Although al-Qaeda’s leader Osama bin Laden has been killed, the White House said that the move alone will not be sufficient to take down the terrorist organization.
Al-Qaeda “may be a mortally wounded tiger that still has some life in it,” the top White House counterterrorism adviser John Brennan told reporters, via a live feed.
With the “strategic blow” that was dealt to the terror organization, there will be significantly more infighting that will cause a sense of disunity, creating several opposing factions.
Brennan said that the mission to kill bin Laden, headed by Navy SEALS, was to take the notorious terror leader down dead or alive, echoing statements made six days after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks by former President George W. Bush 10 years ago.
Brennan gave several new details regarding the mission in Abbottabad, a small bucolic community near the Pakistani capital of Islamabad.
When President Obama apparently gave the green light to invade the compound, Brennan said that the intelligence surrounding whether or not bin Laden was in the building was “circumstantial” and not confirmed.
Obama’s decision was “one of the most gutsiest calls of any presidents in recent memory,” Brennan said, indicating that there was not unanimous agreement among White House aides ss to whether to risk the operation based on gathered intelligence.
Obama gave a special Sunday night televised speech announcing the death of the al-Qaeda leader.
Before the invasion of the fortress-like compound, a replica was made by U.S. forces to simulate what they could ascertain from the outside. “The outer features of the compound were studied intensively,” Brennan said.
In all, four people were killed, including Bin Laden, one of his two wives, an informant that led U.S. forces to the compound, and a brother of the informant. The details surrounding their deaths are hazy.
Bin Laden’s wife apparently was used for “shielding Bin Laden from incoming fire,” Brennan said. The terror leader apparently attempted to grab a firearm, but it is unconfirmed as to whether or not he fired off rounds.
Brennan also said that U.S. officials are now raising questions regarding whether or not Pakistani intelligence provided bin Laden with support while he was in hiding, noting the elaborate compound. However, Brennan said that it did not appear that anyone in the nearby neighborhood knew that bin Laden was living there.
Bin Laden was buried at sea and the U.S. ensured that he was properly laid to rest, Brennan said. “Burials at sea take place on a regular basis,” he said, noting that it was “consistent with Islamic law,” including being buried within 24 hours of death.
Brennan said that officials were “99.9 percent” sure that the person they killed was bin Laden before they buried him.
Al-Qaeda “may be a mortally wounded tiger that still has some life in it,” the top White House counterterrorism adviser John Brennan told reporters, via a live feed.
With the “strategic blow” that was dealt to the terror organization, there will be significantly more infighting that will cause a sense of disunity, creating several opposing factions.
Brennan said that the mission to kill bin Laden, headed by Navy SEALS, was to take the notorious terror leader down dead or alive, echoing statements made six days after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks by former President George W. Bush 10 years ago.
Brennan gave several new details regarding the mission in Abbottabad, a small bucolic community near the Pakistani capital of Islamabad.
When President Obama apparently gave the green light to invade the compound, Brennan said that the intelligence surrounding whether or not bin Laden was in the building was “circumstantial” and not confirmed.
Obama’s decision was “one of the most gutsiest calls of any presidents in recent memory,” Brennan said, indicating that there was not unanimous agreement among White House aides ss to whether to risk the operation based on gathered intelligence.
Obama gave a special Sunday night televised speech announcing the death of the al-Qaeda leader.
Before the invasion of the fortress-like compound, a replica was made by U.S. forces to simulate what they could ascertain from the outside. “The outer features of the compound were studied intensively,” Brennan said.
In all, four people were killed, including Bin Laden, one of his two wives, an informant that led U.S. forces to the compound, and a brother of the informant. The details surrounding their deaths are hazy.
Bin Laden’s wife apparently was used for “shielding Bin Laden from incoming fire,” Brennan said. The terror leader apparently attempted to grab a firearm, but it is unconfirmed as to whether or not he fired off rounds.
Brennan also said that U.S. officials are now raising questions regarding whether or not Pakistani intelligence provided bin Laden with support while he was in hiding, noting the elaborate compound. However, Brennan said that it did not appear that anyone in the nearby neighborhood knew that bin Laden was living there.
Bin Laden was buried at sea and the U.S. ensured that he was properly laid to rest, Brennan said. “Burials at sea take place on a regular basis,” he said, noting that it was “consistent with Islamic law,” including being buried within 24 hours of death.
Brennan said that officials were “99.9 percent” sure that the person they killed was bin Laden before they buried him.
