Bin Laden dead

[FORD]

Yes, but that's why the delivery bag is made from Kevlar.

[FORD]

[standin]

Odd behavior of neighbors makes sense after bin Laden killing

ABBOTTABAD, Pakistan | Wed May 4, 2011 7:23am EDT
(Reuters) - The children in the white mansion with closed circuit cameras in Abbottabad never came out to play.

Only now, after a stunning U.S. assault that killed Osama bin Laden in the small, tranquil Pakistani city and put it under an international spotlight, is it all starting to make sense.

The al Qaeda leader, widely believed to be hiding in the mountains between Pakistan and Afghanistan, was actually one of the mysterious neighbors next door -- acutely aware that one false move could tip off U.S. intelligence agents hunting him.

"We used to play cricket near the house but their kids never joined us," said Nabeel, 12. "The kids did not go to school. We never saw them going to school."

Abbottabad will never be the same after U.S. special forces arrived by helicopter early Monday, entered the mansion set beneath soothing green hills and killed bin Laden, ending one of the most extensive, high-profile manhunts in history.

Dumbfounded residents are retracing the few activities they observed from the mansion, which towers above other houses in the area in size and value.

People had been scratching their heads for years in Abbottabad, a typical medium-sized Pakistani city, 50 km (31 miles) northwest of the capital Islamabad.

Residents had tried to come up with some answers. They must be a religious family so that's why the women were never seen, kept inside.

But that didn't explain why the men of the house never attended weddings or funerals -- unusual behavior in Pakistan's deeply traditional Muslim society.

Irritations over the odd behavior built up.

During religious holidays many of the people of Abbottabad gave each other sweets.

But those in the house where U.S. officials say America's public enemy number lived in comfort were so anti-social that others never bothered to knock on their doors during those special occasions.

"We distribute kheer (a sweet dish of milk and rice) to our neighbors, but my mother never asked me to go there," said Mohammad Kabir.

Government employee Tahir Mehmood recalled how the people in the mansion had a van and a jeep. Like others, he is likely to be gripped by disbelief for some time.

"From their appearance we never had suspicion that they could be such people," he said. "I cannot believe he was there. If he was there it is hard to understand that no one ever saw him."

It could be some time before life returns to normal in Abbottabad, where laborers work on construction sites and farmers tend to potato and pea fields without intrusive television cameras and reporters fixated on the city.

A heavy security cordon has been imposed around the mansion. The streets were all but empty Wednesday because a high-ranking military official was expected to visit the area, beside a Pakistani military academy.

Some vowed to put it all behind them, but were anxious. If the world's most wanted man can live beside you undetected, anything is possible.

"There will be no change in our lives. We will keep doing hard work. But I hope there will be no violence and our families and kids remain safe and secure," Mohammad Ramzan, a farm labor.

(Writing by Michael Georgy; Editing by Robert Birsel)




A boy looks over a wall in front of the compound where al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden was killed in Abbottabad May 3, 2011. Bin Laden lived for the past five to six years in the compound deep inside Pakistan where the al Qaeda leader was killed by U.S. forces, President Barack Obama's counterterrorism adviser said on Tuesday. Bin Laden, who was living in Afghanistan before a 2001 U.S.-led invasion helped topple its Taliban regime, was holed up in a compound in the military garrison town of Abbottabad in Pakistan before Sunday's operation to kill him.
Credit: Reuters/Faisal Mahmood

http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/05/04/us-behaviour-neighbours-idUSTRE7431YJ20110504

[Kristy]

And now for the obligatory conspiracy link:

http://vigilantcitizen.com/vigilantreport/binladen-mayfirst/

Interesting read...poorly written but interesting. Apparently, American unknowlingly celbrated in a quasi-Illuminati Beltane Festival. Damn. I always miss the best parties.

[jhale667]

[FORD]

Just in case anybody was wondering what Alex Jones had to say about all of this......

