Osama Bin Laden Killed by US Forces in Abbottabad, Pakistan

CNN and other major outlets are reporting that Osama Bin Laden has been killed in a mansion near Islamabad, Pakistan. U.S. forces killed Bin Laden and have his body. President Obama is set to deliver a message to the nation shortly. His announcement has been delayed for over an hour.

Update: According to President Obama, a small group of soldiers invaded the compound, engaged in a firefight and killed the Al Qaeda leader. Bin Laden's hideout was in Abbottabad, Pakistan.

According to CNN, a team of Navy Seals conducted the operation, which included the use of helicopters. One helicopter actually crashed, but no Americans were hurt in the crash. Pursuant to security procedures, the U.S. forces destroyed the downed helicopter.

The funniest thing about this was the stupidity of Osama Bin Laden. Reportedly, this huge mansion had no Internet or phone service and burned its own trash instead of placing it out for disposal like the other residents in the neighborhood.

Now that Osama Bin Laden is dead, some interesting things that could happen are possible retaliation from Al Qaeda and strained relations with Pakistan.

Personally, this sickens me even more about Pakistan than before. We have apparently been led to believe that Bin Laden has been hiding in the hills and caves around the border between Pakistan and Afghanistan. It will be interesting to see what Pakistan has to say about this. I expect nothing of substance. Pakistan seems to be a friend of the U.S. only on paper and has not been particularly helpful to the U.S. in the war on terror. On the other hand, it does appear that Pakistan aided in this effort. The local government will likely downplay its role in the killing of Bin Laden.

Yet, we can't really blame Bush or Obama for trying to maintain a relationship with Pakistan, as it is better to work from the inside than completely from the outside.

As I write this, crowds are gathering around the White House, waving flags and singing songs. Normally, I get a bit squeamish over cheering on a man's death. I will make an exception in this case. Even I can join in since it's Osama Bin Laden, the incarnation of evil if such a thing exists.

Moving forward, it will be nice to see a continued democratic movement in the Islamic nations. Whether that comes to pass is questionable, as those with the power to take over these governments may not have our idea of democracy in mind. I suppose, though, that we can at least hope for a transition away from this insane idea that civilians are a fair target to gain leverage in political disagreements.

Sources:

CNN, "Osama Bin Laden Is Dead," May 1 , 2011