Delivered from evil … to a minefield of law and consequence
By Ben Saul Was America’s killing of Osama Bin Laden lawful or an extrajudicial assassination? The answer depends on two key areas of international law: the law on the use of force, and international humanitarian law. Under the law on the use of force, it is prohibited to use military force on the territory of a foreign country except in self-defence against an “armed attack”. The US may plausibly argue that it is the victim of an … Read entire article »
Pakistan’s Deep State – After OBL
By AA Khalid America Gets Closure The Deep State in Pakistan received a shock and a major blow with the death of Bin Laden. Under the noses of the Army and Intelligence services the world’s most wanted man resided in idyllic tranquillity, whilst the streets of Iraq and Afghanistan burnt at the hands of an angry and wounded United States. The US constructed its foreign policy based on anger after 9/11, but it should have heeded the words of Benjamin Franklin, that, ‘‘Whatever is begun in anger ends in shame’’. Iraq and Afghanistan will end in shame; America gave up on its own values of liberty and freedom to pursue senseless wars, corrupting its very soul in front of the world’s eyes. But with the death of the man who can only be … Read entire article »
Release Osama’s Final Photo President Obama!
By D. Asghar President Obama’s decision not to release Osama’s final photo will not sit well with many. Personally, I wanted him to do that, as he is underestimating the backlash. If he is afraid of the “Jihadis” going bonkers, then he is trying to reason with the wrong guys, isn’t he? For them it doesn’t matter, they see and thrive on such images, perhaps all day long. Remember, such people behead people and blow dissenters or unsuspecting people into smithereens. The signal President Obama is sending that, yes we are trying to be thoughtful of your sensitivities. It is not going to sit well with skeptics (my self included), the victims and for the rest of the inquisitive world. There will be this cloud of mystery surrounding this whole event. … Read entire article »
Sohaib Athar’s Tweets from the attack on Osama bin Laden – read them all below
By Melissa Bell According to his Twitter stream @reallyvirtual, Sohaib Athar moved from Lahore, Pakistan to the resort town of Abbottabad to take a break from the rat race. It seems he didn’t move far enough. On Sunday, Athar found himself smack in the center of one of the year’s biggest news events. Scroll down to see his Twitter stream. (Sohaib Athar’s Twitter profile photo) A 33-year-old IT consultant, Athar was on Twitter when the sound of a … Read entire article »
Osama bin Laden Largely Discredited Among Muslim Publics in Recent Years
In the months leading up to Osama bin Laden’s death, a survey of Muslim publics around the world found little support for the al Qaeda leader. Among the six predominantly Muslim nations recently surveyed by the Pew Research Center’s Global Attitudes Project, bin Laden received his highest level of support among Muslims in the Palestinian territories – although even there only 34% said they had confidence in the terrorist leader to do the right thing … Read entire article »
Filed under: Afghanistan, Al Qaeda
Notes on the Death of Osama bin Laden
By Steve Coll No doubt there will be time to reflect more deeply about the news announced by President Obama last night. For now, I thought it might be useful to annotate some of the initial headlines. On where he was found: Abbottabad is essentially a military-cantonment city in Pakistan, in the hills to the north of the capital of Islamabad, in an area where much of the land is controlled or owned by the Pakistani Army and retired … Read entire article »
Bin Laden’s Death Shatters Conventional Wisdom
By Bruce Hoffman The triumphal news of Bin Laden’s killing yesterday has also called into question—if not shattered—much of the conventional wisdom about al-Qaeda’s leader and the movement he founded. First, the assumption was that he was hiding in a cave in some isolated mountain range, cut off equally from his supporters and from the creature comforts that make life as a fugitive more bearable. Yet we learn that he’s been living a stone’s throw from the … Read entire article »
Osama Bin Laden is dead: what next for Pakistan?
