Letters react to the violent death of bin Laden

Readers consider the new bus system in the capital, correct point on the 2008 Mumbai attacks and Israel's policies towards Palestinians.

Readers are split on what actually happened at Osama bin Laden's compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan, and on whether the United States' account can really be trusted. Anjum Naveed / AP

The US president Barack Obama has done well to launch his re-election campaign by staging the Osama bin Laden drama.

Consider that no dialysis equipment was found. The CIA itself confirmed as far back as 2004 that bin Laden had a serious kidney problem.

Drone attacks have continued over the years with impunity and extraordinary precision. Yet it took almost a year before there was an attack with equal clinical precision in this case.

A drone attack would have been less risky and leave a clear and readily identifiable dead Osama bin Laden to show to the world and independent media. (But heroics and deceit are crucial in a re-election year.)

As an ally, the US had all the responsibility and wherewithal for technical intelligence ( satellite surveillance, etc) while Pakistan had the capacity for only human intelligence. The former president of Pakistan, Pervez Musharraf, emphatically underscored this point in his reaction.

It is spiteful to try and accuse Pakistan of any intelligence failure when dozens of high value al Qa'eda targets have been tracked down and handed over by Pakistani forces in the past.

How about the American intelligence failure for the September 11 attack itself?

Iraq's fictitious WMDs and Mr Obama personally claiming diplomatic immunity for Raymond Davies are some of the more recent lies that have been conclusively exposed.

Let's get real for a change.

M Hamza, Dubai

Thank you for romanticising how the Arab Spring should be credited for Osama bin Laden's demise as well as pages loaded with conspiracy theories in The National. Not a word mentioned about how the US will pursue individuals for killing Americans.

For example, Muhammad Zaydan killed Leon Klinghoffer in 1985 aboard the Achille Lauro passenger ship and was captured by US special forces in 2003 in Baghdad.

The US's tenacity and perseverance are truly virtues. You may want to wait a few years before crediting the Arab Spring with the same perseverance when it comes to Arabs' own liberation.

Nicholas York, Abu Dhabi

This is in reference to Rym Ghazal's opinion article The world (and I) need some proof of bin Laden's death (May 5).

Amusing and amazing is the fact that the US military kills the man on the top of the most wanted list and they bury him so quickly.The question is what were they thinking?It is frustrating to think that once again we are being misled by America in the name of its so-called supremacy and arrogance.

It is a big question why did they not bother with a proper burial for the man whom I guess all the world would have wanted to see.

Why is the death so hush hush? Apart from only a few who have raised this question, none of the prestigious news agencies are asking it. There was no reason for his corpse not to have been shown.

Zahra Khan, Dubai

Suggestion for Abu Dhabi buses

The Abu Dhabi bus system is becoming more popular among commuters each day and each route that is added. This can be seen and experienced by the heavy rush for buses during morning and evening hours. Commuters find the buses extremely useful and economical.

However, when there is a large crowd, the front to middle of the bus is full of lady passengers. This makes entry for male passengers inconvenient as they have to go through the main door, drop their coins in the box next to the driver and then go through the door at the middle.

Could the Abu Dhabi bus authorities come out with a convenient system for passengers to drop their coins at a suitable place near the middle door?

It would make the Abu Dhabi buses more passenger friendly.

Ramesh Menon, Abu Dhabi

Wrong year for Mumbai attack

In Mosharraf Zaidi's opinion article Bin Laden episode the true test of US-Pakistan ties (May 4), he states: "Indians have used the terror argument ... especially since Pakistani terrorists attacked Mumbai on November 26, 2011."

The year was 2008.

Grace Bernardo, Dubai

The root cause of frustration

Jonathan Cook's opinion article Egypt as kingmaker shifts the power and rattles Israel (May 5) addressed the issue of Israeli fears about the changing Egyptian policy toward Hamas and Iran.

You don't need to be a wizard if you want to find the root cause of the problems facing the world today. People across the Muslim world feel angered and frustrated by the policies of the West towards their nations.

Unfortunately while this apathy and indifference continues, groups like Al Qa'eda shall continue to breed and thrive.

Amjad Shah, Dubai