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Osama bin Laden in 1998. |
Al Qaeda emir Osama bin Laden confirmed killed by US forces in Pakistan
[Updated 01:24 AM Eastern]
US officials have confirmed that Osama bin Laden, al Qaeda’s top leader, was killed during an early morning raid by US forces in Pakistan today.
President Barack Obama said Osama bin Laden was killed by “a small team of Americans” during a raid on a fortified mansion in Abbottabad, Pakistan. “After a firefight, they killed Osama bin Laden and took custody of his body,” Obama said. Bin Laden’s body was take to Afghanistan, and was later buried at sea. No US personnel were killed during the operation.
According to CNN, “senior US officials” have stated that the operation was conducted by US Navy SEALs inserted by multiple helicopters, one of which crashed due to mechanical failure. The Associated Press reported that four US helicopters took off from an airbase in northwestern Pakistan, and one took fire during the operation. That helicopter was later destroyed by US troops. ABC News reported that an estimated 20 to 25 SEALs backed by CIA personnel carried out the raid on the $1 million compound.
In addition to bin Laden, four other people, including one of bin Laden’s sons and two couriers, were also reported killed in the firefight. A woman was also killed during the raid.
Foreign governments, including Pakistan, were sidelined, according to The Washington Post. A US intelligence official with knowledge of the raid told The Long War Journal that Pakistan, specifically its Inter-Services Intelligence agency, “could not be trusted” with operational details of the raid.
The US zeroed in on bin Laden’s location after receiving intelligence in August 2010 that he was “hiding in a compound deep inside Pakistan,” Obama said. US intelligence was “staring at the compound for months trying to figure out for sure whether we had enough to go with,” a US Intelligence official told The Washington Post.
A key link to bin Laden was a courier who was a protege of Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, the mastermind of al Qaeda’s attacks on the US on Sept. 11, 2001. The courier, who was not named, was identified four years ago and tracked back to Pakistan two years ago, according to The Washington Post.
The site of bin Laden’s death is far from Pakistan’s tribal areas, where most analysts have speculated he was hiding. Abbottabad, a settled district in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province, is located 30 miles north of Islamabad, the capital of Pakistan, and about 125 miles east of the Afghan border. The city of Abbottabad, where bin Laden was killed, has more than 100,000 residents and hosts a Pakistani Army division headquarters and a military academy, a hospital, and an airport.
Bin Laden’s death is a major blow to al Qaeda. In addition to serving as the terror group’s spiritual leader, he played an active role in al Qaeda’s operations as well as in its fundraising. Bin Laden was revered not only by al Qaeda’s core cadre, but by jihadist groups worldwide.
It is unclear who will take over control of al Qaeda. Ayman al Zawahiri, bin Laden’s deputy, has been the public face of al Qaeda for the past several years. Osama’s son Sa’ad is also considered to be a possible successor as the emir of al Qaeda; however, it is not yet known if he was killed along with his father in the raid on the compound.
134 Comments
Checkmate! 🙂
OH WOW BILL.
I COULD SAY “OH WOW BILL” 1000 TIMES.
GOD BLESS THE MEN WHO TOOK PART IN THIS OPERATION!!!
Bill
The Champagne is open and flowing! I only hope that someday before I die I get a chance to buy the guys in delta as many beers as they can consume!!!!
doug
You guys hear if this was NSWDG or CAG?
Wonderful news, probably doesn’t change too much but still good great news!
I’ve been waiting almost 10 years for this day
He was living in a mansion just outside the Islamabad, I always knew that he is not on the border but deep inside pakistan under their protection. Can anyone believe that ISI doesn’t knew who is living next door.
HAPPINESS! Though the job is not done. Congrats to all involved.
Finally.
I await the details of his capture with great anticipation. Especially his location in/near Abbottabad. Private compound? Military base? Etc.
Bill
Now they are saying it was the SEALs… Big party in Coronado tonight!!!!
doug
Thank god ……
YES!
Great news. Let’s hope millions of middle easterners sitting on the fence will choose the right side now.
A negative chapter in history closes.
Bill,
A historic event has finally taken place. A testament to our will and desire to accomplish what we set out to do almost 10 yrs ago.
God bless America….My Home Sweet Home!!
YES!!!!!
Bill, Do you think its somewhat Ironic that we killed him a day after the Taliban announced their spring offensive named after the battle which claims the Prophet Mohammed won with the divine intervention of Allah? I think this is somewhat creepy regarding the two events in the past few days. Your thoughts.
So, was this a raid on a senior al-Qaeda target that got lucky? Not that I was aware that cross border assaults by troops were happening.
Under the statue of George Washington, the entire Corps of Cadets at West Point sang The Star Spangled Banner as one. We were reminded that this war, which started before most of us were freshmen in high school is far from over, but on this night, we can celebrate and honor the sacrifice of the armed forces, CIA, FDNY, NYPD and our allied partners. It is good to know that the last thing UBL saw was an American rifle in his face.
Game. Set. Match.
A toast to SEAL Team 6 on this momentous occasion.
YES!
Great news and congratulations to all the men and women who made this possible.
I only wish that this had happened when GWB was still president. I would have loved to have seen him have the opportunity to announce this.
