US Lawmakers Respond to Latest NATO Attacks on Libya
May 01, 2011
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In this photo made on a government organized tour, Libyans inspect damage while standing next to an unexploded missile at the Gadhafi family compound in a residential area of Tripoli, Libya, May 1, 2011
U.S. legislators of both parties are affirming support for NATO airstrikes that reportedly killed one of Libyan leader Colonel Moammar Gadhafi’s sons and three of his grandchildren.
In 1986, Moammar Gadhafi survived U.S. airstrikes on Libyan military installations as well as the leader’s residence in Triploi. If current reports from Libya are accurate, Colonel Gadhafi has again survived air attacks that killed several family members.
Republican Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina is applauding NATO’s actions.
"I support what NATO did," he said. "I thought this was a good use of the mandate. This is the way to end this [conflict]. Thousands of people are subject to dying, the longer this takes. No one in the world is going to regret Gadhafi being replaced, however you do it. I want to thank NATO for expanding the scope of these operations."
Graham, who spoke on the Fox News Sunday television program, was an early advocate of international support for Libyan rebels who rose up against Moammar Gadhafi earlier this year.
A Libyan government spokesman has labeled the air strikes as a deliberate assassination attempt. Senator Graham says NATO has nothing for which to apologize.
"Wherever Gadhafi goes is a legitimate military target. He is the command-and-control source [of Libyan forces], he added. "He is not the legitimate leader of Libya. In my view, he is a murderer. He is killing his own people; he is acting outside of international law. He should be brought to justice or killed."
Appearing on CBS’ Face the Nation program, Republican Senator John McCain of Arizona said he regrets any loss of innocent life in Libya, but reaffirmed his support for ousting Colonel Gadhafi.
Speaking on Fox News Sunday, Democratic Senator Kent Conrad also voiced support for ongoing NATO operations.
"Gadhafi has got to go," he said. "I have said repeatedly I think you go after the pillars of his power. And the pillars of his power are the regiments that are controlled by his sons, the mercenaries he has brought in from other countries, his money, and his tribe. I believe all of those should be targeted and aggressively gone after. You cannot allow him to continue."
Conrad acknowledged his understanding of U.S. law is that individuals are not to be targeted militarily. But he said going after Colonel Gadhafi’s military support structure is entirely legitimate, actions that could result in the death of the Libyan leader himself.
British Prime Minister David Cameron says NATO is targeting Libyan command and control units, not individuals.
In this photo made on a government-organized tour, residents gather in the neighborhood near the scene of a NATO missile attack in Tripoli, April 30, 2011
Crowds have rallied at the Tripoli compound of Moammar Gadhafi, after the government said the Libyan leader narrowly escaped a NATO airstrike that killed one of his sons and three grandchildren. NATO denies any individuals were targeted.
Supporters of Colonel Gadhafi demanded vengeance after the government announced the death of Saif al-Arab Gadhafi, and three of the leader's grandchildren.
The crowds of protesters also effectively served as a human shield for the colonel, who government spokesman Moussa Ibrahim said was in Saif al-Arab's Tripoli home when it was hit.
"The leader with his wife was there in the house with other friends and relatives. The attack resulted in the martyrdom of brother Saif al-Arab Gadhafi, 29 year old and three of the leader's grandchildren. The leader himself is in good health. He was not harmed," said Ibrahim.
Foreign journalists were taken to a heavily damaged one story house in a residential neighborhood said to be the scene of the attack.
It was apparently the Colonel Gadhafi's second brush with death in a day, with a NATO strike early Saturday landing near a television studio where he was delivering an address.
The attacks raised speculation that the NATO-led campaign has moved beyond its U.N. mandate to protect Libyan civilians from government attack. Spokesman Ibrahim stated bluntly that Gadhafi was being targeted.
"This was a direct operation to assassinate the leader of this country. This is not permitted by international law; it is not permitted by any moral code or principle.
The commander of operations in Libya, Canadian General Charles Bouchard, said he was aware of unconfirmed reports and expressed regret for all loss of life. But he said NATO does not target individuals, and that all strikes have been on places clearly linked to the government's "systematic attacks on the Libyan population."
Those attacks have not diminished, despite Colonel Gadhafi's offer of yet another cease fire Saturday. In addition to the government's siege of the rebel-held town of Misrata and the attempted blockade of its harbor, there are new reports of attacks on another western town, Zintan.
Fighting has reached a stalemate in recent weeks, with neither the government, nor the rebels and NATO-led coalition able to decisively turn the battle.
The conflict, which began in mid-February as popular protests, has been accompanied by a progressive hardening of emotions among Libyans. On the streets of the rebels’ de facto capital, Benghazi, reports of the death of Saif al-Arab, one of the most private members of the Gadhafi family, were greeted with celebratory gunfire and calls for a similar fate for his father.
A man who gave his name as Majid expressed joy at the news, adding the "big joy" will be the day the Libyan leader is killed.
