Bin Laden was found at luxury Pakistan compound

U.S. forces finally found al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden not in a mountain cave on Afghanistan's border, but with his youngest wife in a million-dollar compound in a summer resort just over an hour's drive from Pakistan's capital, U.S. officials said.

A small U.S. team conducted a night-time helicopter raid on the compound early on Monday. After 40 minutes of fighting, bin Laden and an adult son, one unidentified woman and two men were dead, the officials said.

U.S. forces were led to the fortress-like three-story building after more than four years tracking one of bin Laden's most trusted couriers, whom U.S. officials said was identified by men captured after the September 11, 2001 attacks.

"Detainees also identified this man as one of the few al Qaeda couriers trusted by bin Laden. They indicated he might be living with or protected by bin Laden," a senior administration official said in a briefing for reporters.

Bin Laden was finally found -- more than 9-1/2 years after the 2001 attacks on the United States -- after authorities discovered in August 2010 that the courier lived with his brother and their families in an unusual and extremely high-security building, officials said.

They said the courier and his brother were among those killed in the raid.

"When we saw the compound where the brothers lived, we were shocked by what we saw: an extraordinarily unique compound," a senior administration official said.

"The bottom line of our collection and our analysis was that we had high confidence that the compound harbored a high-value terrorist target. The experts who worked this issue for years assessed that there was a strong probability that the terrorist who was hiding there was Osama bin Laden," another administration official said.

The home is in Abbottabad, a town about 35 miles north of Islamabad, that is relatively affluent and home to many retired members of Pakistan's military.

It was a far cry from the popular notion of bin Laden hiding in some mountain cave on the rugged and inaccessible Afghan-Pakistan border -- an image often evoked by officials up to and including former President George W. Bush.

The building, about eight times the size of other nearby houses, sat on a large plot of land that was relatively secluded when it was built in 2005. When it was constructed, it was on the outskirts of Abbottabad's center, at the end of a dirt road, but some other homes have been built nearby in the six years since it went up, officials said.

Intense security measures included 12- to 18-foot outer walls topped with barbed wire and internal walls that sectioned off different parts of the compound, officials said. Two security gates restricted access, and residents burned their trash, rather than leaving it for collection as did their neighbors, officials said.

Few windows of the three-story home faced the outside of the compound, and a terrace had a seven-foot (2.1 meter) privacy wall, officials said.

"It is also noteworthy that the property is valued at approximately $1 million but has no telephone or Internet service connected to it," an administration official said. "The brothers had no explainable source of wealth."

U.S. analysts realized that a third family lived there in addition to the two brothers, and the age and makeup of the third family matched those of the relatives -- including his youngest wife -- they believed would be living with bin Laden.

"Everything we saw, the extremely elaborate operational security, the brothers' background and their behavior and the location of the compound itself was perfectly consistent with what our experts expected bin Laden's hide-out to look like," another Obama administration official said.

Abbottabad is a popular summer resort, located in a valley surrounded by green hills near Pakistani Kashmir. Islamist militants, particularly those fighting in Indian-controlled Kashmir, used to have training camps near the town.

Osama bin Laden Killed: 'Justice Is Done,' President Says....

Osama bin Laden, hunted as the mastermind behind the worst terrorist attack on U.S. soil, has been killed, President Obama announced tonight.

The president called the killing of bin Laden the "most significant achievement to date" in the effort to defeat al Qaeda.

"Justice has been done," Obama said.

Bin Laden was located at a compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan, which was monitored and when the time was determined to be right, the president said, he authorized a "targeted operation."

Shabba takes aim at Kartel?

Veteran deejay Shabba Ranks has spoken. The release of his latest song, None of Dem, many speculate is taking lyrical aim at deejay Vybz Kartel.

A late addition to Stephen McGregor's February released 'Pepper' rhythm, Shabba's None A Dem was released last week. Since then the song has got over 10,000 views on youtube.com and has sparked numerous debates on who the veteran deejay is making reference to in his sharply worded song. According to numerous persons on the Internet, the song is making reference to Kartel's Dancehall Hero which was released at the end of last year.

On youtube.com persons have been debating. One person commented, "Some bwoy pass dem place and Shabba just remind dem who a di real dancehall hero." While another said, "Kartel need fi hol' a seat."