Also, would have loved to have seen OBL in an orange jump suit but Dead is better than living well in a mansion.
Special thanks should go out to not only the JSOC and CIA guys but also VADM LeFever and the ODR-P Team for building personal friendships with the ISI Leadership; Gen Pasha, Gen Kayani and the Pak Army General Staff. I’d love to read the IBAD COB’s aardwolf on this one ! GOD BLESS USA !
I hope Osama now realizes those 72 virgins all have 4 legs and a tail
Well someone is a lot richer, but it is strange that the ISI let it happen!!!
About time….but theres conspiracy theories going around that this is just some big political move and that either he aint dead or been dead and they just now showing the body to stage a victory
I wonder what public opinion in Pakistan will be in the aftermath. Makes one wonder whether folks in the Pakistani government were aware of Bin Ladens presence.
Great job, NAVY SEALS! Thank you!
ALL ROADS LEAD TO ISLAMABAD!
TAKE IT!!!
I think that have the end of begain.
Yes we can!
Let me be the first to say……Amen! Congrats to the Navy Seals and ALL the brave US Forces who have served since 2001 in yearning for this day. And to all those who are apprehensive in fear because of possible retribution…..if this enemy knows what’s best for them they’ll fold up their tents and go home. The USA has NEVER lost a fight yet. So glad he got in the head. Only wish I could have been the one to do it.
A high profile Pakistan Military Academy is located
in Abbottabad. A Pakistani military helicopter reportedly crashed there tonight.
Fantastic news, let’s hope the rest of the filth follow a.s.a.p. Well done.
Bill
Sure sounds like the Pakistanis custom built that place for him.
doug
Well someone is a lot richer, but it seems strange the ISI let it happen!!!
Fantastic! Thank you everyone who sacrificed over the years for this day to finally arrive.
As for pakistan and the execrable ISI… what humiliation.
Well done US Forces and well done Bill Roggio, This really is a Long War, Bill and you are one of the few who has faithfully documented it through thick and thin from the frustating days of search and destroy in Anbar Province to this significant way point in a war that now enters the ‘post bin Laden phase’ – however long that may last. When I saw a Skype IM from a friend I went to the LWJ, not CNN, because I knew you were the most reliable source for this kind of news on the internet. If skepticism was requirted you would exercise it. If something makes no operational sense you are the most likely to catch it. Thanks again for the years of good work, Bill.
He was living in a 3 storey building which is the biggest in that area and surrounded by 18 feet wall. This building is located just 3 KMs from Pakistan military Academy and so had to have GHQ sanction before it was built in 2005. Who was the lady who was killed along with 3 more.
Thanks to everyone involved in the mission.
great job of executing the mission…..would love to see any video of the raid….but unfortunately, the long war continues on.
Incredible Job!
But not AZ? Shame. He must be worried. But it’s interesting to know how we fond UBL without killing AZ at the same time as it seems that AZ (or perhaps his sons or wives) would be the only link to the outside world.
Aside from one of his sons who are the other three dead: two body guards? I suggested a while back he would have a very small entourage.
I wonder how much the Pakistani’s new before we arrived?
I wonder how much we talked to them in the last week about out seriousness about this issue.
I wonder how we found him (our own CIA agent network on the ground?)? Is that why ISI wanted us out?
Does AZ already know UBL was dead? The week delay perhaps was to confirm and exploit intel gathered at the attack site. Any useful SIGINT before or after the announcement?
The NY Times reports the location as Abbottabad in KP on the far eastern edge of the FATA. Very close to Islamabad.
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/02/world/asia/osama-bin-laden-is-killed.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abbottabad
Nice place to stay. Only 50km from Islamabad. Lots of government and military around … even more questions.
Time to put the thumbscrews on the Pakistanis for their “complete” cooperation.
The haul of material and documents from the mansion is still being sorted through, and looks like the mother-lode. The outfall of actionable intel on the shura majlis and the four military shuras is going to be devastating. The killing spree is soon to begin. Keep your grins, everyone. NOW ITS A PARTY!
Awesome news. I’m glad it was SEALS and not a drone strike. I wonder if Osama looked into the eyes of the guy who killed him or he went down at a distance. I’d like to think he was soiling his robes when the brave troops blasted through the doorway. A reckoning indeed.
Could not access the LWJ for some time. The traffic must be through the roof….
I am just thinking about the SEAL who took the head-shot… What would he be feeling now. How many widows, widowers and orphans has he avenged?
Also Bill(s), could you confirm the rumor that OBL was an instructor at PMA Kankul?
For those who are not aware, PMA Kankul is the West Point of Pakistan and OBL’s safe-house was about 5 minutes drive away.
IIRC, even KSM was “found” a few minutes away from GHQ. The ISI keeps the big frys close to its chest for sure.
Pakistan has been double crossing america for years and taking billions in aid from us also for their “cooperation” in the war on these bloodthirsty savages.
I personally feel that OBL kill was a symbolic victory against Islamic fanatics but will hold the champagne for now. There is a third front of these savages among us in the US itself with Mosques and islamic centers springing up all around.
GET KAYANI NEXT!
AND THE WAR’S OVER….