[DONNIEP]

Obama has decided the pictures won't be released!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Ok, now I'm ready to buy into Ford's theories - they got no body and they won't even release a fucking picture????? I wouldn't be surprised if the son of a bitch Osama puts out a video of himself holding up a copy of Monday's paper and pissing on an American flag.

[FORD]

Nah, there's no question that Bin Laden is dead. Only a question of whether the body they dumped in the water was fresh, or freezer burned. They really should release a picture just to prove the son of a bitch is dead. To leave any doubt out there is stupid.

Pretty much what I said about all the video footage from cameras aimed at the Pentagon on 9-11-01. The tapes would establish once and for all whether or not a plane hit the fucking building, and if so, what sort of plane it was. And if such footage was produced, and proven authentic, it would kill a big plank of the "9-11 truth" argument. Yet no such tape was ever produced, despite all the excuses made - like the Zach Moussaui trial - being eventually no longer valid.

[ThrillsNSpills]

Why the hell would they release an obviously photoshopped fake photo of him? it was obviously fake as was one of the BL videos we saw years ago.
Plus wasn't his kidney bad years ago when he was going "cave to cave" ?

I thought he was dead years ago but after all the shit we saw in the last 10 years I don't believe anything on TV anymore.
Are we supposed to be happy now while the dollar continues to get obliterated?

[Kristy]

Fuck him - and Jones.

[Va Beach VH Fan]

All of this conspiracy bullshit is a fucking slap in the face to the SEAL's who performed this mission flawlessly....

I've got good friends on the Teams here in VA Beach.... They've seen the videos, they've seen the pictures..... Move on.....

[Golden AWe]

Yes, Osama bin Laden is dead. Probably since 2002.

This was a basically a criminal US operation on a foreign ground, a test to see the world's reaction on "justice operations" like this. Please do remember though, Russia ain't any better, they're commiting operations on "terrorist leaders" in their neighborhood countries all the time.

A couple of things/facts:

- after 9/11, a video about Osama admitting his part on the 9/11 was published. Later on it's been revealed as fake. Later on a video where he denied his part was released. CIA has admitted on producing fake terrorist videos too.

- there are tens of photos and videos about Osama bin Laden since 2001, but how many of them seem believeable or authentic? None? The funny thing is this one seemed most up-to-date, though haven't found the actual audio or video: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/env...ng-debate.html

- Osama hasn't been a part of any remarkable terrorist operations in 10 years

[FORD]

All of this conspiracy bullshit is a fucking slap in the face to the SEAL's who performed this mission flawlessly....

I've got good friends on the Teams here in VA Beach.... They've seen the videos, they've seen the pictures..... Move on.....

I'm actually surprised we haven't heard from Jesse Ventura on all of this. Being a SEAL himself, he would certainly understand the secrecy involved in what they do (he has refused to talk about anything he did while wearing that uniform).

The administration is shooting itself in the ass by the fact that the story keeps changing, by not releasing a picture, and by outright lying about burial at sea being a Muslim tradition (it is not, though a quick burial is).

If you have direct confirmation of the story from actual SEALS, then I'm not about to question that, but as far as credibility of the story for the general public, they could have done this a lot better. I just don't understand WHY they would want to leave any question about it.

[Guitar Shark]

All of this conspiracy bullshit is a fucking slap in the face to the SEAL's who performed this mission flawlessly....

I've got good friends on the Teams here in VA Beach.... They've seen the videos, they've seen the pictures..... Move on.....

Amen.

The problem is that the way in which this has been handled is only going to make the conspiracies seem more plausible. All the backtracking and inconsistent statements are a conspiracy theorist's wet dream.

[Guitar Shark]

The administration is shooting itself in the ass by the fact that the story keeps changing, by not releasing a picture, and by outright lying about burial at sea being a Muslim tradition (it is not, though a quick burial is).

If you have direct confirmation of the story from actual SEALS, then I'm not about to question that, but as far as credibility of the story for the general public, they could have done this a lot better. I just don't understand WHY they would want to leave any question about it.

This is the point I was trying to make in my previous post. Especially in the Information Age of today, the way our government has handled this issue is only going to fuel the fire.