U.S. Forces Kill Osama bin Laden
Found on Wired on Sunday, 01 May 2011
In a "compound" near an area deep inside Pakistan called Abottabad - not far from the capital of Islamabad - U.S. operatives engaged in a "firefight" with bin Laden's handlers, Obama said, and killed the terrorist leader.
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."
Only a fool would assume that this means the end of terrorism. Bin Laden was nothing more than a symbol in the past few years, since he practically vanished from everyday life. Al-Qaida is not a single organisation, but a network, with more than enough cells working decentralized. It can, and will, continue; and chances are high that it will act soon to prove that it has not turned into a toothless beast. For the US, who trained and supported him in the past, it might be convenient that he resisted so he cannot be questioned anymore. Just like Saddam Hussein; and probably soon Ghaddafi. When your former buddies turn bad, make sure they won't be able to talk about the past once they are not in control anymore.