Revenge Attack

May 13, 2011 2:04 AM

"This is the retaliation for the killing of Osama bin Laden" - At least 70 Killed at military training centre in North-West Pakistan. Pakistan Taliban claim responsibility.
posted by numberstation (26 comments total)

They killed... Pakistani army soldiers... who had nothing to do with the operation... and have no connection to Americans. Horrible and stupid.

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posted by shii at 2:15 AM on May 13, 2011 [8 favorites]

Pakistani army soldiers... who had nothing to do with

But it is not so uncomplicated.

From the NYTimes link: It was not immediately clear if the attack was in revenge for the Americans’ action. Local officials said that it was likely connected to the Pakistani Army assault against Taliban militants in the nearby mountainous region of Mohmand in Afghanistan.

It seems to me a military training center is more or less a fair target of attack when soldiers wearing those same uniforms are attacking you.
posted by three blind mice at 2:22 AM on May 13, 2011 [5 favorites]

a military training center is more or less a fair target of attack when soldiers wearing those same uniforms are attacking you

But you get better coverage for your attack if you retroactively decide it's connected to the still-current leader in the news cycle. At this point, any Islamic militants in the region who doesn't claim their attacks are OBL-related should fire their media people.
posted by Vetinari at 3:08 AM on May 13, 2011 [10 favorites]

don't grumble grumble edit window
posted by Vetinari at 3:09 AM on May 13, 2011 [1 favorite]

In either event, that's 140 parents that won't sleep for months.
posted by Bathtub Bobsled at 3:47 AM on May 13, 2011 [4 favorites]

Well I guess that completely wraps things up on this whole business then. Right? OBL is dead and his allies have gotten their revenge 70x fold. I guess everyone can go home now and stop fighting and killing. It's a grim business, but it has to stop somewhere. Stiff upper lip for the mourners and all that.....
posted by humanfont at 3:54 AM on May 13, 2011 [4 favorites]

Vetinari: At this point, any Islamic militants in the region who doesn't claim their attacks are OBL-related should fire their media people.

Kinda puts a whole new spin on Monster.com job search, doesn't it?
posted by IAmBroom at 4:10 AM on May 13, 2011 [2 favorites]

Their media people are all for this but the bean counters in Central Admin say they don't have the marketing budget.
posted by fourcheesemac at 4:13 AM on May 13, 2011

and have no connection to Americans

We probably paid for the weapons they were issued.
posted by Trurl at 6:16 AM on May 13, 2011

We probably paid for the weapons they were issued.


Hooray society taxes civilization everybody do their share
posted by entropone at 6:40 AM on May 13, 2011

So the big news is that OBL was in Pakistan all along, probably with the knowledge and protection of the Pakistani military whose main training college was within walking distance of OBL's hidey hole, and OBL was taken out by a purely American force which violated Pakistani airspace to do so, much to the annoyance of the Pakistani government and the embarrassment of their military, and the vengeance strike is directed against ... Pakistan?

ATTN TERRORISTS I THINK YOU ARE DOING THAT WRONG.
posted by localroger at 7:44 AM on May 13, 2011 [2 favorites]

I took the last cup of coffee from the pot in our office yesterday and didn't make a new pot in retaliation for the killing of Osama bin Laden. حسن البن
posted by kirkaracha at 7:51 AM on May 13, 2011 [7 favorites]

localroger: I think it has been acknowledged that in reality the idea that the US did not inform Pakistan before undertaking the operation is extremely unlikely. The fact is it would not have played well at all domestically within Pakistan if the government had been deemed to sanction the operation. Far better to pretend that the US acted without approval from the Pakistan Governments perspective.
posted by numberstation at 7:59 AM on May 13, 2011

kirkaracha: if you find the right pithy hashtag for that comment, you could start a new trending topic on twitter.
posted by hippybear at 8:02 AM on May 13, 2011 [2 favorites]

