General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: Should the US have tried to capture and interrogate Bin Laden? [View all]RZM
(8,556 posts)Think this through for a minute.
The raid as it happened was a close-run thing. Turning it into a capture mission would have introduced too many dangerous variables.
1) If successful, it draws out the Bin Laden story for years and creates sympathy for him.
2) It places the lives of military personnel at risk. While the compound wasn't rigged to blow, it certainly could have been.
3) A protracted siege/standoff creates thorny problems with Pakistan. They were angry enough that the raid happened at all. What if it were a 12-hour standoff with an armed Bin Laden holed up in his room and the Seals trying to coax him out. What happens when the Pakistani army and police show up?
4) You could easily end up with the same outcome anyway if Bin Laden is determined not to be taken alive (he didn't strike me as somebody who was willing to be captured).
A kill mission was easier, safer, and more politically expedient. It was the right call, IMO.
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