Intelligence, Operations Team Up for bin Laden Kill

Mon, May 2, 2011 at 8:23 PM By Jim Garamone  American Forces Press Service WASHINGTON, May 2, 2011 - The plan to attack the compound of 9/11 mastermind Osama bin Laden was the result of relentless intelligence work and operational professionalism, White House officials, speaking on background, said this morning. The operation was the culmination of years of careful and highly advanced intelligence work, officials said, as officers from the CIA, the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency and the National Security Agency worked as a team to analyze and pinpoint the Pakistani compound where bin Laden was killed. Once the intelligence pointed precisely to the compound in Abbottabad –- a town 35 miles north of Pakistan's capital of Islamabad –- the work on the mission began between the intelligence and military communities. "In the end, it was the matchless skill and courage of these Americans that secured this triumph for our country and the world," one official said. A small team conducted the helicopter raid on the compound. An official called it a complex operation, noting that the compound was a virtual fortress -– built in 2006 with high walls, razor wire and other defense features. Its suburban location and proximity to Islamabad complicated the operation, the official said. "The men who executed this mission accepted this risk, practiced to minimize those risks, and understood the importance of the target to the national security of the United States," he said. "This operation was a surgical raid by a small team designed to minimize collateral damage and to pose as little risk as possible to noncombatants on the compound or to Pakistani civilians in the neighborhood." U.S. helicopters delivered the team to the compound, and the team was on the ground for less than 40 minutes, an official said. They did not encounter any local authorities. In addition to bin Laden, three adult males were killed in the raid. "There were several women and children at the compound," the official said. "One woman was killed when she was used as a shield by a male combatant. Two other women were injured." One of the U.S. helicopters was lost at the compound due to mechanical failure. The crew destroyed it on the ground, and the assault force and crew members boarded the remaining aircraft to leave, an official said. "There's also no doubt that the death of Osama bin Laden marks the single greatest victory in the U.S.-led campaign to disrupt, dismantle and defeat al-Qaida," the official said. "It is a major and essential step in bringing about al-Qaida's eventual destruction." Though the organization's terrorists still are dangerous and al-Qaida may not fragment immediately, an official said, "the loss of bin Laden puts the group on a path of decline that will be difficult to reverse." The United States did not share any intelligence on the raid with any other country, the official said. "We believed it was essential to the security of the operation and our personnel," he said. "In fact, only a very small group of people inside our own government knew of this operation in advance." Shortly after the raid, he added, U.S. officials contacted senior Pakistani leaders and told them about the raid and its results. "Since 9/11, the United States has made it clear to Pakistan that we would pursue bin Laden wherever he might be," the official said. "Pakistan has long understood that we are at war with al-Qaida. The United States had a legal and moral obligation to act on the information it had."

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Bin Laden's death is a powerful counter to enemy

Mon, May 2, 2011 at 5:01 PM

By Karen Parrish 

American Forces Press Service FORWARD OPERATING BASE SHARANA, Afghanistan, May 2, 2011 - News of Osama bin Laden's death raced through the tents and plywood buildings that make up the headquarters of the 101st Airborne Division's 4th Brigade Combat Team here this morning. Within minutes of the president's televised announcement brigade leaders met this morning in their daily battle update briefing, and soldiers checked in by cell phone with buddies on other parts of the base: "OK, just wanted to be sure you heard." Task Force Currahee is on its second deployment to Afghanistan, responsible for counterinsurgency operations in Paktika province. Soldiers here smiled as they discussed the death of the terrorist responsible for murdering nearly 3,000 Americans and other nations' citizens in the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks in the United States. Army Maj. Rob Born, brigade operations officer, said bin Laden's death won't require the task force to change its operations significantly. "The assessment was in many ways, he was more of a symbolic, moral and figurative leader than he was involved in the command and control of day-to-day operations," Born said. "I think we will find out whether or not that hypothesis was true, and what the impact is." He said the task force will analyze the effects of the al-Qaida leader's death within its area of operation over the coming days and weeks. "We definitely expect and anticipate retaliatory attacks," he said. "[But] if they're hasty and not well planned, it's not going to work out well for the insurgents." Born said bin Laden's death is a validation of the nation's efforts to combat terrorism. "I think it's a tremendous achievement," he said. "It shows that persistence and attention to detail, agility, flexibility, working together with special operations forces and the intelligence community – it pays off." The positive demonstrations outside the White House and in New York City during Obama's announcement were encouraging, Born said. "It just shows that the American public is really engaged in what's going on, and they take pride in the achievements of their armed forces," he said. "That really was the best thing that I saw." Army Capt. David McKim, the brigade's assistant intelligence officer, termed bin Laden's death an example of how his profession operates. "That's truly how it does work for us," he said. "Things don't happen instantly, sometimes. A lot of our successes take time to build." He said for his shop, the mission in Regional Command East remains finding the enemy in Paktika and protecting the soldiers and population. Enemy forces the task force faces in Paktika are not necessarily closely linked to al-Qaida, McKim said, though many in Regional Command South are. Insurgents in Paktika are likely to respond to bin Laden's death in one of two ways, McKim said: their morale could suffer, or their activities could increase in retaliation. The al-Qaida leader's death comes at a time when I think everybody had given up," he said. "They thought, 'He's either dead, or we're not going to find him.' But that's how things work in our business – you don't know when." The fact that the military did find bin Laden "gives you that justification that yes, we are doing the right things," McKim said. In the overall counterinsurgency campaign, McKim said, bin Laden's death is a powerful counter to enemy propaganda, which claimed America would never capture him. There is no likely successor to bin Laden who will have the same stature, McKim said. "He was tall, he spoke very eloquently, ... [he had] power, influence, money," the intelligence officer said. "Granted, there are lots of other bad guys out there that will try to take his place." Other insurgents may now think twice about attacking U.S. and coalition forces, he said. "I think this is definitely a good thing," McKim said.

