Vanity Fair: The hunt for "Geronimo" (Osama Bin Laden)

[yllus]

I quite honestly could not stop reading this until it was over. The description of the raid itself and how it must have sounded/felt for Bin Laden himself as he waited in the dark for the SEALs to close in... Wow. The other little details like the use of the dog, the supreme self confidence of the raid team, and how the pilot intentionally steered the chopper's tail into the wall to stay upright when he realized he was going down are all terrific. A must read.

Vanity Fair - The Hunt For “Geronimo”

"In the name of Allah the most gracious the most merciful. Praise Allah and pray on his prophet. To the esteemed brother, Sheikh Mahmud, Allah protect him.”

Holed up in his compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan, Osama bin Laden sat at a computer and set down his thoughts in a long letter dated April 26, 2011, to Atiyah Abdul al-Rahman, his third-in-command and the link to his far-flung and beleaguered followers—the man he addressed as Sheikh Mahmud. It was the al-Qaeda leader’s sixth spring of confinement in Abbottabad. His hair and beard had grown white.

Ten years after the 9/11 attacks, bin Laden’s life had shrunk to the cramped and crowded space of the upper two floors of a house behind high walls. His days consisted of familiar routines, rarely broken: his meals, his seven daily prayer sessions, his readings, the poetry lessons for his children and grandchildren, the sermons to three of his wives, the brisk daily walk around the vegetable gardens.

In his letter to Sheikh Mahmud, he raced to catch up with the Arab Spring, to interpret the events in light of his own immutable beliefs. Bin Laden also hammered home some advice about security. After more than nine successful years in hiding, he considered himself to be an expert: “It is proven that the American technology and its modern systems cannot arrest a Mujahid if he does not commit a security error that leads them to him,” he wrote. “So adherence to security precautions makes their advanced technology a loss and a disappointment to them.”

The computer turned bin Laden’s words into neat lines of uniform Arabic. He was feeling confident. He had five days to live.

...

 

[Perknose]

Bin Laden also hammered home some advice about security. After more than nine successful years in hiding, he considered himself to be an expert: “It is proven that the American technology and its modern systems cannot arrest a Mujahid if he does not commit a security error that leads them to him,” he wrote. “So adherence to security precautions makes their advanced technology a loss and a disappointment to them.”

Wrong, Mr. Bin Laden . . . and now we're into a very special lightning round on You Bet Your Life!

 

[Anarchist420]

Osama Bin Laden died by the end of 2001. If I could reason that, then everyone could.

The CIA, MI6, and Mossad share control with the NWO (the WASP Houses of Morgan and Rockefeller and the Jewish House of Rothschild and I'm no Catholic or Muslim) to do the attacks of terror on 9/11/01.

The NWO has been in effect since the enlightenment, probably since Christ was alive, and maybe even before then. Look at all the failed revolutions. People can be part of the NWO and not ever realize it... Thomas Jefferson made the Declaration of Independence and the NWO ruined it.

 

[Bowfinger]

Thank you, Yllus. Fascinating read. Like you, once I started I couldn't stop.

 

[Juror No. 8]

Is there any credible, independently verifiable evidence that Osama bin Laden was actually at that compound and killed in that raid last year? Is there any credible, independently verifiable evidence that it took place the way we are told? Or is it all part and parcel of the phony, patently absurd 9/11 narrative we were fed by the lying U.S. government?

 

[Lemon law]

On one hand, I do believe, that the seal team six raid raid ended the life of Ossama Bin Laden. With the final key being, a somewhat far earlier lucky break in finally tracing down his one trusted courier. At which point the US CIA bought a neighboring house and watched the suspected Ossama house for six months or so, without once spotting Ossama Bin Laden himself.

Finally in May/2012 Obama elected to go on spotty intelligence, totally ignore Pakistani sovereignty, and US laws against assassinations, and then rest is history. While a whole pile of other questions got swept under the rug. As I believe seal team six could and should have taken Ossama Bin Laden alive but were instead ordered to murder him in cold blood as part of the initial plan.

And what did the Seal Team six raid actually accomplish? Which I maintain was basically nothing positive. While Ossama Bin Laden was a consummate showman, he was never the brains of Al-Quida. And after 911, Ossama Bin Laden was so radioactive, no one in the actual wanted anything to do with him. And as a result, had been "out of the loop", for a decade. As the home movies discovered nothing but an old man, plotting new and more spectacular terrorist plots no one in Al-Quida wanted any part of. Kinds of reminds me of Richard Nixon after being forced to resign as President, still waiting for that comeback that never came.