A is not just any old place: the raid location is said to be very close to THE Pakistan Military Academ in Kakul 5 km northeast of Abbottabad city. That’s Pakistan’s West Point or Sandhurst (not as I first though something like VMI or similar school).
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pakistan_Military_Academy
(And I take back that mention of FATA this is KP not the FATA).
ABC has some details
http://abcnews.go.com/Blotter/osama-bin-laden-killed-navy-seals-firefight/story?id=13505792
Other sources say 2 of UBLs wives, four children and four aides were captured by the US.
How much do the Pakistani’s know?
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/may/02/osama-bin-laden-dead-obama
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/may/02/barack-obama-statement-bin-laden
Making clear there were no Pakistanis in the raid.
So some CT help from Pakistan. Perhaps that’s IB rather than ISI? I presume that call was during/after the attack?
If you are trying to figure out the location of the raid take a look at Google Maps satellite view and look for a large (isolated?) compound from ABC report
Osama Bin Laden gets to the afterlife. There he is greeted by 71 moon-shinin’ confederate flag-waving dunces all named Virgil.
“Say Osama you got a purrty mouth.”
According to some reports, the Bin Laden compound was just 100 yards from the Pakistan Military Academy.
Afshaq Kayani gave a speech on April 24, 2011 in the Attottabad Military Academy and said that ‘Pakistan has ‘broken back’ of militants’. Google ‘Pakistan has ‘broken back’ of militants: army chief’.
Reuters provided additional details on the raid:
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20110502/wl_nm/us_binladen_pakistan
[A Reuters photographer in the valley town of Abbotabad north of Islamabad said police had blocked the road leading to the area where the night-time raid at a huge compound took place.
“After midnight, a large number of commandos encircled the compound. Three helicopters were hovering overhead. All of a sudden there was firing toward the helicopters from the ground,” said Nasir Khan, a resident of the town.
“There was intense firing and then I saw one of the helicopters crash,” said Khan, who had watched the dramatic scene unfold from his rooftop.
Senior Pakistani security officials said the operation, carried out at around 1:30 a.m., involved both helicopters and ground troops.
A Pakistani military helicopter crashed near Abbotabad on Sunday night, killing one and wounding two, according to local media. It was unclear if the crash was related to bin Laden’s death, but witnesses reported gunshots and heavy firing before one of two low-flying helicopters crashed near the military academy.
Express 24/7 television showed an image of what it said was bin Laden shot in the head, his mouth pulled back in a grimace.]
Delighted this evil terrorist is dead. Fantastic achievement by the US military and intel forces.
I do have a question: How were these 4 helicopters allowed to fly across from Afghanistan 120 km to Abbotabad? Some people in Pak authorities must have known about it. Perhaps the Intelligence Bureau – who are not the ISI.
The statements coming out of Pakistan gov over the next few days will be interesting.
This is a great victory for George Bush and his relentless efforts to track down and kill OSB.
Apparently, Gitmo detainees provided the key piece of intelligence needed to track bin Laden down:
“In September 2010, the CIA presented Obama with a set of assessments that indicated Bin Laden could be hiding in a compound in northwest Pakistan. Starting in mid-March, the president convened at least nine National Security Council meetings to discuss the intelligence suggesting Bin Laden may be hiding out virtually in plain sight.
The CIA developed their theory through leads from individuals in Bin Laden’s inner circle and other captured fighters following Sept. 11. Intelligence officials were repeatedly told about one courier working for Bin Laden, as someone that America’s Most Wanted Man deeply trusted.
The detainees provided U.S. officials the courier’s nickname, and identified him as prot
I speculated for 10 years that this roach specimen of a living organism “Usama Bin Laden” was hiding out in Pakistan.
I remember confirming my speculation as supporting evidence when CIA paramilitary and DoD SOF A-Teams in Tora Bora were quoted and interviewed saying they heard Usama’s voice on radio frequencies after the large scale operations indicated his status (ie alive).
He lived for years and now we got him.
He’s done for; A permanent unconscious state of blackness and void as his decaying vessel transforms into an insect housing. No matyrdom heaven or “72 virgins” for this rotten pig islamic nor for his intercourse-depraved goons.
If you’re reading this, have a glass of Jack Daniel’s and salute the dudes who put themselves in harm’s way to end some lives of nasty people
ebk187
USMC 2/7 2007-2011
YESSSS!!!!!!!
Hit the Submit rather than the preview button on that last post. Apologies for any incoherence.
The Guardian has some more details on the tracking of UBL: courier’s nom de guerre came up in interrogations they eventually linked it to a real name of the courier, found where he lived, that he had no income and the location looked like a stronghold.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/may/02/how-osama-bin-laden-found
I won’t quote the whole story but it’s clear this location was a custom-built hideaway. Which leads to interesting questions about when it was custom built.
One US chopper (MH-47E, perhaps?) was damaged (by ground fire?) and destroyed in place.
Back to the location of the raid. From news reports Bilal near Abbott?bad not far from the PMA (in Kakul) and a girl’s school.
