For immediate release                                                 2nd May, 2011

THE HENRY JACKSON SOCIETY 

WELCOMES THE DEATH OF OSAMA BIN LADEN

MEDIA CONTACTMichael Weissemail or phone +44 (0)20 7340 4520 (office) or  +44 (0)77 666 41670 (mobile) 

 

The Henry Jackson Society today welcomes the news that US military, in conjunction with intelligence operatives, found and killed Osama bin Laden Sunday in the Pakistani city of Abbottabad.  As the leader of Al Qaeda for two decades, bin Laden was directly responsible for the deaths of thousands of civilians including, unforgettably, 3,000 Americans on September 11, 2001.

 

The successful mission to capture him, said to be planned for close to a year, is a credit to the Obama administration which has met the need for a strong counterinsurgency policy in the Af-Pak region. 

 

However, it is sobering to learn that bin Laden was discovered not in a cave in Waziristan but in a mansion just an hour's drive north from Pakistan's capital Islamabad, in a city home to a large military base and military academy.  This fact underscores the need for continued vigilance in facing down the threat of Al Qaeda terrorism as much it is raises disturbing questions about Pakistan's unequivocal commitment to countering that threat.

 

No doubt as millions across the world welcome the news of bin Laden's demise, his criminal associates are plotting reprisal attacks against the West. 

 

Now is the time for celebration but also humility. Britain cannot afford to flag in flushing out the remnants of Al Qaeda and the Taliban in Afghanistan and Pakistan.  

 

For all media enquiries, please contact HJS Director of Communications Michael Weiss

The Henry Jackson Society � 210 Pentonville Road, London, N1 9JY �  Tel: +44 (0)20 7340 4520 �  www.henryjacksonsociety.org � � 2011 All rights reserved.