Bin Laden's son killed

[Smokin]

www.foxnews.com

U.S. officials believe Usama bin Laden's son, Saad bin Laden, was killed in a U.S. airstrike in Pakistan.

Sources confirmed to FOX News late Wednesday that officials believe the younger bin Laden was killed by hellfire missiles from a U.S. Predator drone strike earlier this year.

The death was first reported by National Public Radio.

National Intelligence Director Mike McConnell told NPR that Saad bin Laden reportedly traveled to Pakistan last year after spending several years under house arrest in Iran.

It is believed Saad, who is not considered a significant player in Al Qaeda leadership, was "collateral" damage in the airstrike and was not considered important enough to target on his own.

It isn't possible to tell for certain whether he was killed, since a body has not been recovered, preventing DNA tests, a senior U.S. counterterrorism official told NPR.

The source estimated the chance Saad bin Laden is dead at "80 to 85 percent."

At least 11 senior Al Qaeda operatives have been taken out in the secretive drone campaign which has continued at the same tempo under the Obama administration.

A U.S. official points out that Saad "had a marquee name" but was not actively considered a successor to his father.

"We make a big deal out of him because of his last name," NPR quoted a source as saying.

U.S. forces have stepped up their drone attacks in Pakistan since last September, targeting Taliban and Al Qaeda-linked militants in areas bordering Afghanistan.

The United States has carried out close to 50 such air strikes since the beginning of last year, killing about 470 people, including many foreign militants, according to a tally of reports from Pakistani intelligence agents, district government officials and residents.

[slacker]

Osama bin f#ckchop- I hope that stings a little. We're still coming for you little bitch.

[Toro]

"We make a big deal out of him because of his last name," NPR quoted a source as saying.

Minor point and Arabic lesson for the day: His last name actually shouldn't be "bin Laden", it would be "bin Usama/Osama". Conventional Arabic naming is a person's proper name (Saad, in this case) followed by their father's name (bin means "son of") and sometimes their father's father and father's father's father, etc. So Osama's dad's name was Laden, and his son Saad should be bin Osama.

So if Michael Jackson converted to Islam, his son's name would be "Blanket bin Pedophile."

Enjoy your useless trivia - and whatever his name was, good riddance.

[M2]

Toro

Just to dogpile on the minor point you started...

Whereas what you stated is correct under Arabic naming conventions, the "bin Laden" family appears to have adopted the "Westernization" of a family name due to business reasons. Osama's father was Muhammed Awad bin Laden (Muhammed son of Laden), killed in 1967 when his company Beechcraft crashed during landing at Usran in southwest Saudi Arabia. As such, Osama's name--under conventional naming practives--should have been Osama bin Muhammed; and his son, as you said, would have been Saad bin Osama.

But you are right, most Americans do not understand Arabic naming conventions. What the NPR source should have said was "We make a big deal out of him because of his father."

Either way, the little fucker supported his father so pin a medal on the glorious bastard that shot the HELLFIRE!

Cheers! M2

[Vulture]

Congrats Smokin! LOL

[Smokin]

Congrats Smokin! LOL

Badass! That's really funny.

Does that mean I get a DFC? Or maybe just a DPC (Distinguished Posting Cross)