The Bilal Mosque is on the Kalkul road to the SW of PMA. Across Kalkul Road to the north are a couple of large (multistory?) buildings in a large compound (the description mentioned before is “eight times larger” than surrounding buildings/plots) that back onto farmland on the N and E sides. They’re less than 1km from the N35 Karakorum Hwy (for a fast getaway if they got warning). And close (1km) to three girl’s schools (which is mentioned in the reports though there are others but not close to Bilal). Scanning around I see no other buildings that match the description for size (that aren’t part of something that looks like a military facility). There is a chance this is the location (any other ideas?). Three story high should throw a good shadow. If it’s not that one one of the others on the N side of that road with direct access to the road.
http://maps.google.com/maps?hl=en&client=firefox-a&ie=UTF8&q=Bilal++Abbottabad+pakistan&fb=1&gl=us&hq=Bilal&hnear=Abbott%C4%81bad,+Pakistan&cid=0,0,11512006025381633482&ll=34.176021,73.242159&spn=0.02251,0.032573&t=h&z=15
Lets hope the last words which Osama Bin Laden, heard, was that of a US servicemen uttering something along the lines of: ” Your terminated!”
Here is a portion of an article published by the AP:
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110502/ap_on_re_us/us_bin_laden_the_raid#mwpphu-container
“Nestled in an affluent neighborhood, the compound was surrounded by walls as high as 18 feet, topped with barbed wire. Two security gates guarded the only way in. A third-floor terrace was shielded by a seven-foot privacy wall. No phone lines or Internet cables ran to the property. The residents burned their garbage rather than put it out for collection. Intelligence officials believed the million-dollar compound was built five years ago to protect a major terrorist figure. The question was, who?”
It will be interesting how the ISI and the Pakistani government spins the public relations on this event.
I’m posting too much but … this isn’t the first time that a Abbottabad has been in the news recently
http://www.cbc.ca/news/world/story/2011/05/02/f-abbottabad.html
Small world, eh. What are the odds of that. UBL, UP and the PMA all in the same place?
And … the raid was tweeted/liveblogged!
http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-503543_162-20058794-503543.html
“Helicopter hovering above Abbottabad at 1AM (is a rare event). ”
https://twitter.com/ReallyVirtual/status/64780730286358528
and ending with “”Uh oh, now I’m the guy who liveblogged the Osama raid without knowing it. ”
https://twitter.com/ReallyVirtual/status/64892915167657984
His whole timeline is worth reading … he has a great sense of humor.
https://twitter.com/ReallyVirtual
ReallyVirtual’s location is Jalal Baba Auditorium, Abbottabad, Pakistan i.e. here:
Official: Bin Laden buried at sea
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5hKuNAChkdQ2L9WPCYDVQiN77ivkA?docId=8438621e67ee44308469f05a7c2972ef
Great work! CIA JSOC JTTF and all other military service men!
The Long war continues, but it’s a very nice victory against totalitarisme and terror. America Home of the Brave, I support you!
From France
1st SFOD-D or DEVGRU
Fantastic!
I salute all involved in the operation. Hopefully this will silence some defaitists. Cheers!
Is there any similar compound build in the last years in the area? Maybe we will find AZ there!
ISI safe house?
Why was the body buried at sea?
Pakistan Army and Iran Govt biggest enemy in WOT!
Well done USA from your cousins UK!
Get some Seals! I’ll be drinkin in your honour tonight.
My fear is that as there so far seems to be no pics of the body are the jihadists going to believe this? They will claim it is a lie.
There’s a missing tactical piece to this story.
AQ, the ISI, and the Pakistani military located OBL’s compound in order to protect him (and, presumably, on the part of the ISI and military, to control him).
The most obvious threat to OBL’s safety would have been a heliborne assault by US Special Forces. Which is what took place.
OBL’s organization and supporters aren’t stupid. Obviously they considered this threat and put in places the defenses that they thought were appropriate.
Those defenses proved to be ineffective. At least for a crucial 40-minute window.
What were they? A team with Strelas or Stingers on a nearby rooftop, 24/7? A few Bofors guns? An air defense shield run from the nearby Army base?
How did the US know what those defenses were? How were they neutralized?
Congratulations to Presidents Bush and Obama, the military, the intelligence/counterterrorism community and all those involved over the years in taking down Osama bin Laden! Plus, a big thank you to the Navy Seals! A historic day!
However the war continues…hopefully there are additional/follow-up operations, including Ayman al Zawahiri’s days being numbered…plus it looks like Pakistan has much to answer for.
Bill, could you please throw light on whether Pakistan had any co-operative part to play in this entire episode? I am sure not!
For the past 10 years people have been crying hoarse about OBL being inside Pakistan, right under the comfort of Pakistan Army ISI. Afghanistan is just a hell hole, a smokescreen, a bottomless pit to lure superpowers into and then pouring sand over the pit. So, every Jihadi terrorist worth his salt has been located ‘deep inside Pakistan’ under the protection of Pak Army ISI. The best solution is to balkanize Pakistan, make friends in Balochistan and Sindh, cut off Punjab from the sea, Afghanistan and China and then invade FATA and tribal areas to finish off this job once and for all. It will not be easy, but hey, we found our guy from among 200 million bearded men!
Congratulations to the US military and intelligence community. They finally stomped on the cockroach before he was able to scurry away yet again. I can only hope that OBL’s last act on this earth was to pee in his pants as he stared at the business end of an M4 held by a US Navy Seal.
