President Obama tonight reported that the Al Qaeda leader was killed in a firefight resulting from a targeted operation that the President ordered today in Pakistan.
While the notorious mastermind behind 911 and other horrific attacks on the US has been rumored to be in Pakistan’s remote tribal areas, he was found to be hiding in Abbottabad, a city of 120,000 only an hour north of Islamabad, the Pakistani capital.
(The mastermind link above is to The New York Times obituary, one of the longest on record — certainly of a non-American. Sadly, as sometimes happens, the main writer of the piece has pre-deceased his subject.)
The city, a tourist destination famed for its breathtaking mountain views, has a large Pakistani army base and a military academy, so it is not isolated from Pakistani military and counter-intelligence forces. Remarkable, hiding in plain sight. Remember, the “hiding in Afghanistan’s caves” theory in the previous administration?
Having eluded a worldwide manhunt for so long, Osama Bin Laden probably felt more and more secure, especially being outside the easy reach of US troops in Afghanistan. However, America had been tracking strong leads since last August, according to the President.
“Justice has been done,” said President Obama.
Frankly, I thought he would escape capture by American forces forever and upon hearing the rumors of his death, I thought it was due to natural causes. Oh, ye of little faith.
Watch the President’s announcement here and here.
I’m sure many Americans who remember the 9/11/2001 catastrophes vividly cannot quite believe this breaking news.
God bless the United States of America.