Osama Bin Laden Killed In Pakistan

You would pretty much have to be living under a rock to have not heard that Osama Bin Laden was killed by an American SEAL Team. Since September 11, 2001, Osama Bin Laden has been a household name through out the United States. Even though the attacks on September 11 were not the only attacks against the U.S. orchestrated by Osama Bin Laden, the huge loss of life associated with the destruction of the twin towers is permanently cemented in the minds of all of us.

The search for Osama Bin Laden had lost some of the media attention that it had previous seen, but behind the scenes, the U.S. Government never gave up the search. And after DNA confirmation, the U.S. confidently announced that it had located and killed Osama Bin Laden.

One report indicates that the CIA identified a courier that worked for Osama Bin Laden in 2010. By tracking that courier they located a possible safe house in Pakistan. The safe house stood out to the CIA, some descriptions indicate that the compound that he was living in was as much as eight times larger than the surrounding buildings. It was surrounded by high walls and wire. Armed guards protected the two entrances, not a typical residence in that area of Pakistan.

The size and type of the building is already raising questions about whether or not the Pakistani government knew of Osama Bin Laden's location. It seems unlikely that a residence like that, with that kind of security, would not be noticed by an official of some sort. U.S. lawmakers are already discussing whether or not they should discontinue financial aid to Pakistan.

Once Osama Bin Laden was located, the U.S. military began planning an operation to either capture or kill the most wanted terrorist. Early reports indicated that two Blackhawk helicopters, carrying SEAL Team Six, flew to the compound. A 40 minute firefight erupted, as the SEAL Team fought their way to the top floor, where Osama Bin Laden was located.

There are conflicting reports about whether Osama Bin Laden fired at the U.S. troops. Either way, the U.S. troops shot and killed him. They collected the body and returned it to one of the Blackhawk helicopters. All other bodies were left at the scene. It was reported that one of the Blackhawks had suffered a mechanical failure and was blown up by the SEAL Team as they left the compound.

DNA tests were conducted to verify that they body was in fact that of Osama Bin Laden. The body was taken to the U.S. aircraft carrier, the Carl Vinson. Osama Bin Laden was buried at sea after an "Islamic funeral ritual."

What will happen now that the #1 terrorist has been killed? Will this open a new, safer era for the western world? Or will we see an increase in attacks in retaliation? It is too early to say for sure, but one thing is for sure, you will be hearing about this through the news, online and political candidates for the foreseeable future.

One thing you can count on, with preparations for the 2012 U.S. elections getting started, this will likely be a hot topic in the coming months.

What are your thoughts? Let me know in the comment section below.