This is a guest post by the International Centre for the Study of Radicalisation
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News is breaking that Osama bin Laden, the leader of al-Qaeda has been killed. The United States is believed to be in possession of his body.
Jihadist forums linked to al-Qaeda which are monitored by ICSR have begun eulogising bin Laden, giving a strong indication that the jihad movement confirms the events.
More to follow on this as events develop.
UPDATE:
President Obama has confirmed that United States military personnel operating within Pakistan have killed Osama bin Laden. Here’s what we know:
- Bin Laden was killed in Abbottabad which is located in Pakistan’s North West Frontier Province (recently renamed Khyber Pakhtunkhwa).
- He was in a compound that was built in 2005.
- The compound was heavily fortified with 12-18ft walls.
- There was no telephone or internet connection linked to the property.
- Abbottabad is located about 30 miles north of Islamabad.
- Jihadist forums monitored by ICSR are eulogising Osama bin Laden.
ICSR will be producing an insight on this shortly focusing on:
- Likely successors to Osama bin Laden;
- Reactions from the jihadist community;
- Fallout and consequences.
Gene adds: Obama’s statement on the killing of bin Laden:
Gordon adds: No surprise that there is speculation that Pakistan’s intelligence service, the ISI, could have had a hand in Hiding Bin Laden. He was found in a house in a small town dominated by the military. Not in the mountains of Afghanistan in some cave. It almost beggars belief.
The fortified compound Bin Laden was living in was surrounded by walls as high as 18ft with barbed wire on the top to ward off intruders and included a large two-storey house far larger than other nearby homes. Oh yes it was placed just 100 yards from a Pakistani military academy. Handy.
The Wall Street Journal also hits on this question and speculates how it could derail peace talks between Pakistan and India:
“If anyone in the world believes Pakistan was unaware of where bin Laden was living, I just laugh at that,” said Brajesh Mishra, a former Indian national security adviser. Mr. Mishra said today’s developments simply underscore that Pakistan allows its territory to be a base for terrorists and he says India should call off the peace talks.
Considering where Bin Laden was found living in a large compound near a military base it seems Pakistan is almost impossible to trust. No surprise that the US didn’t tell Pakistan its plans. Pakistan’s pursuit of its own end-game in Afghanistan remains the biggest stumbling block to peace. If it was giving safe harbour to Bin Laden who else is it hiding?
Earlier this year it was reported that the leader of the Taliban, Mullah Omar, received a life saving operation in Pakistan. The Pakistanis are said to be keen to keep him alive to preserve their influence over the Taliban some of which is based in Quetta across the Pakistan border from Afghanistan. A number of other senior Taliban leaders are also still at large.
It is also being reported that bin Laden has been quickly buried at sea “handled according to Islamic practice and tradition, requiring the body to be buried within 24 hours”, according to Reuters.
The BBC reports that Bin Laden was killed after a raid by a raid involving US Navy Seal Team Six. No Americans were injured, but one helicopter was lost due to “technical failure”. The team destroyed it and left in its other aircraft. It says three other men were killed in the raid – one of Bin Laden’s sons and two couriers – the official said. Apparently one woman was also killed when she was used as “a shield”.
