Bin Laden Dies In A Hail Of Bullets – OpEd

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By Kian Mokhtari

A dark cloud has been lifted from the skies of Afghanistan and Pakistan’s northwest regions.

The infamous, firebrand, Saudi born, head of Al-Qaida has been hunted down and killed in a compound in Pakistan by the US and Pakistani special forces.

Funny thing about Pakistan’s tribal agencies is that not so long ago they bristled with color and beauty and were famous tourist destinations. Cultures almost untouched by time went about their daily routine unafraid of bombs, bullets and so-called militants. Peace used to prevail there.

Then came the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan in 1980s, and all changed. The Afghan mujahidin, not so secretly aided by the US government, began a mighty fight-back to retake their ancestral lands from the Godless soviets.

The entire area was turned upside down as the then two mighty world superpowers slugged it out; and the fate of peaceful and colorful communities in Pakistan’s tribal regions was sacrificed to the fight.

The first signs of trouble came in 1998 when the US submarines in the Sea of Oman fired Cruise missiles at a compound in Afghanistan. Very few people knew who Al-Qaida was or indeed what Al-Qaida meant at that time. But that was put right with the Sep 11, 2001 events.

There are many conspiracy theories surrounding the 9/11 atrocities but to date no definite proof has been provided that any group other than Al-Qaida had been behind the attacks on the twin towers and the Pentagon; however that issue of “who’s done it” belongs to the grander scheme of things.

The frightening thing is what has been happening to the communities in Pakistan’s northwest: beaten down and intimidated on a daily basis by extremist Wahabi elements, funded by certain characters in Saudi Arabia and the UAE, the communities have shed their colorful clothes and way of life, abandoned their thousands of years old culture, have become invisible and lost their individual identities.

Terror and terrorism exacted a most heavy price on their previously picture postcard lives. Poverty, hunger and war descended upon them and blighted anything they ever held dear. Saudi born Bin Laden’s lunatic followers took away education from women and men alike and replaced it with explosive vests and Kalashnikov rifles. Tourism died and with it all hope of the locals for leading full, fruitful lives.

Pakistan became a battle ground as Afghanistan reeled under another invasion and occupation. And the rest has been recorded by the world media: minute by minute.

Meanwhile the irresponsible actions of a self-proclaimed holy man cost the lives of a million Iraqis and tens of thousands of Afghan and Pakistani civilians.

Terror, terrorism and tyranny are not dead, sadly, and cannot be buried with Bin Laden and his accomplices. But hopefully his death will provide justifiable reasons for the foreign forces present in the region to leave in large enough numbers to allow peace to return.

The world community’s next major hurdle is to destroy tyranny wherever it is found to be flourishing. From Myanmar to Morocco, from Waziristan to Washington, tyrannical ideologies and loony tune schools of philosophy and theosophy must be challenged and defeated, so the good people of the world can sigh a relief. Shamanistic leaders with violent agendas -whatever else their disciples may choose to call them- must be discarded once and for all from the troubled and tragic chapter of human existence.

Press TV

Press TV is a state funded news network owned by Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB). Its headquarters are located in Tehran, Iran and seeks to counter a western view on news.

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