Reactions to the death of Osama bin Laden


On May 1, 2011, United States President Barack Obama confirmed that al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden had been killed in his compound in Abbottabad, northeastern Pakistan. Bin Laden's death was welcomed throughout most of the world as a fitting end to a figure who had inspired mass bloodshed, and a positive and significant turning point in the fight against al-Qaeda and related groups. Those who welcomed it included the United Nations, European Union, NATO, and some nations in Asia, Africa, Oceania, South America, and the Middle East, including Yemen, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, India, Israel, Indonesia, Somalia, the Philippines, Turkey, Iraq, Australia, Argentina, and the rebel Libyan Republic.
His killing was condemned, however, by the Hamas administration of the Gaza Strip, the Muslim Brotherhood, and the Taliban. Iran and the Muslim Brotherhood opined that bin Laden's death removed "the last excuse" for western forces to remain in the Middle East, and urged their withdrawal. The monitoring of Jihadist websites after bin Laden's death, by intelligence agency SITE, revealed encouragement of attacks in retaliation for his killing.

United States

Even before the official announcement, crowds gathered spontaneously to celebrate outside the White House, where thousands assembled. Hundreds of New Yorkers also gathered in Times Square and at Ground Zero, the site of the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. In Dearborn, Michigan, a suburb of Detroit with a large Muslim and Arab population, a small crowd gathered outside the City Hall in celebration, many of them of Middle Eastern descent. From the beginning to the end of Obama's speech, 4,000 tweets were sent per second on Twitter.
Fans attending a nationally televised Sunday Night Baseball Major League Baseball game between two National League East rivals, the Philadelphia Phillies and the New York Mets, at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia initiated U-S-A! cheers in response to the news, confusing players and officials alike because no official announcement was made until later. Likewise, at WWE Extreme Rules 2011, a pay-per-view broadcast emanating from the St. Pete Times Forum in Tampa, Florida, newly crowned WWE Champion John Cena announced the news to the audience following the event's conclusion, resulting in a massive "U-S-A!" chant from the crowd. Students at Ohio State University celebrated by jumping into Mirror Lake, a tradition done before playing rivals Michigan in football. Hundreds of students at the University of Notre Dame, located in Notre Dame, Indiana, spontaneously gathered and celebrated by setting off fireworks, yelling loud chants, and running through busy student centers and libraries, many screaming the entire way through and carrying American flags. Students at the University of Southern California celebrated on USC's Greek Row, playing the national anthem and blasting fireworks. Students from many other universities, including midshipmen from the U.S. Naval Academy, and cadets from the U.S. Military Academy and U.S. Air Force Academy, also celebrated when they got the news. Indian Americans hailed the U.S. Special Forces, and accused Pakistan of sheltering bin Laden and other terrorists.
All four major broadcast television networks interrupted their regularly scheduled programming to cover the news. NBC, most notably, interrupted an episode of the Celebrity Apprentice, hosted by Obama's eventual successor Donald Trump. Nine television networks in total carried Obama's announcement, watched by 56.5 million Americans, his largest audience since election night.
In addition to the jubilant celebrations, many visitors quietly reflected at the Pentagon Memorial.

Current and former officials

Former U.S. President George W. Bush said that "this momentous achievement marks a victory for America, for people who seek peace around the world, and for all those who lost loved ones on September 11, 2001". Former U.S. President Bill Clinton described it as "a profoundly important moment for people all over the world who want to build a common future of peace, freedom, and cooperation for our children". U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said: "The fight continues, and we will never waver. I know there are some who doubted this day would ever come, who questioned our resolve and our reach. But let us remind ourselves, this is America. We rise to the challenge, we persevere, and we get the job done."
New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg said that he hoped the death of bin Laden "would comfort those who lost loved ones" in the September 11, 2001 attacks. Former National Security Advisor and Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice characterized the news as "absolutely thrilling", adding that she was "overwhelmed with gratitude and continue to be amazed at what our military has achieved". The event was also applauded by past Republican presidential contenders, including former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney, former Minnesota governor Tim Pawlenty, and Senator John McCain. Several U.S. senators questioned whether Pakistani authorities knew about bin Laden's presence in Pakistan, and had protected him.
On May 12, 2011, former Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens, speaking at a Northwestern University symposium, told the audience that based on his knowledge of the facts, "It was not merely to do justice and avenge Sept. 11, to remove an enemy who had been trying every day to attack the United States.... I haven't the slightest doubt it was entirely appropriate for American forces to act" as they did.
In an interview with 60 Minutes, U.S. Secretary of Defense Robert Gates said "I worked for a lot of these guys . And this is one of the most courageous calls, decisions that I think I've ever seen a president make. For all of the concerns that I've just been talking about. The uncertainty of the intelligence. The consequences of it going bad. The risk to the lives of the Americans involved. It was a very gutsy call."

