The US raid that killed Al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden on May 2, 2011, put an exclamation point on the group’s downfall. The global terrorist brand had already lost much of its appeal after killing thousands of civilians in Iraq and stoking the Shiite-Sunni civil war in 2006-07. This year’s triumphal uprisings in Tunisia and Egypt further weakened Mr. bin Laden’s sales pitch, disproving his core argument that only jihad could remove Middle East autocrats from power.
But Islamist terrorism is not over, and the bin Laden raid – conducted by US Navy SEALS and the CIA without the knowledge of Pakistani authorities – has frayed ties with Pakistan, a key US partner in combating the threat.
Ben Arnoldy, the Monitor's South Asia bureau chief, covered bin Laden’s death with Issam Ahmed (Pakistan) and Tom A. Peter (Afghanistan).
Highlights from the Monitor's coverage of Osama bin Laden's death and the aftermath:
The future of Al Qaeda and its likely leader – by Dan Murphy
Osama bin Laden killing may shape the future of US cooperation with Pakistan – by Ben Arnoldy in New Delhi
Osama bin Laden killed near Pakistan's West Point. Was he really hidden? – by Issam Ahmed and Owais Tohin in Lahore and Karachi, Pakistan