US Officials Provide Details on bin Laden Operation
May 02, 2011
Photo:
An image made from Geo TV video shows flames at what is thought to be the compound where terror mastermind Osama bin Laden was killed Sunday, May 1, 2011, in Abbatabad, Pakistan.
Briefing reporters in a telephone news conference after the president spoke, senior administration officials provided additional details on the operation that killed bin Laden, although they stressed they could not and would not go into many facts of the mission.
Officials described what they called a dangerous surgical raid by a small helicopter-borne special operations team, against a large compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan, north of the capital, Islamabad.
The officials said the compound had existed for about five years, had heavy security, including thick walls topped by barbed wire, few outward facing windows and two security gates, and had no telephone or Internet service.
According to the officials, Osama bin Laden resisted the assault force and was killed in a firefight. The U.S. officials offered no further details on the duration of the firefight itself.
The U.S. special operations team remained in the compound for less than 40 minutes and did not encounter any local Pakistani authorities. Officials said the mission was designed to minimize collateral damage and risk to non-combatants in the compound and to Pakistani civilians in the area.
In the firefight, the officials said, three adult males were killed, including what were believed to be two bin Laden couriers and the third man, who officials said is believed to have been one of bin Laden's adult sons.
Of several women and children at the compound, officials said one woman was killed when she was used as a shield by a male combatant. Two other women were injured.
One U.S. helicopter was lost during the operation, because of mechanical failure, which the officials did not elaborate on. They said the aircraft was destroyed by the crew for security reasons, and the assault force boarded the remaining helicopter to exit the compound.
In answer to a reporter's question, the senior administration officials said steps have been taken to ensure that bin Laden's body is being handled "in accordance with Islamic practice and tradition," something they said the United States takes very seriously.
Asked about the fact that bin Laden was ultimately found inside Pakistan, and whether this confirmed any links he may have had with Pakistani authorities, the officials said the U.S. is "very concerned" about the fact that bin Laden was inside Pakistan, adding "this is something that we are going to continue to work [with] the Pakistani government on."
Senior administration officials recalled that President Obama had repeatedly made clear that the U.S. would act on "actionable intelligence" on bin Laden's whereabouts. They said senior Pakistani leaders were briefed shortly after the raid on its intent and results.
Senior administration officials said intelligence on the bin Laden compound was shared with no other country, including Pakistan, saying this was essential for the security of the operation and U.S. personnel. They added that only a small group of people inside the U.S. government knew of the operation.
The officials said that beginning in September of last year the Central Intelligence Agency began to work with President Obama on "a set of assessments" that led the agency to believe that Osama bin Laden was located at the compound in Pakistan. By mid-February the officials said a series of intensive meetings determined there was a sound intelligence basis for pursuing this in an aggressive way.
Between mid-March and the end of April, the officials said, President Obama chaired a series of National Security Council meetings to develop a course of action to bring bin Laden to justice, and gave the final order for the operation on the morning of April 29th.
One senior official said the successful operation was the culmination of years of careful and highly advanced intelligence work involving multiple agencies. When the case was made that the compound in Pakistan was a critical target, the official said, officials began to prepare the mission in conjunction with the U.S. military.
As for the impact bin Laden's killing will have on al-Qaida, senior administration officials call it "the single greatest victory in the U.S.-led campaign to disrupt, dismantle and defeat al-Qaida" and "a major and essential step in bringing about al-Qaida's eventual destruction."
Although the administration officials say bin Laden's death will put al-Qaida on "a path of decline that will be difficult to reverse" they say the terrorist organization may not fragment immediately.
They add that it is most fitting that bin Laden's death comes at a time of great movement for freedom and democracy that is sweeping the Arab world" adding that he stood in direct opposition to what courageous men and women throughout the Middle East and North Africa are risking their lives for "individual rights and human dignity."
Al-Qaeda leader Osama Bin Laden has been killed by US forces in Pakistan, President Barack Obama has said.
Bin Laden was killed in a ground operation outside Islamabad based on US intelligence, the first lead for which emerged last August.
Mr Obama said after "a firefight", US forces took possession of the body.
Bin Laden is believed to be the mastermind of the attacks on New York and Washington on 11 September 2001 and a number of others.
He was top of the US' "most wanted" list.
Mr Obama said it was "the most significant achievement to date in our nation's effort to defeat al-Qaeda".
The US has put its embassies around the world on alert, warning Americans of the possibility of al-Qaeda reprisal attacks for Bin Laden's killing.
At the scene
Aleem MaqboolBBC News, Abbottabad
So the trail led here, to the lush green hills of Abbottabad, a beautiful tranquil location. But footage from inside the large modern compound tells of the bloody fire fight that left the al- Qaeda leader dead.
A large area around the site has now been cordoned off but there's no concealing the fact it lies so close to the main gate of the Pakistan military academy. While residents of the area say they are stunned Osama Bin Laden was living in their midst and that there had been no rumours that he was, it will surprise many that he had been in a large building with high walls so close to an army base without the knowledge of the Pakistani security forces.
The authorities here in a statement have been hailing this as a moment of huge victory. But the amount of time it took for them to react indicates the news had surprised them as much as it had everyone else.
