The fight continues

I just watched the movie "Zero Dark Thirty", a film about the events and situations that culminated in the raid that killed the highly sought after terrorist, Osama Bin Laden. From the 9/11 World Trade Center attacks in New York City, to Abbottabad, Pakistan where he was found and executed with extreme prejudice, a span of ten years. What makes the film controversial is how Central Intelligence Agency operational procedures were shown, and how people were tracked, followed and yes even the so-called "enhanced interrogation techniques" or what everyone would call torture, were done in order to extract information that would lead to Bin Laden.

 I don't expect terrorists will be using their cellphones a lot after seeing this! In a surprising move, the director of the CIA has issued a statement on the film, and some of the aspects it labels "artistic license" and even fiction, such as the said torture scenes and the focus on one particular individual as being behind the successful hunt for Bin Laden. And while it confirms that they indeed worked with the makers of the film, it is not by any means a documentary. In other words, the film is not entirely accurate.

This only makes the film more appealing, with word that an actual member of the SEAL Team that participated in the raid gave his input, something that did not sit well with the Pentagon!

Not surprisingly, critics from the Muslim world have condemned the film, calling it a lie, meant to glorify those behind the "murder" of Bin Laden. So what else is new, right? Whatever and however you treat the film, it is informative as well as entertaining, best taken with a little salt. What is fact, is that Bin Laden was indeed found and executed.

 The film was careful not to show a full frontal view of Bin Laden's face when he was already killed. I wondered about that. Were they thinking of the sensitivities of showing his face? But isn't it expected that this film will be trashed by Muslims anyway?

After May 1, 2011, the world, at least most of it, celebrated the death of the most wanted man on the planet. The world also braced itself for possible repercussions because of his death. But for some reason, it was all quiet. Until the killing of the US ambassador to Libya, and the hostage crisis in the Sahara desert of Algeria.

 The Algerian hostage crisis hit home since Filipino workers are employed at the plant that was stormed by the Islamists last Wednesday. Those who managed to escape and were freed have told harrowing stories as to how they were used as human shields, with detonation cords wrapped around their bodies! The crisis has now ended, but in a bloodbath, as Algerian security forces, true to their policy of not negotiating with terrorists in any way, stormed the complex.

The Islamists were killed, but not before they took seven more hostages with them. It is still unclear whether Filipinos were among those killed during the raid. Once again, terrorism has raised its vile head, even with Bin Laden gone!

It is an ongoing battle. The world has not seen the demise of Al Qaeda, not by a long shot. It continues to be vigilant, since terrorists do not fight fair, and always target the innocent. I can see more of those "enhanced interrogation techniques" coming into play soon, as the fight continues, until the world is rid of these Islamists for good!