarmed, as mentioned here, may simply be another lie. It dethorns him. shows him to be an unprepared coward who went down without a fight.

also consider that a young woman throwing herself at the SEALs is no different than him grabbing her and using her as a human shield IF you take into account the cult of personality that this guy as achieved. Might as well be a Manson Girl sacrificing herself for her master.

How is that any less evil?

 

[Lemon law]

Someone please explain why the government admitted this.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ok I will take a stab at it even if I have no real evidence to prove my contention.

But as we know the USA raid came on the wings of three US helicopters that got to target
with the total desired surprise.

But when one copter was disabled over the target, the whole mission became a busted play, as what we could lift out became quite delimited.

But in the process the raid killed an unarmed Bin Laden. Left alive un extracted was at least
one Bin Laden wife and a number of Osama children, who were eyewitnesses to the raid. And they are now in Pakistani hands and likely sobbing like ze birds recording jihadist videos in all probability. Their testimony likely forced the Obama admission.

 

[Hayabusa Rider]

How to carry him out simply wasn't a factor. It was the political reasoning that led to killing him being preferable to taking him alive.

I don't know if you've had to carry out someone under fire, but it's seldom "not a factor". The orders were most likely to terminate, but there seems to be this illusion that walking through such an area is a waltz. No, it carries significant risk.

 

[Infohawk]

think about the fact that casting him as unarmed, as mentioned here, may simply be another lie. It dethorns him. shows him to be an unprepared coward who went down without a fight.

I agree that this may be a lie. It does make his death seem relatively unsexy. (Not sure what the other lies would be.)

On the other hand, I'm guessing the Muslim world will come up with their own story regardless of what we say.

 

[wuliheron]

The man was a symbol for Muslim extremists everywhere and if Al Qaeda had managed another serious attack on the US like a dirty bomb he would have been immortalized right along side Hitler. He showed no mercy in killing thousands of unarmed men and women and, if he wasn't armed, the Seals merely returned the favor.

 

[Zebo]

I thought it was a kill mission in the first place? Doesnt matter if he's armed. This is not TJ hooker.

 

[SAWYER]

There isn't a violin small enough for me to play

 

[zinfamous]

I agree that this may be a lie. It does make his death seem relatively unsexy. (Not sure what the other lies would be.)

On the other hand, I'm guessing the Muslim world will come up with their own story regardless of what we say.

exactly.

LL posited that revealing that he was unarmed may have been to come out ahead of whatever surviving BL family members will be saying.

well, the simple fact is, it doesn't matter what they will say. Regardless of what really went down, they would be saying the same thing--presenting their master as a hero who went down in a blaze of glory, the American pigs as cowards in whatever way they chose to color them as cowards.


The same as producing photos or a body still wouldn't convince the people that don't want to be convinced. It simply doesn't matter.

 

[shiner]

Sadly, this forum is thinking mostly American views, the point is the Muslim and even the European world will likely be appalled with the news. As this admission has dragged the USA to exactly the same moral level as Ossama himself.

If that's so, and it likely is not, then:

 

[zinfamous]

I thought it was a kill mission in the first place? Doesnt matter if he's armed. This is not TJ hooker.

I'd like to see bin Laden clinging to the hood of an Impala speeding down the expressway.

 

[UberNeuman]

I'd like to see bin Laden clinging to the hood of an Impala speeding down the expressway.

\Hooker's a good cop!
\\mst3k

 

[xj0hnx]

OP, I don't think you have a true appreciation of what a dynamic, fast moving, and pressure packed situation those Seals were put in.

If you burst into a Osma's bedroom after some minutes of gunfire have alerted him to your presence, do you want to be holding a taser or an automatic?

Please take heart that we were able to pull off this operation at all, and stop making unreasonable armchair demands.

This is war. Bin Laden declared jihad on us and directed the killing of thousands of innocent American civilians. Miraculously, we were finally able to bring him to justice, and rough justice is what this murderer got.

Bin Laden alive and in custody on our soil would have been an endless public relations nightmare and a lightning rod for Muslim protestors of all stripes, both domestically and all across the globe.