Pakistan

Government

Following the death of bin Laden, President Asif Ali Zardari convened emergency talks with Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani and security chiefs in Islamabad. Gilani said: "We will not allow our soil to be used against any other country for terrorism and therefore I think it's a great victory, it's a success and I congratulate the success of this operation." Later Gilani blamed the world for their failure to capture bin Laden.
The day after the raid, the Pakistani government lashed out at the U.S., saying that the United States had taken "an unauthorized unilateral action" that would not be tolerated in the future. The foreign ministry further said, "Such an event shall not serve as a future precedent for any state, including the United States."
JUI-F deputy parliamentary leader Mufti Kifayatullah, in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly, declared "Osama is a hero..." and that "The great Muslim heroes are being killed here in Pakistan and it is a matter of shame for the Pakistan Army when the foreign forces come and kill people on our soil."
Foreign Secretary Salman Bashir said, "Any other country that would ever act on assumption that it has the right to unilateralism of any sort will find as far as Pak is concerned that it has made a basic mistake". He further stated that Pakistani military had scrambled F-16s after they became aware of the attack but that they reached the compound after American helicopters had left. Bashir also warned the U.S. and India against any such covert operations in the future, saying this would lead to a "terrible catastrophe".
Former Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf criticized the operation, saying, "America coming to our territory and taking action is a violation of our sovereignty, handling and execution of the operation is not correct. The Pakistani government should have been kept in the loop."
Speaking at the Lahore Press Club, former Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi criticised the government and openly demanded an explanation from top officials regarding the incident. He also called for President Zardari and Prime Minister Gillani to resign. Terming the American raid as "unprovoked aggression", Qureshi added that instead of addressing the nation during the crisis, Zardari instead chose to write an opinion piece in a foreign newspaper.
Cricketer-turned-politician Imran Khan said Pakistan had "lost its dignity and self-esteem" in the wake of the Osama operation and lashed out at the government and the intelligence. "The big questions that everyone began asking, and for which no answers have been forthcoming, were: who allowed the Americans to come to Pakistan and carry out this attack? And whatever happened to the Pakistani Army and its intelligence?". Later Imran Khan on 18th August, 2018 became Prime Minister of Pakistan. On 25th June, 2020, Prime Minister of Pakistan, Imran Khan shockingly to the world addressed Osama Bin Laden as "Shaheed" aka "Martyr" in Pakistan Parliament.

Military

Pakistan's military officials declined to comment, referring questions to the foreign ministry. After the operation, Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence admitted that there had been an intelligence failure. An official stated that the same compound had been raided in 2003, but since then had not been monitored. However, this account was disputed by American officials who said that satellite photos show that even as late as 2004, the site was an empty field. Pakistan's Military chief Ashfaq Parvez Kayani called the operation a "misadventure" and stated that no further raids would be tolerated. In addition he announced that the number of private American military personnel in Pakistan will be reduced "to the minimum essential".
According to a statement by Pakistan Air Force Chief Marshal Rao Qamar Suleman, there had been an air-surveillance failure. Qamar covered the inquiry by saying that the air space was unable to detect the American helicopters because the radar installed on the western borders were inactive on the day of the incident. The U.S. helicopters also reportedly used radar-evading measures, such as stealth technology, to avoid detection.

Public

A poll conducted among educated respondents from Lahore, Karachi and Islamabad showed that 75% of them disapproved of the U.S. operation and 66% disbelieved that Osama Bin Laden had been killed at the compound in Abbottabad. There was also frustration and fierce criticism among the public and in Pakistani media against the military for its inability and failure in not detecting the American raid and allowing it to occur.
A local resident, in reference to the security forces, commented: "This is what they are paid for, to defend the borders, not to run bakeries and banks and real-estate empires."
Numerous mobile text messages were observed doing the rounds in the country, apparently ridiculing the defence agencies for the security lapse.
There was mounting public outrage against President Zardari, who offered no official remarks even five days after the incident. Zardari also left for state visits to Kuwait and Russia immediately after the operation, while Prime Minister Gillani left for a three-day state visit to France.

China

Government

The People's Republic of China said on Monday evening that the death of Osama bin Laden was "a milestone and a positive development for the international anti-terrorism efforts". Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Jiang Yu made the remarks when asked to comment on the killing of the al-Qaeda leader. China supported Pakistan amid growing questions in the U.S. about whether the country was complicit in harboring Osama bin Laden saying the, "Pakistani government's determination to fight terrorism are staunch and its actions have been vigorous." Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao discussed the issue with the U.S. in official talks. He asked the U.S. to respect Pakistan's sovereignty, and acknowledge its sacrifices in the war against terror.

Political analysis

The vice president of the University of International Relations stated that bin Laden's death, and the aftermath of such, would not affect Beijing's policies towards Islamabad. Political analyst Hasan Askari stated that while the PRC and Pakistan will remain close, China would not risk its relations with the West over it, citing technological and monetary concerns.