I left a house party early and went to bed in the name of Osama bin Laden.
posted by His thoughts were red thoughts at 8:15 AM on May 13, 2011 [3 favorites]

numberstation, while it's up in the air whether Pakistan held its arm behind its back with crossed fingers while Seal Team 6 went in, it's very clear from the lack of security and resistance that OBL (and presumably his associates) thought he was completely safe and it's hard to imagine he thought that without thinking he had some powerful Pakistani friends who knew he was there. Even if they did secretly sanction the raid they very unsecretly provided him with a hiding place for at least 6 years and didn't bother to tell us.
posted by localroger at 8:29 AM on May 13, 2011

numberstation: It might be up for debate, but I don't think it's been acknowledged as fact. It seems to me it doesn't sit well domestically either way. Either they knew and allowed it, or they're so incompetent that a foreign military can conduct operations on their soil without their knowledge. Throw in the fact that the US bothered sending a stealth heli to conduct the operation, and I don't think you can say it's obvious Pakistan knew about the operation.
posted by Crash at 8:42 AM on May 13, 2011

From the "the" link:

The Pakistan Taliban claimed responsibility in a statement shortly after the bombing, saying that the attack was in retaliation for the May 2 American raid that killed Osama bin Laden... The Pakistani Taliban have issued several statements recently claiming responsibility for attacks that they did not initiate, police officials said.

So there's a fair chance that the people who are claiming responsibility for this are not in any way related to the people that actually did it? In that case, couldn't someone else claim that the attack was against the Pakistani military because they knowingly harbored Bin Laden, or conversely, that the attack was against them because they didn't do enough to protect him...

You know what? I don't care. I don't care who did it, I just wish they'd fucking stop. 70+ people are dead because some assholes don't think the world is not being nice enough to them or too nice to someone else or something. Fuck them. The only good thing about suicide bombing is that every time it happens, at least one of the people who accept that this is a valid way to treat people is removed from the world. Unfortunately every other thing about it is ruinously awful.
posted by quin at 8:58 AM on May 13, 2011

Yeah that doesn't make sense. Particularly as Bin Laden was so obviously a guest of the Pakistani military for the last 5 or 6 years, and was killed against their will.
posted by w0mbat at 9:16 AM on May 13, 2011 [1 favorite]

entropone: "We probably paid for the weapons they were issued.


Hooray society taxes civilization everybody do their share"

Damnit, Zerzan!
posted by symbioid at 9:48 AM on May 13, 2011

They killed... Pakistani army soldiers... who had nothing to do with the operation... and have no connection to Americans. Horrible and stupid.

and

So the big news is that OBL was in Pakistan all along, probably with the knowledge and protection of the Pakistani military whose main training college was within walking distance of OBL's hidey hole, and OBL was taken out by a purely American force which violated Pakistani airspace to do so, much to the annoyance of the Pakistani government and the embarrassment of their military, and the vengeance strike is directed against ... Pakistan?

ATTN TERRORISTS I THINK YOU ARE DOING THAT WRONG.


First the us performs a military raid on Pakistani soil, then the Taliban start blowing up stuff in Pakistan as revenge.

If your goal were to weaken the relationship between the US an Pakistan this would be a smart move.
posted by blue collar orc at 10:00 AM on May 13, 2011

.
posted by mumimor at 11:11 AM on May 13, 2011

If your goal were to weaken the relationship between the US an Pakistan this would be a smart move.

On the contrary, I'd think that this would encourage the marginalization of pro-Taliban elements in the Pakistani government and draw us together in common cause.
posted by localroger at 11:48 AM on May 13, 2011

... I'd think that this would encourage the marginalization of pro-Taliban elements in the Pakistani government ...
I agree.

But on the other hand, pakistanis can perceive this as the US barging uninvited in to their back yard to poke a hornets nest and leave. Now Pakistan is stuck with a bunch of angry hornets while the US are congratulating them selves over a successful mission.
posted by blue collar orc at 1:09 PM on May 13, 2011

But on the other hand, pakistanis can perceive this as the US barging uninvited in to their back yard to poke a hornets nest and leave. Now Pakistan is stuck with a bunch of angry hornets while the US are congratulating them selves over a successful mission.

The Pakistanis practically built the hornets nest (i.e., radical Muslim militancy) as a buffer against Indian incursions and to play kingmaker in Afghanistan. It's not like some posse just came together in protest against the US military taking out the world's most wanted man in a surgical strike.
posted by BobbyVan at 1:59 PM on May 13, 2011 [1 favorite]

kirkaracha: if you find the right pithy hashtag for that comment, you could start a new trending topic on twitter.

We'll see.
posted by kirkaracha at 2:04 PM on May 13, 2011