5 ms·

That is way more populated than where I was expecting we would find him. Speculation had been going on for years that he was in a cave in the mountains of Pakis

by thematt 15y ago

That is way more populated than where I was expecting we would find him. Speculation had been going on for years that he was in a cave in the mountains of Pakistan or some remote village. I see a college, drugstores and even a movie theater on that map. The mere fact that his location was mappable by Google is surprising.

joe24pack 15y ago
Not really, hiding in plain sight is a common tactic.
haribilalic 15y ago
It's easy to imagine that someone like Osama would be hiding in a cave or like Saddam in a "spider hole", but hiding in populated areas isn't uncommon. Karadzic was also hiding in plain sight in Belgrade and Vienna while on the "run". He had, however, adopted a new identity. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arrest_and_prosecution_of_Radovan_Karadžić http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arrest_and_prosecution_of_Radov...
- nagnatron 15y ago
  He also participated in a few TV shows and no one recognized him.
gexla 15y ago
Looks like he could even brush up on his hockey and golf skills. Apparently that's a good place to hide out if you need to. Next up, Zawahiri (edited.) Considering that Osama was in a mansion outside of Islamabad, I would expect Zawahiri (edited) to be in a beach house outside of Karachi. Edit: Imagine being the guy who pulled the trigger. I will never cheer anyone's death, but Osama would likely not allowed himself to be taken alive. Buy a beer / coke / shot (whatever he prefers) for the shooter. These guys are military hackers, maybe they read this as well. Edit: Whoops, got wrong name of #2. blush
- Perceval 15y ago
  You mean Zawahiri. Zarkawi was the leader of Al Qaeda in Iraq and was killed several years ago. Zawahiri was the #2 to Bin Laden and remains at large.
abbasmehdi 15y ago
It's a military town, in that part of the world it is a well known fact that OBL, Pk military, and the CIA are in bed...
- pessimist 15y ago
  This is frankly not the time to push ridiculous conspiracy theories about the CIA being in bed with Osama.
  - abbasmehdi 15y ago
    Sorry don't mean to hurt your sensitivity, but try to think objectively, what's accepted here isn't the same that's been accepted over there by society in large. Also if you really think it took the US over a decade and over 1,000,000,000,000 dollars to find that guy then whose military sucks? OBL is a joke, the world knows, the difference is that some kids at the magic show actually believe that it's real magic.
  - danilocampos 15y ago
    It's hardly far-fetched to say the two parties were acquainted: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CIA-Osama_bin_Laden_controversy http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CIA-Osama_bin_Laden_controversy Dunno if I'd go as far as saying they were still pals in the last decade but I would warn you that jingoistic fervor is a terrible reason to suspend critical thought or curiosity. Boogeymen are enormously useful tools to those who have power. Skepticism is as valuable to apply to one's government as to conspiracy theorists. It's never "the time" to turn off your brain. This is the same organism, mind you, that once called Iraq an imminent threat. Keep your salt handy. Here's a great book by a former CIA field agent that explains just how complicated the reality of our middle east relations can get: http://www.amazon.com/Sleeping-Devil-Washington-Saudi-Crude/dp/1400050219 http://www.amazon.com/Sleeping-Devil-Washington-Saudi-Crude/... Get through that book and even the most outlandish claims about our foreign policy or intelligence services will seem worth considering.
    - shareme 15y ago
deleted 15y ago
[deleted]
- deleted 15y ago
  [deleted]
nikcub 15y ago
If you ever read any books etc. on laying low the key rules are always not a big city, not not a small area either small area means that you are noticed right away by the locals, since they spend their days waiting for something out of the ordinary to happen. big cities you have surveillance and large media. you need mid sized besides, in the case of bin laden, there was far too much heat in the tribal areas with daily drone attacks and military incursions etc. for him to be hiding there. the big cities are full of CIA agents, so it was always going to be somewhere in between.
- patrickk 15y ago
  Very easy to say all this in hindsight. If it was that obvious then mid-sized cities would have been under scrutiny for years.

by thematt 15y ago

joe24pack 15y ago

Not really, hiding in plain sight is a common tactic.

haribilalic 15y ago

It's easy to imagine that someone like Osama would be hiding in a cave or like Saddam in a "spider hole", but hiding in populated areas isn't uncommon. Karadzic was also hiding in plain sight in Belgrade and Vienna while on the "run". He had, however, adopted a new identity. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arrest_and_prosecution_of_Radovan_Karadžić http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arrest_and_prosecution_of_Radov...

nagnatron 15y ago
He also participated in a few TV shows and no one recognized him.

gexla 15y ago

Looks like he could even brush up on his hockey and golf skills. Apparently that's a good place to hide out if you need to. Next up, Zawahiri (edited.) Considering that Osama was in a mansion outside of Islamabad, I would expect Zawahiri (edited) to be in a beach house outside of Karachi. Edit: Imagine being the guy who pulled the trigger. I will never cheer anyone's death, but Osama would likely not allowed himself to be taken alive. Buy a beer / coke / shot (whatever he prefers) for the shooter. These guys are military hackers, maybe they read this as well. Edit: Whoops, got wrong name of #2. blush

Perceval 15y ago
You mean Zawahiri. Zarkawi was the leader of Al Qaeda in Iraq and was killed several years ago. Zawahiri was the #2 to Bin Laden and remains at large.

abbasmehdi 15y ago

It's a military town, in that part of the world it is a well known fact that OBL, Pk military, and the CIA are in bed...

pessimist 15y ago
This is frankly not the time to push ridiculous conspiracy theories about the CIA being in bed with Osama.
- abbasmehdi 15y ago
  Sorry don't mean to hurt your sensitivity, but try to think objectively, what's accepted here isn't the same that's been accepted over there by society in large. Also if you really think it took the US over a decade and over 1,000,000,000,000 dollars to find that guy then whose military sucks? OBL is a joke, the world knows, the difference is that some kids at the magic show actually believe that it's real magic.
- danilocampos 15y ago
  It's hardly far-fetched to say the two parties were acquainted: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CIA-Osama_bin_Laden_controversy http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CIA-Osama_bin_Laden_controversy Dunno if I'd go as far as saying they were still pals in the last decade but I would warn you that jingoistic fervor is a terrible reason to suspend critical thought or curiosity. Boogeymen are enormously useful tools to those who have power. Skepticism is as valuable to apply to one's government as to conspiracy theorists. It's never "the time" to turn off your brain. This is the same organism, mind you, that once called Iraq an imminent threat. Keep your salt handy. Here's a great book by a former CIA field agent that explains just how complicated the reality of our middle east relations can get: http://www.amazon.com/Sleeping-Devil-Washington-Saudi-Crude/dp/1400050219 http://www.amazon.com/Sleeping-Devil-Washington-Saudi-Crude/... Get through that book and even the most outlandish claims about our foreign policy or intelligence services will seem worth considering.
  - shareme 15y ago

deleted 15y ago

[deleted]

deleted 15y ago
[deleted]

nikcub 15y ago

If you ever read any books etc. on laying low the key rules are always not a big city, not not a small area either small area means that you are noticed right away by the locals, since they spend their days waiting for something out of the ordinary to happen. big cities you have surveillance and large media. you need mid sized besides, in the case of bin laden, there was far too much heat in the tribal areas with daily drone attacks and military incursions etc. for him to be hiding there. the big cities are full of CIA agents, so it was always going to be somewhere in between.

patrickk 15y ago
Very easy to say all this in hindsight. If it was that obvious then mid-sized cities would have been under scrutiny for years.