Public response

Public reaction in the PRC to the death of Osama bin laden was mixed. A poll from Hong Kong's Phoenix Television of 500,000 Chinese netizens had 60% of respondents agree that bin Laden's death was a sad event because "he was an anti-US warrior". However, a report from Public Radio International documented that other social media users showed sympathy to the American cause, while most Chinese on and offline did not care about his death. Further reports indicated that many others on Sina Weibo were celebrating, since his agenda had been linked to separatism in Xinjiang. Some tech-savvy Chinese activists and intellectuals even used the event to criticise, or call attention to, PRC's domestic policies.

India

Military

In the wake of Operation Neptune's Spear there were calls for similar strikes conducted by India against Hafiz Muhammad Saeed and Dawood Ibrahim, with Indian Army Chief General V K Singh telling reporters, "I would like to say only this that if such a chance comes, then all the three arms are competent to do this". Indian Air Chief Marshal P V Naik said that India has the capability to carry out such surgical strikes against terrorists.
Following the death of bin Laden in Pakistan, the Border Security Force of India was put on high alert along India's 553 km border with Pakistan, in Punjab. However, a former Pakistani Air Force commander dismissed this as the rhetoric of "paper tigers", and Indian Minister for Home Affairs P. Chidambaram cautioned that India might be unable to carry out such an attack because, "We don't have our forces on Pakistani soil. We are not invited there. We don't have any support from Pakistan."

Public

The public in India celebrated the death of bin Laden across its various cities, by thanking and congratulating the United States. In the Indian capital New Delhi, crowds gathered in the streets to celebrate the occasion, thanking U.S. President Barack Obama. "Festival like celebrations" were seen in Ahmedabad, where people lit firecrackers and burned photographs of bin Laden while shouting slogans. People in the coastal town of Udupi rejoiced on Monday by exchanging greetings and distributing sweets. Celebratory crowds in Udupi, headed by the chief of Shiroor Matha, shouted slogans and burned an effigy of bin Laden. In Bangalore, over 100 members of the Sri Ram Sene converged in Freedom Park in a jubilant mood to celebrate with firecrackers and the passing out of sweets to passers-by. The news of bin Laden's death was watched by 42.6 million Indians.

Government

welcomed the news of bin Laden's death, saying, "I welcome it as a significant step forward and hope that it will deal a decisive blow to Al-Qaeda and other terrorist groups. The international community and Pakistan in particular must work comprehensively to end the activities of all such groups who threaten civilized behaviour and kill innocent men, women and children." Minister for Home Affairs P. Chidambaram said that bin Laden hiding near Islamabad was a matter of grave concern for India as evidence the country was a "sanctuary" for terrorists. He called on Pakistan to arrest the "many of the perpetrators of the Mumbai terror attacks, including the controllers and the handlers of the terrorists who actually carried out the attack", who he alleged "continue to be sheltered in Pakistan".
Minister of External Affairs S. M. Krishna hailed the killing of bin Laden as "historic" and a "victorious milestone" in the global war against terrorism. The Chief Minister of Gujarat, Narendra Modi, expressed his happiness about bin Laden's death, and the Bharatiya Janata Party also hailed the news. The BJP said that bin Laden was the most dangerous face of global and jihadi terrorism and needed to be punished for his evil ideologies and stressed that his death in Pakistan proved India's repeated assertion that "Pakistan is the epicenter of global terrorism". Senior BJP leader Sushma Swaraj said, "Osama was enemy number one of humanity".

Organizations

Supranational union

Said Steve Kroft on the May 8, 2011, edition of 60 Minutes, "For more than a decade, bin Laden managed to elude the U.S. military and intelligence establishments, and he taunted three U.S. presidents. That finally ended last Sunday, and the last thing bin Laden saw was a Navy SEAL in the third floor bedroom of his compound in Pakistan." According to The Economist, "The silence of the usual critics of 'illegal', 'extrajudicial', targeted killing in the wake of America's killing of Osama bin Laden might reflect hypocrisy, sure. But this can be tough to distinguish from resignation to the fact that Mr Obama didn't submit his case for executing Mr bin Laden to some global civil authority because there isn't one and he didn't have to—because America's the biggest kid on the block and, ultimately, what America says goes. And, if it comes down to it, Britain, France, Italy, Russia and other powerful governments hope America will indulge their own kill-squad adventures with similar approving silences. Of course, if some aggrieved faction in the future seeks retribution through the targeted killing of one of these countries' leaders, that will be raw vengeance, that will be terrorism, that will be an international crime, because, like it or not, that's how it works."
George Will suggested that America could use bin Laden's death to "draw a deep breath and some pertinent conclusions", among them that "bin Laden was brought down by intelligence gathering that more resembles excellent police work than a military operation." He added, "There remains much more to al-Qaeda than bin Laden, and there are many more tentacles to the terrorism threat than al-Qaeda and its affiliates. So 'the long war' must go on. But perhaps such language is bewitching our minds, because this is not essentially war."

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