The dramatic events of May 2, enacted in Pakistan’s small, sleepy town of Abbottabad have surely shaken the world. The global icon of al Qaeda — Osama bin Laden — has been ‘eliminated’ through a well-executed, covert operation. This was a major victory for charismatic US president Barack Obama especially given his dwindling popularity, and will help him survive in office, perhaps, for another term. It isunlikely that this development will lead to the end of global terrorism. While his death may have symbolic value, Osama was not in any case in charge of al Qaeda operations and hence the impact may not be much. The most significant aspect of this game-changing event, perhaps, is the cutting of all ties between al Qaeda and sections of our security establishment. While Pakistan’s assistance … Read entire article »
Filed under: Afghanistan, Al Qaeda, Pakistan, Terrorism
What Now for Pakistan and America
Usman Ahmad explores the future of Pak-American mismatch With Osama bin Laden dead many are left debating the future of the ‘war on terror’ and the impact this will have on the Islamist Jihad Movement. Closer to home, however, the question on everyone’s lips is what will now become of Pakistan. … Read entire article »
Bin Laden Is Dead: Momentous Development Which Should Give a Shut up Call to the Conspiracy Theorists
By Raza Habib Raja In a dramatic development, the President of United States has announced that Osama Bin Laden has been killed. For years the Al Qaida leader had proven to be elusive target and often escaped narrowly. Although road to defeat terrorism is pretty long and many miles still need to be covered, but this is nevertheless an extremely important development. It has a huge symbolic significance and also should debunk all the fancy conspiracy theories. The US authoritiesare in possession of the body and they are likely to conduct the full DNA test . While this is a positive development but at the same time has given rise to concerns that militants would retaliate against US personnel particularly those working in Pakistan and in the Islamic countries. The successful operation is … Read entire article »
Osama Bin Laden found, captured and killed in Pakistan
The most sensational news of our times! Finally, the decade long hunt for world’s most wanted man, an icon an by now an irrelevant player is dead. He was apparently found close to the town, Abbottabad which is 140 kilometres away from Islamabad. Interestingly, Abbottabad is also where Pakistan Army’s premier training institution operates. Amercian troops undertook this operation with the help of Pakistani officials. Obama has confirmed that cooperation of Pakistani authorities led to the place … Read entire article »
Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula: Challenges and Opportunities in Revolutionary Yemen
By Michael Horton The wave of revolutionary unrest spreading across the Middle East poses a host of new challenges and possibilities for Salafist inspired militant groups like al-Qaeda. The calls for democracy, fair elections, and transparent governments in countries like Egypt, Tunisia, Libya, and Yemen run contrary to Salafist political ideologies that subscribe to ideas like “one vote, one time” and regard democracy as a form of idolatry. [1] While it could be argued that such anti-democratic … Read entire article »
Filed under: Al Qaeda
The battle against Abdul’s Army
By Saad Hafiz His nom de guerre is Abdul, a member of the Tehrik Taliban Pakistan (TTP). Abdul is the resident ideologue of the TTP, his message resonates with the cannon fodder of the movement, the young recruits being trained as suicide bombers to bring murder and mayhem to Pakistani streets and neighborhoods. The TTP’s anti-nationalist pro-Khilafat (global Islam) message is simple and appealing because it is about fighting injustice. The oppressors are the mercenaries of the Na-Pak (unclean) Pakistan Army and their sympathizers who are working in the interest of Zionists, Crusaders and Infidels. This crusade between truth and falsehood sells to the dispossessed masses. … Read entire article »
BUYING JANNAH AT SALE?
By Leenah Nasir Fida’yaan-e Muhammed (pbuh)! Do you know what this means? “The lovesomes of the Prophet”! This is what they declared they were. I still hadn’t recovered from the distress that the realization of the state of affairs in my land that Mr. Shehbaz Bhatti’s murder had brought with it all too starkly (and ah-just-so-yet-again!), when today the tv screen began flashing with the scenes from the bomb blast site in Nowshehra, a mosque where people had gathered together for the Friday congregation! 11 people had died. Many others injured. So what is it really? THIS MUCH bloodshed! All in the name of ISLAM – The religion that names Peace? I am going berserk trying to decipher who is killing whom? Who is the bad guy in the thriller, and who plays the good cop? Could … Read entire article »
Diplomatic Immunity for Afghan Ambassador in Islamabad
By Dr. Irfan Zafar “When we arrived in Peshawar I was taken to a lavishly-fitted office. A Pakistani flag stood on the desk, and a picture of Mohammad Ali Jinnah hung at the back of the room, I was in the devil’s workshop, the regional head office of the ISI.It was eleven o’clock at night and I was getting ready to go to bed when the door to my cell suddenly opened. A man entered; he was … Read entire article »
Filed under: Afghanistan, Al Qaeda, Army, Democracy
Recent Comments