OBL has been the skidmark on the world’s underwear for nearly 20 years. This is an historic event and the fact that there is a democratic wave sweeping the Arab World, this could be an opportunity for the beginning of the end game. Al Qaeda may no longer have the marketing and operational skills to hijack the democratic movement sweeping that region.
However, Pakistan is still a mess. For years, Pakistan claimed that OBL was not in Pakistan. For years we knew they were lying and the world (US, Europe, India, Asia) has sufferred the effects of terror groups that have been based in Pakistan. Pakistan has basically played on both sides of the fence all these years. I think we should press Pakistan to commit to joint operations with the US (or allow ISAF permission to go solo) in the western tribal areas in order to aggressively eliminate the main Taliban and Al Qaeda military units now. In addition, a few daisy cutters on the madrassas that provide foot soldiers, mind control and training to the global jihad would be ok too. Relentless pursuit and no quarter would be my strategy. Hit them hard now before they roll out their spring offensive and while they are bickering over their politics for a new command structure and moral is low. The time is ripe for a KO punch.
I blame Bush! Heh.
I doubt the ISI was a part of or was permissive of the operation.
Interesting times ahead in Pakistan.
Congratulations to VADM Raven and all at JSOC, at Langely, CONGRATULATIONS.
In all these years, every path, from the killing fields in Punjab in India in the early 80’s, to the blood soaked vales of Kashmir, to NYC during 9/11 to Mumbai during 26/11..every path has lead to Pakistan!! When will the free democratic world finaly stand up and brand this nation a terrorist as it deserves to be!!!
I just hope they buried the SOB with a pork sandwich in his pocket.
It was in Pak interest to keep OBL and Omar so they could get money from the West.
Blackmailing is a crime!
House was only built five years ago!
” Inter-Services Intelligence agency, “could not be trusted” ” SHOCKING. Now lets STOP all aid to Pakistan.
GOD BLESS THE SEALS!
PW
NYC
Congratulations to the teams who took him down. I’ve been wondering if the money that paid to build this compound came from some of the billions of dollars of aid the US has paid to Pakistan.
A look at Bin Laden before he became the world’s most wanted terrorist:
http://southasiaanalysis.org/%5Cpapers45%5Cpaper4462.html
Fantastic news! God bless the troops and the SEALS. The Long War will not wind down until we make Pakistan pay for its perfidy, having cost us more than a thousand troops.
Declaring them a State Sponsor of Terror and targeted bombings of their nuclear establishments is the only way to go.
Burying him a sea was a huge mistake though. All the
BILL,
i dont want to be a party pooper but i think its your moral obligation to tell the revelers few facts that i am sure ,with your connections , you have them by now…….in case you dont have them:
helicopters took off from Ghazi Tarbela ( no its not a place in afghanistan its only 20 nautical miles from Abbotabad )
it was pak helicopter that was brought down.
OBL was given to the americans on a silver platter,you can ask why?
The answer is to provide the americans a face saving exit…….Obama can now declare mission acomplished and say adios afghanistan.
the pakistanis kept a low profile to avoid a terrorist backlash and to provide the americans someego boost.
EVeryone seems to be forgetting the ISI chief’s visit to Panetta just weeks ago.
A secret deal over OBL perhaps?
any doubts that the Pakistani ISI were not compiant in protecting OBL have been blown away completely. For every family, Christain, Muslim and others alike that this human abhorance touched with his evil a little comfort that justice has been served.
This says 3 things about Pakistan and ISI: incompetence, complicity, or both.
Our guys could fly in there, take out OBL, and fly out and ISI was unaware of it all. Shorts around the ankles for those clowns.
Way to go special forces and President Obama. AZ is next!
The water boarding finally paid off.
For those of us who harbor a certain fully justified resentment against Pakistan for harboring Osama bin Laden, I have a partial solution: Boycott all goods made in Pakistan. Start with textiles. SOURCE:
https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/pk.html “Textiles account for most of Pakistan’s export earnings ”
Check the label of any textile that you purchase. If the textile has no permanent label attached to it, check the container or the manufacturer’s temporary label, the printed material that has the bar code. If the item or the packaging says “Made in Pakistan” then leave it on the shelf.
Hooooo-freakin’-aaaahhhh!
Can’t stop grinning like an idiot!!!
Let’s hope that Saad was killed, too!
Like somebody above said, this may finally be the end of the beginning. Symbolic in so many ways, now lets hope it alters the strategic dynamics!
Oh and F U ISI!!!!
Great news indeed! Congratulations and many thanks to our troops.
A good account of what’s known about the raid at this time — with links to sources — at Daily Kos.
How Osama Bin Laden was found and killed, by Magnifico. Timestamped May 02, 2011 at 03:47 AM PDT.
Was the air assault launched from the “Ghazi air base” in Tarbela? That seems to be a predominant speculation. I’m not sure of the identity or status of this facility, or what it might mean as far as “who knew what”.
hillbilly,
silver platter? that too given by paqistan? come on you’ve pawned your whole wretched country where would you find a silver platter?
anyway, regardless, paqistan has already crossed the point of no return. whether or not the US leaves, Pakistan as a state is simply untenable. you may not have noticed but like the proverbial frog you are being boiled till you perish. we will leave you with punjab nicely hemmed in and locked up.
i warned you a few days ago to climb atop your hill and watch the thunder. with the taliban out for you now, you may just want to climb back into your bunker since you’re too lily-livered to take them on.
