The killing of Osama bin Laden by U.S. forces in Pakistan closes a painful chapter in U.S. history, one punctuated by the heinous acts of terrorism he engineered on Sept. 11, 2001.
The historical narrative that began that day, however, continues to unfold.
The closure offered by the death of this twisted man is limited. Most experts believe his involvement in al-Qaida activities had become minimal at best. Developments sparked by the Sept. 11 attacks, though, will keep challenging America in a variety of ways.
Like the airliner attacks that killed nearly 3,000 people at the World Trade Center, at the Pentagon and in a Pennsylvania field, the war in Afghanistan is nearing its 10th anniversary. A draw-down of troops is scheduled to begin in July, but it’s expected to take years. Meanwhile, U.S. service men and women will continue to fight and die for a mission whose ultimate goals seem less clear today than in 2001.
The fact that bin Laden had been living inside a compound in a Pakistani city highlights one of that mission’s complications. As U.S. forces fight insurgents in Afghanistan, a deeper danger regarding the future of terrorism may reside in Pakistan, a nuclear-armed ally whose relationship with the U.S. seems to be deteriorating.
The post-9/11 narrative continues to be written within our shores, too. Constitutional questions remain regarding “enemy combatants” still held without trial at Guantanamo Bay. How much privacy Americans are willing to trade for increased safety — or merely the perception of it — remains an open issue, one that’s likely to surface again as the nation goes on alert for possible terrorist reprisals after bin Laden’s death.
Muslim Americans continue to draw the unfounded suspicion of some fellow citizens, a sad reality that must be confronted, chiefly through education and discussion. The more Americans of all backgrounds and faiths make an effort to get to know each other, the more they’ll realize and appreciate the core values we all share.
The killing of Osama bin Laden doesn’t lessen any of these challenges. Nor does it likely reduce terrorism’s threat, at least in the short-term.
It is more than mere symbolism, though. It marks a key achievement for U.S. intelligence, which showed extraordinary doggedness and skill in hunting down bin Laden. The operation that took him out, with no American casualties, is a tribute to the training and courage of elite U.S. military forces.
It is, to be sure, a welcome development. Celebration is appropriate. So, too, is reflection — on our nation’s continuing response to the horrific events of nearly a decade ago.
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