Alleged 'Terrorist Mastermind' Bin Laden Dead: U.S. Vows Wars Will Continue
Monday, May 2, 2011 at 07:22PM 
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From [HERE] and [HERE] Coming eight years to the day after President George W. Bush declared “Mission: Accomplished,” President Barack Obama announced on Sunday that bin Laden was killed in Pakistan.
With the announcement spawning major celebrations in several locations in the United States, one might be forgiven for briefly thinking the death of the al-Qaeda leader might actually change America’s foreign policy.
Bin Laden was, after all, not just the leader of one faction, but the US government’s chosen figurehead for all terrorism everywhere. 10 years of the hunt meant trillion of dollars in war spending, thousands of soldiers and upwards of a million civilian deaths, but last night the message was ‘all’s well that ends well.’
Today, however, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton reassured the world that America’s assorted wars would continue, “You cannot defeat us,” Clinton insisted, while adding that the death of bin Laden some ten years after 9/11 proved that the US would “never abandon its pursuit of justice.” Incredibly, it seems bin Laden’s death has emboldened the hawkish Clinton, who also said the US would “boost” its counterterrorism efforts after the news. [MORE]
At the same time, the State Department issued a global travel advisory for Americans, warning of a possible backlash over bin Laden’s death in the near term. Even if this backlash is not realized, the continuation of the wars is likely to ensure that anti-US sentiment will linger.
The outcome could not have come at a better time for Obama, sagging in the polls as he embarks on his re-election campaign. For now, at least, he is assured of a big political boost, something that could strengthen his hand as he heads into a big battle over federal spending with Republicans who control the House. [MORE]
Security analysts say bin Laden’s demise will have a limited impact on the security concerns surrounding al-Qaeda or the war in Afghanistan. They view the task of bringing stability to Afghanistan as being far from complete, and its dynamics are quite separate from bin Laden and the plotters of the 2001 terror attacks on the US.
Binoy Kampmark, an international security expert based at Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology, doubted bin Laden’s death would have a significant impact on the war in Afghanistan or elsewhere.
“Operatives will fill his shoes and the intellectual aspect of the movement is still well and truly kicking,” he said. “In fact, a dead bin Laden may well be more useful than one who is alive.”
“Martyrs are so important in revolutionary movements and bin Laden’s death is no exception.”
The outcome could not have come at a better time for Obama, sagging in the polls as he embarks on his re-election campaign. For now, at least, he is assured of a big political boost, something that could strengthen his hand as he heads into a big battle over federal spending with Republicans who control the House.
Outside the White House, hundreds of people chanted "U-S-A! U-S-A!" and waved American flags. And in New York City at ground zero, where al-Qaida downed the twin towers, a crowd broke out into song, including renditions of "The Star-Spangled Banner" and "I'm Proud to be an American."
"Let us think back to the sense of unity that prevailed on 9/11. I know that it has, at times, frayed. Yet today's achievement is a testament to the greatness of our country and the determination of the American people," Obama said Sunday in a late night statement urging the nation to come together again.
Former President George W. Bush had promised to get bin Laden dead or alive but wasn't able to achieve his goal. Obama picked up the challenge and, as a candidate for president, vowed that "We will kill bin Laden."
Hunting down bin Laden and other senior members of al-Qaeda’s leadership has been a top objective of Nato’s operations since the 2001 terror attacks on the US.
Said Obama: "There's no doubt that al-Qaida will continue to pursue attacks against us. We must — and we will — remain vigilant at home and abroad." [MORE]
For years, bin Laden was thought to have taken refuge in the inaccessible mountainous regions between Afghanistan and Pakistan. Painstaking searches by US forces in remote areas, like Tora-Bora and Kunar, proved fruitless. Drone attacks targeting militant leaders also proved ineffective in pursuit of America’s most-wanted man.
His elusiveness was a rallying point for his supporters. Within the region, it showed the fallibility of the world’s intelligence agencies and military might against Islamist extremism.
While senior Nato officers claim a recent troop surge has checked the momentum of the insurgency in recent months, the forces are still beset by daily attacks by Taliban militants.
In fact, Taliban forces publicly launched a spring offensive over the weekend. A suicide bombing in Paktika province killed four civilians, while nearly 500 suspected Taliban militants escaped from a prison in Kandahar last week.
Over the past month, Taliban forces have successfully penetrated Nato bases, often in the disguise of Afghan army personnel. In one of the worst breaches of security, an Afghan pilot killed eight members of the Nato-led International Security Assistance Force within one of Kabul’s military airports last week.
The Obama administration’s Afghanistan policy has appeared far from assured in recent months. Results from a troop surge led by General David Petraeus have been keenly awaited. Meanwhile, the US relationship with President Hamid Karzai has deteriorated, as he and his local allies have voiced growing impatience with foreign troops on Afghan soil.
“Washington’s relations with Karzai have become increasingly strained because of his unwillingness to tackle deep-rooted corruption in his administration, his destabilising political manoeuvring and his increasingly nationalistic, anti-US rhetoric,” said Maria Kuusisto, an analyst for the Eurasia Group.
Robert Blackwill, a former US ambassador to New Delhi, says simply that bin Laden’s death is “great news”.
But there will be concern that Washington, under pressure domestically to withdraw troops from Afghanistan, may consider the job done prematurely.
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