My heart soars like and eagle.
This is the greatest victory in the entire history of the CIA.
This is the greatest special forces operation in the history of US special forces.
@Ranger
I fully agree! Leaves OBL looking like a loose-eyed asshole 😉
22 killed, seems like this was one hell of a firefight, surprised there were no US casualties.
Home Sweet Home – Goggle Earth
34
Yeah, problem with acting on ones resentment is that it creates more resentment in Pakistan, which leads them to do more stupid things. Should they get away scot free? No. But making their whole public suffer is grounds for this to become an even more vicious cycle than it already is.
Instead, perhaps we should support Balochistan.
Photograph of the downed/destroyed chopper in Abbotobad
PHOTO: Crashed helicopter in Bin Laden raid revealed
http://www.flightglobal.com/articles/2011/05/02/356142/photo-crashed-helicopter-in-bin-laden-raid-revealed.html
Looks like an Blackhawk MH-60 rather than a Chinook MH-47.
@ebk187
“If you’re reading this, have a glass of Jack Daniel’s and salute the dudes who put themselves in harm’s way to end some lives of nasty people”
No Jack here, but some Romanian tzuica to wash down the good news. Congrats to the real heroes, the men and women on the field and their supporting families.
I’ve been checking this site everyday for years waiting for the news of Bin Laden’s death. I’ll keep checking for news of Zawahiri. Seals – you rock!!!!
The compound was known by the neighbors as the “Waziristan Mansion” due to the supposed ownership and frequenting by Waziris.
Goodbye OBL and hello AAZ(ayman al-zawahiri)
@hillbilly: This was an all American op. The top sources are all saying the Pakistani’s didn’t know about it until it was underway.
Photo of the compound (low res and long range) is that orange security fence original or has it appeared in the last day?
http://yfrog.com/z/h7w4izmj
So where is this building?
It’s a still (or a snapshot) from this video of UBL’s compound in Abbottabad – after the incident
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NlWMsApBOws
@Shazad, Remember all the Pakistani Radars are American and they must have been jammed. US know where are the holes in Radar coverage and US birds fly all over Pakistan so a little detour is not a big issue also OBL has no electronic communication device so even if they know choppers were coming to get him there was no way he could have been informed. This was no moon night and US has Helos which can fly really low at tree level and don’t make much noise.
@hillbilly
I can understand your attempt to put a spin and save whatever H&D Pakistan Army/IS guys have left after getting caught pants down in protecting OBL. Anyone with an IQ of an squirrel will know that no one was informed until OBL was on a chopper en route Bagram airbase.
“I do believe that we have to change our policies with Pakistan. We can’t coddle, as we did, a dictator, give him billions of dollars and then he’s making peace treaties with the Taliban and militants.
“What I’ve said is we’re going to encourage democracy in Pakistan, expand our nonmilitary aid to Pakistan so that they have more of a stake in working with us, but insisting that they go after these militants. And if we have Osama bin Laden in our sights and the Pakistani government is unable or unwilling to take them out, then I think that we have to act and we will take them out. We will kill bin Laden; we will crush Al Qaeda. That has to be our biggest national security priority.”
– Presidential Candidate Barrack Obama, October 7, 2008 http://edition.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/10/07/presidential.debate.transcript/
I think Binny may have tipped off the US, by NOT at least having fake sat dishes and antennae around the compound. No doubt the Paki’s were hiding him. My question is why did they launch this from a Paki base? Did i read that right? Wat a great job SEALS.
Saw this at CNN:
“A soldier in a special forces unit based in Georgia told CNN on Monday that while the news of Osama bin Laden
This reeks of political machinations (particularly Obama’s need to say he’s done well in Afghanistan).
The Pakistanis are so complicite in this cover up.
All the rejoicing over this man
i wonder now if this is the end of it?
who will be replacing him and will the remaining AQs go on a rampage to avenge him?
is it over or is it over when all the AQs top people are wasted?
what about the talibs in Afg? they only hosted OBL are they now not a threat?
Thank you everyone involved in making it happen. I just wish I could have seen OBL face, oh wait he was hiding behind a woman.
@TLA: When they named Seal Team 6 there was no longer any chance of a false flag or cover up. They wouldn’t abide that stuff. Take off the tinfoil.
Why is this only place where I read info about 22 people killed, every other report says only 4 or 5 if you include that woman. Is there any more info about this? Seems unlikely 4 guys could put serious resistance against SEAL team and shoot down a heli. Theres gotta be more to this. Why is there no more information on other news portals?
@Steve Campbell: I couldn’t disagree with you more.
He’s lucky we didn’t put his head on a pike at ground zero.
@Steve Campbell: We did give UBL a proper Muslim funeral: he was washed; wrapped in a white sheet; prayers said (I’ve no doubt by a US Navy Muslim “chaplain”) and he was buried within 24 hours of death. Exactly what would be expected. I suspect a video tape of the funeral preparations and consignment to the sea exists and may get handed over to his family.
