U.S. Kills Leader of ISIS in Libya

[jpak]

Source: Daily Beast

A day after reportedly killing "Jihadi John" in Syria, the Pentagon announced it killed the top ISIS operative in Libya, Wisam al Zubaidi.

The Pentagon announced Saturday a U.S. airstrike killed the leader of ISIS in Libya Abu Nabil, aka Wissam Najm Abd Zayd al Zubaydi.

The announcement confirms The Daily Beast's original report that the U.S. targeted a senior member of the group on Friday, according to two senior U.S. administration officials.

The strike, which was carried out by F-15 aircraft, marks the first time the U.S. has directly gone after ISIS outside of Iraq or Syria.

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Read more: http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2015/11/14/exclusive-u-s-targets-isis-in-libya-airstrike.html

[FLPanhandle]

1. Some good news

Everytime an ISIS person is killed, the world is a little better place.

[niyad]

2. umm, how many al-qaeda #2's did we kill? why do I have such a sense of deja vu?

[PeoViejo]

11. This must have really frustrated the Romans

being that their enemies didn't believe much in rank and when they had enough booty, they went home.

We can see the similar NYPD reaction to Occupy, where there were no leaders to go after.

[Imajika]

14. Ha, it was the #3's that really took it on the chin...

..I've lost count of how many of those guys we supposedly killed.

[Recursion]

23. "#3" was shorthand for the operations chief at the time

And, yes, the US military did kill a lot of AQ operations chiefs (which makes sense since part of that job description is actually being in-theater, unlike OBL and Zawahiri). I'm not sure why people found this particular aspect so difficult to grasp: it's the highest level operational position in Al Qaeda, so obviously it's going to be exposed to a lot more danger than the President and CEO positions (OBL and Zawahiri respectively), so they're going to lose a lot of them over time.

[Jesus Malverde]

18. Yep....nt

[goldent]

19. Every time you kill a #2 or a #3, isn't there automatically a new one?

[Recursion]

24. None. "#2" was Zawahiri until OBL died.

Now there essentially isn't a "#2" in the sense of an executive officer; as far as I've seen Zawahiri functions as his own XO.

[CJCRANE]

3. We are satisfied with such thin gruel.

A leader killed here and there grabs a headline and a few cheers.

But terrorist convoys, headquarters, training camps and funding sources are left intact so the war can continue for another day, month, year, decade.

[PeoViejo]

12. We wouldn't dare attack Saudi Arabia.

[daleo]

4. This, plus Jihadi John

Was Paris a response? I suspect many people will find the idea objectionable to even ponder, but that's how wars of attrition and retribution tend to go.

[FLPanhandle]

5. The Paris attacks had to of been planned and coordinated for months

This wasn't a 24 hr response thing.

[geek tragedy]

6. Because it's not possible to be true.

This was planned with specifies months before Emwazi got what he had coming to him.

[goldent]

20. I don't think ISIS needs any particular excuse to kill people.

[frylock]

7. *yawn*

[ctsnowman]

22. Exactly!

[CJCRANE]

8. Reminds me of how we fought Al Qaeda in Iraq

after we invaded and created the conditions for them to grow.

[jamzrockz]

9. we break someone's leg

and then buy them a bandage, how nice of the US govt, what good deeds would they done next?. The Libyan people must be overjoyed by this good news.

[elias49]

10. Oh yeah. Wissam

-been nothing but trouble for years.

[tabasco]

13. Sounds like they're starting to get some good intelligence.

I expect a self-destructive, paranoid purge by ISIS soon.

[GliderGuider]

15. We still don't get it.

Killing them doesn't help, it just makes the determination to resist and strike back stronger. Killing them makes us feel good about ourselves for a moment or two, but it's so inherently counter-productive that it makes me want to scream.

[StoneCarver]

21. Amen

GliderGuider,
you are correct. It a sum game lost. We just don't understand it. How do you reach people (a whole people) and help them understand -every person wants to be -respected , valued and heard. This includes women, minorities (as white people know them), gay people, etc. etc. These terrorists are "politically" frustrated people. How do we help them be heard and put down their weapons? Much like Danial Ortega did in Niagara. We can't kill our way out of this. Our youth, and their tolerance will lead the way out.
Stonecarver

[Truprogressive85]

16. Amazing

So ISIS is now in Libya ?? Was Isis there when Qaddafi was in power

Like an octopus you cut a tentacle its just grows back

[flamingdem]

25. Good because it's going to be like this

Weaken them little by little, leader after leader. Not everyone is cut out to lead and eventually it will all be indians who will want out.