The Killing of Osama bin Laden: A Kaleidoscope View through the Lens of Bob Dylan

On May 16, 2003, in the al Baya neighborhood of western Baghdad, a 155 mm. shell was discovered on the airport highway. Uncharacteristically, the shell could be seen by the naked eye from some distance. Too obvious for a typical hidden roadside bomb, this IED attracted the attention of the bomb disposal unit. As a tech personnel approached the shell, protected by her 100-pound Kevlar suit, she observed that the shell was connected to a digital clock, stopped at 11:30. Having disarmed the shell, she and her partner smelled a sweet aroma, like bubble gum. Her partner saw a small puddle of amber-colored liquid, rolling from the shell. He suddenly fell back, his eyes rolling wildly, his ears ringing. He tried to warn his partner away, but his body was locking up.

The liquid was a deadly nerve gas called sarin. His partner quickly fumbled in her pants pocket for the antidote-filled serette. She slammed the spring-loaded serette into his leg and then another one into her own leg, their only hope of survival. Had this shell exploded, it would have killed over 10,000 Iraqi civilians and over 3,000 coalition troops stationed nearby at Camp Victory. This was the kind of damage Osama bin Laden was hoping to hurt Americans with, to drive them out of the country. He was the villain that the US government needed to get rid of, ever since the downing of the Twin Towers.

So, finally, we got to kill Osama bin Laden. Years after the event that brought him infamy. We had him in our sights when Clinton was presiding, but the triggerman couldn’t get the OK from on high. Some say because Clinton was too busy dealing with Monica Lewinski’s dress with a particular stain on it. But the killing of bin Laden finally happened on May 1st, 2011. So here’s the timeline:
mehr:
- The Killing of Osama bin Laden: A Kaleidoscope View through the Lens of Bob Dylan (Montreal serai, 23.03.2013)