We’ve done this with our enemies before: remember the Glomar Explorer and the CIA’s attempted recovery of a USSR SLBM from a sunk soviet sub. We did recover several Soviet sailors bodies in that mission. They were all treated with respect and a service said over their remains before being consigned back to the deep. A video was made of this service and was (eventually) given to the USSR.
It is the sign of a civilized person to observe the niceties and respect the dead (more than our OPFOR does) but we don’t have to hand the OPFOR a propaganda win that a burial site would bring.
@Brian: Part of the pre-strike planning has to be the post-stike plan. Clearly the primary goal was a kill UBL . But the secondary goal is to gain as much intel from the raid as possible.
Though I think all the focus is on SEAL Team 6 they are the “hard cases” doing the shooting and house clearing. The follow up from the CIA to strip the house of anything of intel value. From the pictures of the dead body-guards (17 of them), their DNA, their finger prints and pocket litter. The capture of anyone in the house alive (nothing has been said about this: we may or may not have prisoners to interrogate). Recovery of mobile phones, papers, letters, audio and video tapes and, apparently, computers. Frankly I was a bit surprised that there were computers at that location. And I suspect not many cellphones but where would the people who use them keep them?
The video of the interior of the house (on ABC) shows that the bedroom looks like it was rifled through.
I’m pretty sure there are CIA, NSA and other wonks working flat out to generate intel as fast as they can for potential Western attacks in planning or locations or protcols or phone contacts or drop points or … anything that we can exploit. And we’ll need those SF folks then.
It was widely reported that AZ moved when KSM was captured. I suspect he will have done this now. But he’ll have had to move to a “clean” safe house. One we don’t know about (and can’t find out). Each time he does this life gets a bit more difficult. Who can he trust? How does he reacquire links with is operational commanders. Same with Mullah Omar (one supposes the ISI knows where he’s at).
The other question is have we penetrated ISI or PakArmy SIGINT. Do we have an idea what they’re doing? Or what the government is currently thinking. They’re very quiet for a 4 helo intrusion deep into Pakistan given their previous ranting and raving about small crossboarder intrusions. Not very far from their nuclear weapons storage site (about 30km or so) too. Given their paranoia that might have them a little worried.
Finally no mention of the ID of UBL’s son yet? Too mangled to face rec? Not enough DNA exemplars to match to. Or are we keeping the info secret to stimulate some chatter (“No Saad is still alive and well here”).
I’m looking forward to the book (Mark Bowden?) in perhaps a decade or so. Perhaps post AZ and MO?
Hillbilly – Pakistan does not own or fly MH-60 Blackhawks, of any version.
That’s what is downed in that compound.
CHEAP
PRICE,
R
So where is the body?? How do you know it was really him? US Govt lied about Pat Tilman and the Tonkin Gulf attacks, they can lie to you again.
Apparently, the chopper flew below radar, flew very low.
Watch bbc video
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-13260250
At the end I hope Usama bin Laden felt tremendous fear. I hope, and I do believe he knew that he was about to die by an Americans hand, eye to eye, face to face, in a place he thought he was safe. I hope his putrid life flashed before his eyes and that he saw that first round coming, and that it was the longest moment of his life.
Salutes to the SEALs. You made us proud.
If you are on OBL’s Christmas Card Mailing list you will get an early present.
There’s to much info on in the comments. Weather the info is from the news or some other public source is a non-issue.
Al-Qaeda v/s CIA
Spooky, i agree with your suggestion f arresting Musharraf. Very pragmatic and viable in this post-Mubarak period. Good msg to PakMil/Kayani it’d be!
While I certainly celebrate the death of the world’s most notorious boogie man, there are many questions to be answered about this operation. The timing is extremely suspect, we sure needed a boost in moral for the country with natural disasters and financial ruin. There was the flurry of diplomatic exchanges over the last few weeks between Pakistan and the US. The relentless buzz of predator drones taking out some of Pakistans most valued Taliban assets. The fact that DevGru was able to launch from Bagram Airbase all the way to Islamabad undetected and unchallenged, land in a heavily garrisoned army town without a shot from the Pakistan side. My gut feeling says that the Pakistanis gave us UBL in exchange for something. The question is what did we give up? Within hours the media propaganda machines were questioning our roles in Afghanistan now the UBL is gone. This would be the perfect scenario for the president to withdraw, leave Afghanistan to Pakistan’s ISI and come away a winner by killing UBL. Any thoughts?
Many congratulations, Yanks. So relieved the U.S. team came out unscathed. However, I do not believe bin Laden was ‘found’. Now of increasing limited use, I imagine he was sold by those who had set him up in a nice safe house. For what advantage we may never know, given Swiss banking secrecy. Yet, does the west really have ‘no option’ than to play footsy with these people any longer?
mr nobody:
have you heard about the manhunt of the famous sicilian mob boss salvatore riina?
he was never found he was sold out by one of his underlings who he had betrayed. the underling was facing life imprisonment and sold out his former boss salvatore riina.
the italian police found him only by the betrayal of his former associate. the associate or underling felt no loyalty after he was given as pray to a rival, at that time he was not reluctant to give him up…
UBL was not found by the cia, he was given to us by isi for some reason…could it be money or they were tired of him. perhaps UBL was threatening isi or pakistan and they felt that they were tired of him.
