U.S. kills Al-Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahri in drone strike

Overheal

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119421295#Comment_119421295

If you say so. I don't watch them, I read the watchdogs about it.

MFPM

While few will mourn the passing of this man, once more the US demonstrates that they do what they wish, when they wish, not a word of critique of their actions...Biden dressing it up as justice for the victims of 9/11, what about the victims of US wars in the Middle East or do they not matter?

Yurt2

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119421477#Comment_119421477

What would you do? Send him a bouquet of flowers and ask him nicely to hand himself in?

donaghs

Watchdogs, ok…

Anyway, back to Al Zawahiri.

This article from a Pakistan newspaper on July 21st mentions that Al Qaeda are supposed to be growing in strength in Afghanistan, and that Al Zawahiri is living freely and communicating there.

https://www.dawn.com/news/1700764

I hadn’t been following news on him so when the news of his death broke, I assumed it was a big surprise that he was in Kabul.

https://amp.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2022/aug/02/ayman-al-zawahiri-killing-biden-al-qaida-leader-death-us-pakistan-taliban

The Guardian ain’t exactly praising Biden for this killing, but surely they did didn’t expect him ask the Taliban to extradite him? In which case he’d vanish. Does this mean the post-Trump goodwill towards Biden is fading?

buried

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119421509#Comment_119421509

Well, they could have sent in some Delta Force lads to capture a 70 year old living in sleepy luxury next to other luxurious mercenaries living on Kabul's Rodeo Drive? Send him back to New York to actually account for his vicious crimes in a liberal democracy? He actually wouldn't have liked that.

MFPM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119421509#Comment_119421509

So you're OK with open season by any country against it's enemies.....you OK with Al Qaeda hitting back against the US? Hamas taking out Nethanyahu for example for the victims of 2014? Where do we stop...or is just OK for the US to do it because you know 'democracy', 'human rights', the 'rule of law', 'internationa law'...am I missing anything?

buried

Hopefully the CIA gets wind of Lisa Smiths new address and sends some drones, because arguably that wan is actually far more dangerous than anything Zawahiri had to offer.

donaghs

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119421553#Comment_119421553

How would you get a team of people into Kabul, snatch him, and get them out again? Where would they take of and land from? Etc. Etc.

The Bin Laden operation was a short trip from an Afghan airbase near the Pakistan border to Abbotabad and back. The US don’t have a presence in the area anymore.

igCorcaigh

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119421477#Comment_119421477

More than a few will mourn his passing. AQ and IS are not in any way in the same league as the militaries of any recognised national power. We have to not loose sight of what a danger these groups pose to all our security.

buried

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119421623#Comment_119421623

The place is a fourth world warzone, I'm quite sure that if the Americans actually wanted to take him alive, they could have well managed it, they have done so in far more unsecure zones also out of their control, such as various nations in South America, Mexico, etc where they drop out the various druglords they don't like numerous other times every single year. They obviously didn't want to take him alive and account for his crimes, for whatever reason.

MFPM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119421642#Comment_119421642

Not the point, the point is the US took direct military action outside its borders to take out someone they claim was involved in an attack 21 years ago....if China did that, or Venezuela or Cuba - would the US be saying fair enough lads, you were right? You know there would be an international outcry.

As for 'our' security that really depends on your place in the world doesn't it - who poses the biggest threat to Venezuelan or Chilean or Bolivian security - Al Qaeda or the US?

igCorcaigh

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119421731#Comment_119421731

When it comes to the people who blew up teenage girls at a concert in Manchester, or crushed families to death in Nice, I know who the bigger threat is. And I do agree with you about the abuse of power by the US and allies. No argument there.

Yurt2

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119421836#Comment_119421836

This guy was in the thick of actively targetting and killing as many civilians as possible for three decades. If the US had found and wasted him in this manner in the weeks after 9/11 no one would have batted an eyelid.

They weren't going to get him out of Afghanistan where they have limited resources now - and the guy was protected by the Haqqani Network (who in turn enjoy the patronage of the Pakistani ISI*), so just drone execute him and be done with it.

Justice was a long time coming to him, and he probably thought he was home and hosed in a friendly country when he stepped out on his balcony.

*In fact, it's likely the Pakistanis gave him up after years of sheltering him in secret - and they owed the US big time after the Bin Laden debacle. They were always going to get the top of the AQ tree in one way or another, and I actually find it funny that anyone is surprised or feigning outrage about an arch terrorist of the highest order meeting their end in such a manner.

donaghs

Lots of sites claiming Pakistan gave him up. Indian news story linking it to badly needed loan from the IMF

https://m.timesofindia.com/world/us/us-eliminates-zawahiri-in-drone-strike-did-pakistan-sell-him-out-for-imf-bailout/amp_articleshow/93300112.cms

MFPM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119421836#Comment_119421836

I've no difficulty with that point in reference to those victims...but is there a hierarchy of victims, are those blown up by Al Q or ISIS more deserving of 'revenge' than those murdered by US drone strikes or Israeli or Saudi bombing in Palestine or Yemen...

Yurt2

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119421891#Comment_119421891

Highly likely that Pakistan gave the US his head. Half the new Taliban Government is in the ISI's pocket via the Haqqani network.

The Pakistani security services are the kings of double-dealing. They were probably sheltering him for years.

Overheal

Watchdogs, ok…

You should try it. It's much more efficient than trying to watch television.

http://mediaite.com

Given up for a bailout tracks. We'll see.

Realtai

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119417554#Comment_119417554

This ^^^

I guess this news story is a great way to deflect the fact that Biden is two faced and useless.

donaghs

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119422091#Comment_119422091

The “bailout” idea is just an idea. I wouldn’t trust it as I’ve only so far seen it in Indian media, and they tend to take a dim view a of Pakistan, especially when it comes to Pakistans dealing with extremists.