All the new details of UBL's death....

[ewth8tr]

I haven't seen a whole lot of reports, but I thought the initial report only stated that one of those killed had been using a human shield, I don't recall it stating that it was obl that did it.

[Paperback Writer]

Right. What's better? A double-tap to the dome of OBL during FHE? Or 25 tomahawks on the compound, turning everyone there into wallpaper?

I don't take issue with how OBL was killed or how the Navy SEALs performed. The loss of life was limited by not bombing the compound. I just think the WH should have stated the cold, hard facts rather than implying that OBL was killed in a firefight.

And this is not state sponsored assassination, this is war.

Same thing; I even implied as much in my original post. But I would argue that assassination is a better description than war. In war, soldiers usually do not shoot unarmed enemies in the face. I think this situation is different than war where rules and code of conducts typically apply. OBL was a terrorist, not an enemy solidier, and the rules of warfare don't always apply. In short, since they took OBL's body, the SEALs could have easily captured OBL alive. But that wasn't the purpose of their mission which appears to be to kill (assassinate) OBL.

per World English Dictionary:
assassinate
1. to murder (a person, esp a public or political figure), usually by a surprise attack

[Moliere]

Like I said, I'm conflicted. I'm thrilled he's gone. As the news came out it was a story of an intense fire fight between UBL and our SEAL's that lasted for 40 minutes. He went cowardly and used a woman as a human shield as he engaged the SEAL's. The WH has said it was a mission to capture UBL if possible or kill him if he resisted. The information coming out now is that he did not resist and that he had not engaged in the fire fight and that he was surrounded by wife and child when he was shot. I was proud that we got him with no loss of American life and the man died as a coward hiding behind a woman. Now if feels like a mob hit complete with a sleeping with the fishes ending for him. It feels a little bit different than it felt Sunday night to me. I'm not going to lose any sleep over it. I was just wondering if anyone else was a bit uncomfortable with our actions.

Not sure if this was an oversight or not but I think these people would disagree.

[CJF]

Not sure if this was an oversight or not but I think these people would disagree.

Oh brother. I'm simply speaking about this particular mission.

[Green Monstah]

My only issues with his assasination (and subsequent celebration) stem from (a) the fact that I like to think of America and Americans are "better" than the terrorists, and our behavior seems to be an example of "stooping" to less civilized measures and (b) the fact that I think it will incite a terrorist attack worse than 9-11. It may not happen for a decade, but these psychos are patient and calculating. With a near wide-open border to the south, it's not out of the question that another major attack on a U.S. city will occur, and we simply gave them a greater excuse to amp up their efforts (as described at length in the "Celebration" thread).

Seemed like Osama was effectively neutralized: holed up in a Pakistani compound; unable to use electronic means of communication; ill.

Of course, he could have been running Al Qaeda effectively using couriers, but my sense is that he was basically emasculated by U.S. Intelligence and counter-terrorism efforts.

[Moliere]

Oh brother. I'm simply speaking about this particular mission.

I forgot we were looking at this in a vacuum. In that case, yes his killing was disturbing especially given that he's never killed anyone.

[Indy Coug]

In that case, yes his killing was disturbing especially given that he's never killed anyone.

Link?

[CJF]

I forgot we were looking at this in a vacuum. In that case, yes his killing was disturbing especially given that he's never killed anyone.

You've lost me. Granted, that's not difficult, but I honestly have no idea what point you're trying to make.

[kccougar]

I posted earlier that I didn't like the celebration surrounding OBL's death. I'd like to add that I have no problem with the death itself, even if it was an execution.

[myboynoah]

The details we are discussing came from John Brennan, the WH National Security Advisor in a press conference he gave. He shouldn't have been giving out faulty info. Not the media's fault in this case.

Yeah, they need to put a muzzle on Brennan. He was way out there.

The account Carney presented differed in key respects from one that White House counterterrorism adviser John O. Brennan provided the previous day. Brennan spoke mockingly of bin Laden’s behavior, saying the al-Qaeda leader had cowered behind his wife in the lavish hideout before being shot in an intense gunfire exchange.

“He was engaged in a firefight with those that entered,” Brennan said, adding that bin Laden had been “hiding behind women who were put in front of him as a shield.”

Osama bin Laden ‘resisted’ assault but was unarmed, U.S. officials say

So Paneta says they were only 60 percent sure OBL was at the compound. We have absolutely no respect for Pakistan.

[SteelBlue]

All the hand wringing over whether or not he resisted etc... is interesting. You don't hear much of that talk when we light up a house with a predator drone strike and kill 12 including women and children. Seems to me this type of strike actually preserved a few lives.

[happyone]

This is probably obvious but, I think the main problem is that when you release information in real time, you don't have the complete story and as the debriefs get done, that story naturally changes as one gets more complete information

[San Juan Sun]

Is it possible to feel (in retrospect) that the celebrations aren't the classiest thing to do, but that I don't really care if people celebrate the death of a homicidal Islamofacist.

If that's possible, that's my vote.

[Surfah]

This is probably obvious but, I think the main problem is that when you release information in real time, you don't have the complete story and as the debriefs get done, that story naturally changes as one gets more complete information

Of course. But these details were not important at all. Brennan had no reason to state that he cowered behind a woman shield.

[happyone]

All the hand wringing over whether or not he resisted etc... is interesting. You don't hear much of that talk when we light up a house with a predator drone strike and kill 12 including women and children. Seems to me this type of strike actually preserved a few lives.

In this case yes, but if something goes wrong, a lot of good guys are put in danger which doesn't happen with a drone/air strike

I guess you pick your poison - also we wanted confirmation that he was actually dead.

As to the question of if he was resisting or not - that is a split second decision in combat and I am not about to second guess the people who were there.