Al Qaeda chief Bin Laden was killed by American troops in Abottabad [a couple of hours from Islamabad], Pakistan. [see also Nick Kristof's early reaction]. The Pakistan connection seems to me to be the biggest part of the news.
From President Obama's address:
Over the years, I've repeatedly made clear that we would take action within Pakistan if we knew where bin Laden was. That is what we've done. But it's important to note that our counterterrorism cooperation with Pakistan helped lead us to bin Laden and the compound where he was hiding. Indeed, bin Laden had declared war against Pakistan as well, and ordered attacks against the Pakistani people.
Tonight, I called President Zardari, and my team has also spoken with their Pakistani counterparts. They agree that this is a good and historic day for both of our nations. And going forward, it is essential that Pakistan continue to join us in the fight against al Qaeda and its affiliates.
I think this episode simply illustrates again Pakistan's repeated failure to capture (or wanting to capture) terrorists who are hiding in their own backyards (in this case only an hour away from the capital).
ReplyDeleteYou might be surprised. But even Desi Babu has something to say about the Pakistan connection ;-)
ReplyDeletepeace!
You may be a superpower if ... you feel no need to knock before you enter, and the world finds it quite all right.
ReplyDelete@WebMiner....and if the world upholds you as a paragon of "civilization" for not publishing pictures of an unarmed enemy you just shot dead.
ReplyDelete@sacredfig --- And there's no need to say "I love you" afterward either, or call the next day. "We train young men to drop fire on people. But their commanders won't allow them to write `fv6k' on their airplanes, because it's obscene." But in this present instance, to be fair, if you prop up with cash and guns a drug-addict gambler half-brother for decades, you would feel no need to knock to enter his jhoparpatti either, would you?
ReplyDelete