Crowds gathered outside the White House in Washington DC, chanting "USA, USA" after the news emerged.
A US official quoted by Associated Press news agency said Bin Laden's body had been buried at sea, although this has not been confirmed. Compound raided
Bin Laden had approved the 9/11 attacks in which nearly 3,000 people died.
He evaded the forces of the US and its allies for almost a decade, despite a $25m (£15m) bounty on his head.
Mr Obama said he had been briefed last August on a possible lead to Bin Laden's whereabouts.
"It was far from certain, and it took many months to run this thread to ground," Mr Obama said.
"I met repeatedly with my national security team as we developed more information about the possibility that we had located Bin Laden hiding within a compound deep inside of Pakistan.
"And finally, last week, I determined that we had enough intelligence to take action, and authorised an operation to get Osama Bin Laden and bring him to justice," the president said.
Bin Laden was top of the US "most wanted" list
On Sunday, US forces said to be from the elite Navy Seal Team Six undertook the operation in Abbottabad, 100km (62 miles) north-east of Islamabad.
After a "firefight", Bin Laden was killed and his body taken by US forces, the president said.
Mr Obama said "no Americans were harmed".
US officials said Bin Laden was shot in the head after resisting.
US media reports said that the body was buried at sea to conform with Islamic practice of a burial within 24 hours and to prevent any grave becoming a shrine.
America has sent an unmistakable message: No matter how long it takes, justice will be done”
End QuoteGeorge W BushFormer US president
Giving more details of the raid, one senior US official said a small US team had conducted the attack in about 40 minutes.
Three other men were killed in the raid - one of Bin Laden's sons and two couriers - the official said, adding that one woman was also killed when she was used as "a shield" and two other women were injured.
One helicopter was lost due to "technical failure". The team destroyed it and left in its other aircraft.
One resident, Nasir Khan, told Reuters the helicopters had come under "intense firing" from the ground.
The size and complexity of the structure in Abbottabad had "shocked" US officials.
It had 4m-6m (12ft-18ft) walls, was eight times larger than other homes in the area and was valued at "a million dollars", though it had no telephone or internet connection.
The US official said that intelligence had been tracking a "trusted courier" of Bin Laden for many years. The courier's identity was discovered four years ago, his area of operation two years ago and then, last August, his residence in Abbottabad was found, triggering the start of the mission.
Another senior US official said that no intelligence had been shared with any country, including Pakistan, ahead of the raid.
"Only a very small group of people inside our own government knew of this operation in advance," the official said.
The Abbottabad residence is just a few hundred metres from the Pakistan Military Academy - the country's equivalent of West Point.
The BBC's Aleem Maqbool in Abbottabad says it will undoubtedly be a huge embarrassment to Pakistan that Bin Laden was found not only in the country but also on the doorstep of the military academy.
He says residents in the town were stunned the al-Qaeda leader was living in their midst.
The senior US official warned that the possibility of revenge attacks had now created "a heightened threat to the homeland and to US citizens and facilities abroad".
But the official added that "the loss of Bin Laden puts the group on a path of decline that will be difficult to reverse".
He said Bin Laden's probable successor, Ayman al-Zawahiri, was "far less charismatic and not as well respected within the organisation", according to reports from captured al-Qaeda operatives.
However, the root causes of radical Islam - the range of issues that enabled al-Qaeda to recruit disaffected young Muslims to its cause - remain, for the most part, unaddressed, Islamic affairs analyst Roger Hardy told the BBC.
"The death of Bin Laden will strike at the morale of the global jihad, but is unlikely to end it," he warned. 'Momentous achievement'
World leaders welcomed the news of Bin Laden's death.
Afghan President Hamid Karzai said Bin Laden had "paid for his actions".
Pakistani PM Yusuf Raza Gilani said the killing was a "great victory" but added that he "didn't know the details" of the US operation.
Click to play
Barack Obama gives a statement confirming the death of Osama Bin Laden
Former US President George W Bush described the news as a "momentous achievement".
"The fight against terror goes on, but tonight America has sent an unmistakable message: No matter how long it takes, justice will be done," Mr Bush said in a statement.
But a spokesman for the Pakistani Taliban threatened revenge attacks against the "American and Pakistani governments and their security forces".
In Gaza, which is governed by militant group Hamas, Prime Minister Ismail Haniya condemned the killing of "a Muslim and Arabic warrior".
BBC security correspondent Frank Gardner says that, to many in the West, Bin Laden became the embodiment of global terrorism, but to others he was a hero, a devout Muslim who fought two world superpowers in the name of jihad.
The son of a wealthy Saudi construction family, Bin Laden grew up in a privileged world. But soon after the Soviets invaded Afghanistan he joined the mujahideen there and fought alongside them with his Arab followers, a group that later formed the nucleus for al-Qaeda.
After declaring war on America in 1998, Bin Laden is widely believed to have been behind the bombings of US embassies in East Africa, the attack on the USS Cole in Yemen in 2000 and the attacks on New York and Washington.
