Bin Laden or Not?

So, after all, was Osama bin Laden killed or not? Three days have passed since the operation to eliminate “Terrorist Number One,” but Washington has not provided any substantial evidence of bin Laden’s death. Surely we should not accept as evidence the mere statement by Barack Obama, should we?

“To publish, or not to publish” — that is the main question for the White House now. The pictures of the blood-stained face of the terrorist that appeared on the Internet turned out to be fake. Then, President Obama allegedly authorized the publication of one image of dead bin Laden. A little later, the CIA director, Leon Panetta, came forward with a statement. He said that the photograph will definitely be published. Less confident on this subject was White House Press Secretary Jay Carney, who explained his doubts by saying, “It’s fair to say that it’s a gruesome photograph.”

High-ranking sources have told CNN that there are three batches of the last pictures of the terrorist. The first contains pictures taken during the raid in Abbottabad. They depict the bodies of all victims, including the son of bin Laden, who looked to be about 18 years old.

The second batch contains the most recognizable and the most shocking image of the criminal. It was made in a hangar in Afghanistan, where bin Laden’s body was taken for genetic testing. According to the sources, in these photos, bin Laden’s head and face are covered in blood, and there are visible bullet wounds and even brain particles. According to the officials, these pictures are not very suitable for newspaper leading articles, and in general, it is not known what public reaction they will cause. That’s why the ways of their publication are now being discussed.

And finally, the third batch contains photographs of the terrorist before his burial at sea. These photos captured moments before and after his body was wrapped in a white shroud.

It is interesting to note that, apparently, the operation was deliberately designed in such a way as to leave photographic evidence of the elimination of “The Number One Terrorist.” U.S. Secretary of Defense Robert Gates spoke for the bombing of bin Laden’s residence, but his proposal was rejected for two reasons. Firstly, bombing could cause serious damage around the complex. Secondly, it would be extremely difficult to identify dead bodies. Therefore, the Americans decided to take the building by storm.

Yesterday, the White House disclosed details of the operation. The al-Qaida ringleader and members of his family were on the second and third floors of the residence. Commandos carried out a cleaning-up of the building room by room. Bin Laden, who was in the last room, was unarmed but managed to offer resistance. Since there was no order to take him alive he was shot on the spot. Contrary to many reports, bin Laden did not use his wife as a human shield. The woman, who was in the same room, rushed at the first soldier, who burst into the premises, and [the woman] was wounded in the leg.

The wife of a liaison terrorist was killed. She came under crossfire. Other victims of the operation were the liaison terrorist himself, his brother and bin Laden’s son, Hamza bin Laden. Several bin Laden family members were captured. Now they are at the disposal of Pakistani authorities. Their identities and fate have not been disclosed.

The house, where the terrorist lived during the last years, was built no later than 2005. According to neighbors, they had no idea about who was hiding behind the high walls of the mansion. However, just that mansion in Abbottabad was nicknamed “Waziristan,” which is a region of Pakistan that borders Afghanistan and that was often considered to be the possible seat of bin Laden.

The residents almost never left the house. They grew vegetables and fruits in the garden and never visited the local grocery market. Newspapers were delivered by a local merchant. Bulletproof off-road vehicles frequently visited the residence. Once they drove inside, the gates immediately closed.

It is rumored that bin Laden left his last video address to his followers, but its contents are not disclosed. But a Kuwaiti newspaper has published bin Laden’s testament that was composed shortly after the Sept. 11 attacks. In this testament, the head of al-Qaida asked his children not to join the movement. He also forbade their wives to re-marry after his death, and predicted that he would be killed as a result of betrayal by someone from his entourage.

Apropos

The special television address of the U.S. president concerning the elimination of bin Laden was watched by 56.5 million Americans. This is a record for President Obama’s public speeches. In addition, according to a poll conducted by The Washington Post and Pew Research Center, the level of endorsement of Obama as president of the United States grew by 9 percent immediately after bin Laden’s death. Now it is 56 percent, while in early April it had fallen to its lowest level.