The Hit List

Nine top terrorist leaders Obama has whacked.

BY LOIS PARSHLEY AND URI FRIEDMAN | FEBRUARY 27, 2012

On the campaign trail, Barack Obama didn't sound like the second coming of George W. Bush. But Obama the president has defied critics who claimed he would be soft on terrorism, expanding the CIA's powers and ramping up drone strikes (at least 239 drone strikes were approved in the last three years, according to David Rohde). Far from the squeamish former law professor he was often portrayed as in 2008, Obama has turned out to be commando-in-chief, ordering more targeted killings than any recent president. Here are some of the most high-profile casualties of Obama's tough tactics.

OSAMA BIN LADEN

Al Qaeda's late leader, who gained infamy after orchestrating the attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon on Sept. 11, 2001, is seen in the image above in Afghanistan. On May 1, 2011, bin Laden was killed in a covert operation in Abbottabad, Pakistan, led by the U.S. Navy SEALS. He was quickly replaced by his deputy, Ayman al-Zawahiri.

Getty Images

 SUBJECTS:
 

Lois Parshley and Uri Friedman are editors at Foreign Policy.

C. NANDKISHORE

7:10 AM ET

February 27, 2012

AfPak

Eight of the nine killed were in Pakistan.

 

STRIVER

5:55 AM ET

February 29, 2012

Strategic and crucial...

.....role that Pakistan had played in capturing and killing the 'terrorists' as defined by the west, is never discussed in FP.

Of course we cannot expect anything other than a lopsided approach from a rightwing jouran that FP is.

But BRAVO to the brilliant us of psychological tactics by the west to influence the minds of its own people. The methods are so sophisticated that even the intellegent people think they are making independent and well 'thought-through' decisions in hating a people they don't underrstand.

Its as if people have outsourced their thinking to the state.

Indian have an extra cell in their body. The hate-Pakistan cell. That is why they so often contruct pathetic arguments based on logic that only makes sense to them.

 

C. NANDKISHORE

11:52 AM ET

March 4, 2012

@STRIVER

I just said eight of the nine killed were in Pakistan. What is wrong in that? If they were found in USA, I would have said so. By the way how did the top eight get into Pakistan?

 

REALREALIST

6:23 PM ET

February 28, 2012

 

DEMOMAN925

10:45 PM ET

February 28, 2012

failed?

What part has failed? The ending the war in Iraq part? The increased diplomatic relations with foreign nations part? The increased trade agreements part?
I guess I'm a little confused as to what part of his foreign policy has failed?
It's certainly not the War on Terror part, because he has been killing those mofos even faster than Bush ever did.

I'm guessing you're disappointed in his Iran policies? If that's it, then hold your horses because that's all still up in the air.

 

STRIVER

6:08 AM ET

February 29, 2012

Confused you will...

@Demoman925
.....be becasue you are wearing those rose-tinted glasses again. Take 'em off.

Either you are a patriotic fool that sees nothing other than good in the state-sponsored and state-run terrorism by your country or you are just mezmorised by the use of the sophisticated weapons to kill 'dark-skinned, uncivilised heathens.'

Your train departed long ago dropping off the 'whiteman's burden' somewhere in the abyss.

...and why the name 'demoman'? What is that you want to demolish? Humanity?

Get a life.

 

PUPIL

2:04 PM ET

February 29, 2012

Obama's body count

It did not occur to Friedman that body count alone has always been wrong indicator of war progress. It was wrong in Vietnam, and it was wrong during the WWII in Europe when the allies lost many more soldiers than the Axes. The Lefties made the mantra of repudiating this doctrine until the adventure of Obama.

How come, Field Marshal Friedman?

 

KBC

9:16 PM ET

March 3, 2012

Killing the merchant of death

and there is a feeling of smugness inside the heart of every conscientious person. What good did Osama do? For his own people, for the people he was fighting for. What exactly did he do. More Muslims have been killed, more persecution for Muslims around the world.

Forget this, the real causality of Osama was nationalistic movements around the world and he besmirched all the political violence, even justified. For more:

http://thepoliticalopportunist.blogspot.in/