In Dancehall Hero, Kartel boldly refers to himself as the hero of the dancehall who everyone imitates. In the song, he explains that it is because of him persons have done combination songs, money songs and 'freaky' song. He deejays: "every style weh me mek dem want one, me a di dancehall Pele, di Jordan, di tall man, di smart one, di last don/everything we do dem follow."

veterans

In None A Dem, Shabba takes aim at persons in the dancehall who have not respected the veterans who have inspired and motivated them. He explains that he has been in the business for 30 years and is still here. In the song he deejays, "How can you not rate who come before yuh/yuh a gwaan like a yuh come bout yah, come mek music big."

He also deejays, "None of dem nuh bad like Shabba Ranking/none of dem nuh tough like di Ranking/stop dat one deh and ask him/ if him nuh imitate di great Shabba Ranking/unnu can stop dat fool deh and ask him/if him nuh imitate di great Shabba Ranking/cause dem a brag and boast/and is a shame/an dem nuh add up to wha dem proclaim/wid dem likkle house, dem likkle car, dem likkle, chain dem likkle name."

Shabba was one of the most popular dancehall artistes of his generation. He was also one of the first Jamaican deejays to gain worldwide acceptance, and recognition for his 'slack' lyrics.

Since the 90s, however, Shabba has been seen less frequent on the dancehall scenes, not appearing on local shows, and hasn't been heard on a new single for a while. None of Dem is the deejay's first new single for 2011.

Kartel, has noted Shabba as one of his inspirations, having made his own remake of Twice My Age with his then protégé Gaza Kim, as well as Gaza Ting A Ling a remake of Shabba's Ting A Ling.

In a broadcast message sent on Wednesday night, Kartel addressed persons who have been saying that None of Dem was aimed at him. The broadcast read, "Stop pinging me about Shabba's song. Whether or not he is in fact talking about me, I couldn't care less. Because I'm not focused on any artiste but Popskull, Popcaan and myself."

Drunk Kids At School??!!

Administrators and teachers in at least two schools are extremely concerned about a trend where students are sneaking liquor on to the compound and are sometimes even drunk in classes.
Information reaching THE WEEKEND STAR is that the students are hiding the alcohol in extraordinary ways such as in energy drinks bottles.
Reports surfacing have also indicated that the students, mainly males, even put alcohol in female students' beverages without their knowledge.
It is reported that the students sometimes behave in lewd activities after drinking and become a living nightmare for some informed teachers.
" I was at an event at the school one time when I saw a group of students between grades seven to nine with some of those energy drink bottles and when checks were made, it was raw rum in the bottles. Sometimes these kids are totally drunk and it's not that these things are not reported, they are just not followed up. Sometimes these students purchase the alcohol and sometimes they steal it from home," a teacher said.
According to another source who requested anonymity, "the teachers are concerned, the parents are concerned and this is a matter that needs to be looked into carefully. Sometimes the teachers cannot talk to these male students because they are drunk and something simple like a fight between two students is triggered and the teacher doesn't even know what starts the fight because these students are tipsy."
When contacted, the principal from one of the high schools where the practice is taking place said that she is not aware of the practice. "I am not swearing for any of the students. However, we do searches, we might not be able to search everybody but we search for weapons, alcohol and our guards are very vigilant."

more alert
The principal further added, "there is no manifestation of students being drunk at school. Our students mainly purchase box juices, they don't really purchase plastic drinks but we will ensure we are more alert."
However, a member of the school community told us yesterday "... a lot of the male students that go to that school are gangsters. I personally notice that they are consuming and buying alcohol and they even buy weed too, not to mention how they dress. These nowadays kids dress like a dance dem ago and di girls dem go a school fi look man."
In the meantime, when THE WEEKEND STAR contacted the Ministry of Education's public relations officer, Colin Blair, he also said: "we are not aware of these practices, however, we will be investigating the issue depending on what the investigation find."
Contact was also made with president of the Jamaica Association of Guidance Counsellors of Education, Dr Grace Kelly, who told us, " I have not got any report that this is happening. I am aware of unscrupulous persons trying to feed students substances such as drugs; but I am appealing to these persons to stop abusing our children and give them a chance to enjoy their lives."
Kelly further stated that if, however, these students are using drug and alcohol, they should desist from doing so because this can affect their development. 


Now these kids that some aren't even 15years old as yet are going to school drunk!!! Do they really think that them drinking at such a young age and getting drunk is a good thing...Dem lucky seh dem nuh ave all my mada as a parent when shi dun wid dem, dem woulda neva want fi drink agen.....