2011-05-07, 12:41 PM
The "stated" reason for burial at sea is that it is a traditional way that they bury their dead. The real reason is, if they didn't, Al Qaeda could create a shrine on his gravesite and make him into some sort of martyr.
The reason it wasn't a "capture him alive" mission was because that would put free world citizens EVERYWHERE in an incredible amount of danger. If we captured him alive, the terrorists would have a ton of leverage, saying they would bomb this or that if we didn't release him then use it as public justification if we did not, or they could capture innocent citizens and say they will kill them if he is not returned to them, any number of things.
The reason it wasn't a "capture him alive" mission was because that would put free world citizens EVERYWHERE in an incredible amount of danger. If we captured him alive, the terrorists would have a ton of leverage, saying they would bomb this or that if we didn't release him then use it as public justification if we did not, or they could capture innocent citizens and say they will kill them if he is not returned to them, any number of things.