As for Al-Quida and maybe Obama expectations, the death of Bin-Laden was a non event, as Al-Quida has been advancing their agenda quite well without Ossama Bin Laden for a decade prior. And sadly likely into the foreseeable future. As the stupidity of the American people still rules the day.

Simply because the doctrine of the terrorist, which is a 6000 year old tactic, rests on society being so corrupt, and therefore, no social progress is possible until and unless the existing power structure is torn down. So a new just social order can arise from the ashes.

But when the nullistic terrorist doctrine is best shot down by offering reforms that will give everyone in any society a stake in building a better future, terrorism becomes a far harder sell. Failing that, trying to address the symptoms by more violent oppression never works.

 

[Anarchist420]

Al-qaida was created by the US govt and the latter still hasn't even realized it. That's because global neo-fascism is 100% irrational.

 

[randomrogue]

I believe he's dead but I am not going to read a book or paper about the raid since they can write just about anything. I'm not going to read something that at best is embellished and worst is propaganda.

A far more interesting read would be the truth about how/why the Pakistani's shielded him there. Anyone that has been to that part of the world would see a house like that and ask the obvious questions. Osama was an idiot to live like that.

 

[rudder]

And what did the Seal Team six raid actually accomplish?

It allowed a great snippet to be added into obama's campaign videos:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4nUDg-O93GU

 

[rudder]

A far more interesting read would be the truth about how/why the Pakistani's shielded him there. Anyone that has been to that part of the world would see a house like that and ask the obvious questions. Osama was an idiot to live like that.

Imagine a $90,000 mercedes benz parked in the ghetto. Everyone knows it belongs to a powerful drug dealer. This drug dealer has friends and brings money into the community and employs a bunch of people. The neighborhood shares a common hatred for the police. No one is going to snitch on the owner of the Mercedes.

Osama was able to be more out in the open in his compound because the Pakistani government had a change when Musharaff was ousted.

 

[OBLAMA2009]

I believe he's dead but I am not going to read a book or paper about the raid since they can write just about anything. I'm not going to read something that at best is embellished and worst is propaganda.

A far more interesting read would be the truth about how/why the Pakistani's shielded him there. Anyone that has been to that part of the world would see a house like that and ask the obvious questions. Osama was an idiot to live like that.

exactly, the us government controls the media and can tell any made up story it wants. they initially claimed that the brave seals fought a gun battle to get in the compound and that was quickly proven to be a total lie. just look at the lies they told with the jessica lynch story, pat tillman, etc.... lol, this time they even hired mark bowden, the fiction author of blackhawk down and killing pablo to write up their propaganda, so expect the movie version soon.

 

[Juror No. 8]

exactly, the us government controls the media and can tell any made up story it wants. they initially claimed that the brave seals fought a gun battle to get in the compound and that was quickly proven to be a total lie. just look at the lies they told with the jessica lynch story, pat tillman, etc.... lol, this time they even hired mark bowden, the fiction author of blackhawk down and killing pablo to write up their propaganda, so expect the movie version soon.

From the U.S. Congressional Record of February 9, 1917, pg. 2947:

Mr. CALLAWAY: Mr. Chairman, under unanimous consent, I insert into the Record at this point a statement showing the newspaper combination, which explains their activity in the war matter, just discussed by the gentleman from Pennsylvania [Mr. MOORE]:


"In March, 1915, the J.P. Morgan interests, the steel, ship building and powder interests and their subsidiary organizations, got together 12 men high up in the newspaper world and employed them to select the most influential newspapers in the United States and sufficient number of them to control generally the policy of the daily press in the United States...


"This contract is in existence at the present time, and it accounts for the news columns of the daily press of the country being filled with all sorts of preparedness arguments and misrepresentations as to the present condition of the United States Army and Navy, and the possibility and probability of the United States being attacked by foreign foes.


"This policy also included the suppression of everything in opposition to the wishes of the interests served. The effectiveness of this scheme has been conclusively demonstrated by the character of the stuff carried in the daily press throughout the country since March, 1915.


They have resorted to anything necessary to commercialize public sentiment and sandbag the National Congress into making extravagant and wasteful appropriations for the Army and Navy under false pretense that it was necessary. Their stock argument is that it is 'patriotism.' They are playing on every prejudice and passion of the American people."

This apparently happened 95 years ago. The most influential news outlets of the time were bought up so that they could be coordinated and controlled for the primary purpose of misleading the American people into believing anything their owners at J.P. Morgan desired. The media was essentially bought out to paint and perpetuate a false reality.

Does anyone here honestly think this system disappeared after WW1? Does anyone honestly think this system didn't grow in size and scope for WW2 and all the major events that followed? Does anyone here honestly think this system no longer exists today?

 

[Yreka]

Fantastic read, thanks Yllus

 

[dabuddha]

Good read!