There were no "legally" pristine solutions here, but our military and intelligence communities combined to pull off a near-miraculous one.

Be grateful. I am.

It only took 26,458 post for me to find one that I 110% agree with

Whether it was justified to shoot him in the head or not, I think it reflects poorly on us when our story changes like it did. First, we say he was armed and using a woman as a shield. Then, it turns out he was unarmed and the woman was shot because she was rushing towards the shooter.

So clearly our people have lied already, it makes you wonder how much of the rest of the story is accurate.

There have been a few stupid post in this thread so far, but this one takes the cake. Today's 24/7 instant news, with them all trying to one up the other reporting on a beyond top secret mission, by one of the most elite military units on the planet, and you think our people are "lying"? More like details are going to be hard to get for the first few days, but that doesn't change the fact that those same "details" will be spread around in every corner of the media until the full story finally comes out, and even once the real full story is finally out, there's no story that everyone is going to believe. Fucking hell, the team hadn't even have time to debrief and people are acting like the news going around is going to be supposed to be accurate.

 

[werepossum]

You, sir, officially rule.

The right won't care as long as he's dead.
The left won't care 'cause it's the Messiah.
The usual suspects will whine because it's America. Screw 'em all, I demand Obama receive a second Nobel Peace Prize.

 

[werepossum]

For those who can read German, this legal tribune argues that no nation has a license to kill and human rights and due process must be followed, even when the likes of OBL are concerned.

Yeah, the world hates us even more now.

Death to the US Dollar! Death to the US economy.

Must be hard to walk with the balls it would take for a GERMAN to make those claims. Seriously, after beginning two world wars and murdering millions last century, you guys may want to go a little easy on the finger pointing this century.

 

[elitejp]

I skipped to the end so i havent read it all but heres my thought. Im glad he was killed. It will save the american taxpayers countless amounts of money as we skip 4-5 years of court hearings trying to decide if he should or should not be killed or if he really was in charge of terrorist attacks blah blah blah.
And for anybody who thinks that they could have taken OBL alive i would like you to consider this: 1)that the seals team had confirmation to shoot to kill if needed. 2)They were in a firefight and trying to stay alive while completing the mission. 3) Whoever arrived their first and saw OBL probably didnt think it wise to take any additional time trying to see if OBL was armed but reacted that he was trained to do.

 

[rudder]

oooops

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2009/...s-Cheney-oversaw-executive-assassination-team

looks like obama is in charge of the assasination team now.

 

[ShawnD1]

How are the military guys expected to know what Osama looks like? If you line up 10 guys, make them not shower for a month, then put a towel on their head, they all start to look the same.

 

[zinfamous]

Screw 'em all, I demand Obama receive a second Nobel Peace Prize.

heh, I forgot about that! this actually kind of justifies an action towards world peace.

sorta....

 

[zinfamous]

Must be hard to walk with the balls it would take for a GERMAN to make those claims. Seriously, after beginning two world wars and murdering millions last century, you guys may want to go a little easy on the finger pointing this century.

Germany is a very, very different place today. But yes, it is quite funny.

Perhaps we can politely suggest to them that maybe the only thing holding us in check is the knowledge gained through their own history.

 

[zinfamous]

How are the military guys expected to know what Osama looks like? If you line up 10 guys, make them not shower for a month, then put a towel on their head, they all start to look the same.

Osama is the 6'8" smelly, towel-headed guy.

 

[JEDIYoda]

All we can say is that killing him rather than judging him
was seen as more beneficial politicaly.....

BS....this method saved the tax payers money...he was guilty anyways.....

 

[zinfamous]

oooops

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2009/...s-Cheney-oversaw-executive-assassination-team

I can't believe the dark side powers are strong enough to keep that black, unbeating heart beating after all these years.

god, I really hate that worthless sack of shit.

 

[JEDIYoda]

So clearly our people have lied already, it makes you wonder how much of the rest of the story is accurate.

your freaking idiot dude......
I bet your a 9/11 conspiracy dude...