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The war is not over--Obama

Mon, May 2, 2011 at 11:53 AM

By Jim Garamone 

American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, May 2, 2011 - "Justice has been done," said President Barack Obama in announcing the death of Osama bin Laden in a U.S. military operation in Pakistan.

An American counterintelligence and counterterrorism team killed bin Laden during a firefight near Islamabad, the president said during a short statement from the White House late Sunday night.

"Tonight I can report to the American people and to the world that the United States has conducted an operation that killed Osama bin Laden, the leader of al Qaida, and a terrorist who is responsible for the murder of thousands of innocent men, women and children," the president said.

The attack ends a manhunt of almost 10 years. Bin Laden and his henchmen planned and executed the attacks of September 11, 2001, that killed 3,000 innocent Americans in New York, Washington and Pennsylvania.

Obama thanked "the countless intelligence and counterterrorism professionals who have worked tirelessly to achieve this outcome."

"We give thanks for the men who carried out this operation, for they exemplify the professionalism, patriotism and unparalleled courage of those who serve our country," he said. "They're a part of the generation that has borne the heaviest share of the burden since that September day."

He said Americans also were united to protect the nation and to bring those who committed this vicious attack to justice.

"Over the last 10 years, thanks to the tireless and heroic work of our military and our counterterrorism professionals, we've made great strides in that effort," the president said. "We've disrupted terrorist attacks and strengthened our homeland defense."

Soon after 9/11, American forces removed the Taliban government that had given bin Laden and al-Qaida safe haven and support. Around the globe, U.S. personnel worked with allies to capture or kill scores of al-Qaida terrorists.

"Yet, Osama bin Laden avoided capture and escaped across the Afghan border into Pakistan," Obama said. "Meanwhile, al-Qaida continued to operate from along that border and operate through its affiliates across the world."

Shortly after taking office in 2009, Obama directed CIA Director Leon Panetta to make the killing or capture of bin Laden the top priority of the U.S. war against al Qaida.

"Then last August, after years of painstaking work by our intelligence community, I was briefed on a possible lead to bin Laden," Obama said. "It was far from certain, and it took many months to run this thread to ground."

Obama met with the national security team as more information came in. The al-Qaida leader was hiding in a compound inside Pakistan, and last week he ordered the strike.

"Today, at my direction, the United States launched a targeted operation against that compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan," he said. "A small team of Americans carried out the operation with extraordinary courage and capability. No Americans were harmed. They took care to avoid civilian casualties. After a firefight, they killed Osama bin Laden and took custody of his body."

While his death marks the most significant achievement to date in America's effort to defeat al-Qaida, it does not mean the end of U.S. efforts.

"There's no doubt that al-Qaida will continue to pursue attacks against us," the president said. "We must and we will remain vigilant at home and abroad."

The president stressed again that the United States is not and never will be at war with Islam.

"I've made clear, just as President Bush did shortly after 9/11, that our war is not against Islam, because bin Laden was not a Muslim leader. He was a mass murderer of Muslims," Obama said. "Indeed, al-Qaida has slaughtered scores of Muslims in many countries, including our own. So his demise should be welcomed by all who believe in peace and human dignity."

Obama thanked Pakistan for its help in the operation. It's important to note that our counterterrorism cooperation with Pakistan helped lead us to bin Laden and the compound where he was hiding," the president said. "Indeed, bin Laden had declared war against Pakistan as well and ordered attacks against the Pakistani people."

Obama spoke with Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari and all agreed that this is a good and historic day for both nations. "Going forward, it is essential that Pakistan continue to join us in the fight against al-Qaida and its affiliates," he said.

"The American people did not choose this fight," the president said. "It came to our shores and started with the senseless slaughter of our citizens. After nearly 10 years of service, struggle and sacrifice, we know well the costs of war. These efforts weigh on me every time I, as commander in chief, have to sign a letter to a family that has lost a loved one, or look into the eyes of a service member who's been gravely wounded."

But Americans will not tolerate being threatened, Obama said. "We will be relentless in defense of our citizens and our friends and allies," he said. "We will be true to the values that make us who we are."

Obama spoke to those who lost loved ones on 9/11, telling them that the country has never wavered in its determination to bring bin laden to justice.

"Tonight, let us think back to the sense of unity that prevailed on 9/11. I know that it has, at times, frayed," he said. "Yet today's achievement is a testament to the greatness of our country and the determination of the American people."

The war is not over, he said, "but tonight we are once again reminded that America can do whatever we set our mind to. That is the story of our history, whether it's the pursuit of prosperity for our people, or the struggle for equality for all our citizens, our commitment to stand up for our values abroad, and our sacrifices to make the world a safer place.

"Let us remember that we can do these things, not just because of wealth or power, but because of who we are: One nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all."