Source: U.S. needs permission to interview bin Laden wives

http://www.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/asiapcf/05/09/pakistan.bin.laden/index.html?hpt=T2


Pakistan will allow the United States to question or take into custody the apparent wives of Osama bin Laden only if their "country of origin has been asked for permission," a senior Pakistani intelligence source told CNN on Monday. The 29-year-old Yemeni wife, Amal Ahmed Abdulfattah, was wounded during the raid. The U.S. official identified the other two women as Khairiah Sabar, also known as "Umm Hamza," and Siham Sabar, or "Umm Khalid." The official identified the other men killed in the raid as bin Laden's son Khalid; two couriers, known around the town of Abbottabad by the aliases Arshad Khan and Tariq Khan. The official would not provide their real names. Bin Laden was found in a compound in Abbottabad, a city with a heavy military presence about 50 km (31 miles) from Islamabad. That has led several U.S. officials to question whether some within the Pakistani government or military helped shield bin Laden or failed to look for him. In an interview with CBS' "60 Minutes" that aired Sunday night, Obama said, "We think that there had to be some sort of support network for bin Laden inside of Pakistan. But we don't know who or what that support network was." The president said U.S. officials "don't know whether there might have been some people inside of government (or) people outside of government, and that's something that we have to investigate.""More importantly," he added, "the Pakistani government has to investigate."

 "Source: U.S. Needs Permission to Interview Bin Laden Wives - CNN.com." CNN.com - Breaking News, U.S., World, Weather, Entertainment & Video News. Web. 09 May 2011.

Obama says bin Laden had 'support network' in Pakistan

http://www.cnn.com/2011/POLITICS/05/08/pakistan.us.relations/index.html?hpt=T1

 President Barack Obama says Osama bin Laden had a group of supporters within Pakistan helping to keep the al Qaeda leader secure for years. Top U.S. officials insist Pakistan remains a critical U.S. ally in the fight against terrorism, but are demanding answers to troubling about questions bin Laden's presence in that country over the course of the last six years. Pakistani authorities have "indicated they have a profound interest in finding out what kinds of support networks bin Laden might have had," Obama noted. "But these are questions that we're not going to be able to answer" immediately after the raid on bin Laden's compound.
Pakistani leaders insist they didn't take part in either the establishment or the maintenance of bin Laden's safe haven, and have promised a full examination of the circumstances that allowed him spend years in Abbottabad, a city with a heavy military presence located a mere 30 miles north of the country's capital.
But if evidence is discovered that is "highly disturbing, we'll certainly press that," he said. Donilon's comments came amid calls in Congress and elsewhere to cut U.S. financial assistance in Pakistan, which currently receives roughly $1.5 billion in annual aid.

The killing of bin Laden: Was it legal?

http://edition.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/asiapcf/05/04/bin.laden.legal/index.html

Argument saying that it’s legal of killing Bin Laden was that the head of al Qaeda, an organization that had conducted the attacks of September the 11th," Holder said. "It's lawful to target an enemy commander in the field." "there is simply no question that this operation was lawful. ... (Bin Laden) had continued to plot attacks against the United States." Presidents Bill Clinton, George W. Bush and Barack Obama had all issued orders to kill or capture the al Qaeda leader. Arguments against it were "Obviously, under the rules of engagement, if he had in fact thrown up his hands, surrendered, and didn't appear to be representing any kind of threat, then they were to capture him. But they had full authority to kill him." "If a person has his hands in the air, you're not supposed to kill him," said Steven Groves, a fellow at the conservative Heritage Foundation. U.S. officials have revised their account of the assault on the compound in Pakistan. Bin Laden was not armed during the 40-minute raid, they now say, but he put up resistance to U.S. forces.

Silverleib, Alan. "The Killing of Bin Laden: Was It Legal? - CNN.com." CNN.com International - Breaking, World, Business, Sports, Entertainment and Video News. Web. 05 May 2011. <http://edition.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/asiapcf/05/04/bin.laden.legal/index.html>.

Official: 5 troops killed in Afghanistan bombing are all Americans

http://www.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/asiapcf/04/17/afghanistan.attack/index.html?hpt=T2

Five troops killed in a suicide bombing this weekend at a military base in eastern Afghanistan were members of the U.S. Army's 101st Airborne Division, a senior U.S. military official said Sunday.

Earlier, authorities had said only that five members of NATO-led International Security Assistance Force, which includes troops from the United States and other nations, were killed in the Saturday incident.

The families of all five have been notified of the deaths, and a formal announcement from the Army is forthcoming, said the official, who declined to be identified pending the announcement.

Is the U.S. safer today than before the 9/11 attacks?

http://www.cnn.com/2011/US/05/02/bin.laden.is.us.safer/index.html?hpt=T1

Much talk about Osama Bin ladins death causing more harm to America than before 9/11. Over a billion dollars spent in Afghanistan and Iraq. Also on passenger security for travelers. New threats are created as argued by Thomas Kein. Others say that it's the right movement on America's part but we should always be on alert of any danger. There has been several attempts of bombing after 9/11. Like a year ago in Time Square. There has been also successful attacks upon America such as the  Nov. 2009 shooting in  Ford Hood. Since 9/11 and his death America's security and intelligence capablility are much stronger since. Is America still at war? yes, but it is a a huge stepping stone in doing so. Will there still be threats? Aboutely. I would say that we are not safe because this will give a reason for the al Qaeda to be more agressive, even with more security.

Hayes, Ashley. "Is the U.S. Safer Today than before the 9/11 Attacks? - CNN.com." CNN.com - Breaking News, U.S., World, Weather, Entertainment & Video News. Web. 03 May 2011. <http://www.cnn.com/2011/US/05/02/bin.laden.is.us.safer/index.html?hpt=T1>.

Osama bin Laden is dead, Obama says

http://www.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/asiapcf/05/02/bin.laden.dead/index.html?npt=NP1

The leader of the 9/11 attack, Osama Bin Laden is dead today. He was killed by U.S. forces in a mansion outside the Pakistani capital with other family members. Obama said this is one of the most significant events in defeating the Al Qeada. Fear is brought up to American citizen though, maybe due to another terrorist attack. 9/11 families are relieved that the head leader of such evil is gone. Obama made clear that we are not at war with Islam though. I think this is one of those significant events that may cause another huge chain reaction. Sure we are celebrating now but this could turn out worse. They may want revenge upon the U.S.

"U.S. Forces Kill Elusive Terror Figure Osama Bin Laden in Pakistan - CNN.com." CNN.com - Breaking News, U.S., World, Weather, Entertainment & Video News. Web. 02 May 2011. <http://www.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/asiapcf/05/02/bin.laden.dead/index.html?npt=NP1>

Reflection On Immigration Reform

Immigration is obviously a problem that America struggle with. We need a solution and even though we didn't come up with a solution, I got a better understanding of the problem. Lots of people gave good points during the discussion and everyone contributed. I liked Alex idea of trying to solve immigration. He said instead of trying to fix it in America, we should tackle it in the actual country. I thought that was an interesting point. I also think that everyone agreed that the Dream Act should be passed because it's a good bill allowing educated immigrants to obtain citizenship. I think we need to establish a mean of allowing certain immigrants and making overs leave. We do need immigrants but certain ones. We should make a system of picking out who we want in America. But overall, like you said Palo, we can argue about this topic but in the end, not everyone will be satisfied.