The burial has to be fast because by Islamic laws, the dead needs to be buried within 24 hours of dying. Had the US failed to do that, extremists groups would use that as yet another issue to stir up and incite anti-US sentiments.
The sea-burial make sense from the US' point of view as well, as they do not want to see the burial site / grave get turned into a shrine or place of memorial for the jihadists. However, it is uncommon for Muslims to have sea burial, as it is typically reserved for those who died on the seas where circumstances prevent the body from being safely transported back on land. Again, the US is already drawing fire for it.
Not matter how the corpse is handled, extremists groups are going to pick a bone. The best the US can do is to control and manage the situation so that the minimal amount of noise will result.
-Lik |