my best bet is that they negotiated about him like you negotiate about any other goods.
he was negotiable even if he was a terrorist leader.
he was with all said just an annoying foreigner living among them.
perhaps the pakistanis heard about the us withdrawing and felt it was time for us to waste him instead of them. perhaps they would not have been capable of it themselves?
it could also have been that the pakis was feeling that AQ did not have that kind of muscle anymore in pak or afg for that matter and felt that having UBL living there would be nothing but bad news for them.
we can only speculate about this… no one can now the real answer for sure.
my bet (and a very good one) is that he was betrayed or “sold” to us by the pakis/isi…
he was not found by us, we could have found him but it would have taken some more years because of his extremely paranoid privacy measures…
the navy seals did a great job wasting him, no question about it…
i am glad it was a firefight raid and not a simple bombing of the compound…
it is nice to know that he felt stressed and afraid to the very end…
@ crusader,
Funny, I was just thinking about that same analogy of a mobster turned informant and how Bin Laden was really nothing more than a thug in the end. Why should he be spared the same fate of a street drug dealer or mafia captain? However, I do think there were some pretty high stakes involved. My guess is that we will be getting out of Afghanistan and leaving it to ISI proxies in return for them giving us UBL. I also am inclined to believe that we have known about his whereabouts for some time now but we could not ever risk inflaming the Muslim world with a strike so deep inside of Pakistan. The risk to a DA team would have been way too high and a missile strike could too easily be made to look like an attack on an innocent family, no corpse. I hate to be a conspiracy guy but my gut just tells me that everything is not as it seems here. For sure his usefulness had expired but we gave up something big big big for his dead body with no American casualties, rest assured.
Seems there was a misprint in the Koran. “Virgins” should have read “Sturgeons”. Osama is now laying with his 72 sturgeons.
mr nobody:
what was so funny about my post? you asked for thoughts and i delivered…
there are similarities and differences between salvatore riina and OBL. both waged terror like wars with illegal combatants, both were hiding from a manhunt that went on for years…both were sold out…
salvatore riina was on the run for over 20 years, he like OBL were hiding in a mansion, both had great fortunes and both had couriers and entrusted people around them.
salvatore riina like OBL thought they were above everyone else and could do as they pleased.
the italian police could not find salvatore riina in 15 or 20 years…he was too well hidden.
the break came when a former courier and personal driver of his turned informant after he knew he was betrayed and offered to a rival for some deal.
the associate turned on him before since he did not feel any loyalty to someone who betrayed him.
this was the only reason he was found!!
i repeat myself but it is pretty imperative to know these things.
OBL was sold to us by pak/isi for something, that is the only reason for his downfall. i have speculated much about this, one can always speculates…
if he was sold to us what did we offer in return? how much did it “cost” to have him sold. everyone here have yelled at the double crossing, backstabbing pakis/isi for years. the paks can not be trusted have been the common slogans here…
now for once we get something back from pak/isi since they play both sides…
it was pak/isi who hid him and it was pak/isi who gave him to us, what we got is obvious what pak/isi got is not so obvious.
perhaps they got an enormous amount of green?
more green than OBL gave them to turn a blind eye?
OBL have with money bought himself into a safe haven in abbottabad. bear in mind that the fortified mansion was finished in 2005. it means that he lived in a simple house or cave, but his snobbish/pompous lifestyle did not permit him in living like that for long. bear in mind that wherever he lived, sudan, saudi arabia, afghanistan he always lived in mansion or some sort of big house, he never lived in poor or miserable places like his underlings did/do…
he had a mansion like house outside of jalalabad in afg so why not live like that in pak?
the house what not especially luxurious in abbottabad but suited the purpose of concealing him.
he payed someone to construct the house and then were stuffed in the trunk of a car and was let out when he entered through both gates, since then he lived there in an extremely paranoid way without telephone or internet, just a few entrusted couriers…
if we would have found him ourselves like the newspapers say (i never believed in that they have traced down one of his couriers it is merely a cover story) it would have taken much longer time.
if we did find him through one of his couriers that must have been sensational spywork but i highly doubt it.
actually i never though of him living in such a mansion, i did not think he would live in a cave neither, i would have thought he lived in a small house and never went out in the far north of pak in a really remote area were few people go, perhaps he did for a few years after the 2001 invasion but got tired of it because of his pompous way of life.
what happened was this according to me…
pak/isi have followed the war just like we have done, when they discovered that AQ did not have any muscle anymore and not a threat to pak they saw his decline in power as more obvious.
he was not even so powerful in AQ anymore since no one contacting him of fear of revealing his hideout.
paradoxically enough he came into a segregated and distant relation to his own underlings because of fear of being caught…
when pak/isi realized that he became less and less powerful and started to be meaningless to protect they started to think in new ways. OBL never did anything for pak, they did not owe him any favors, all he was in the end was an annoying foreigner living literally in a form of house arrest in a small military town north of islamabad. he had already given them his green once and was reluctant to pay once more out of fear of revealing his position.
pak like any other third world country were the law is the one of the dollar he was out for the highest bidder.
he with his decline in power and importance became a mr nobody…
a mr nobody that they could sell to us for a high price.
so when they realized of a withdraw from afg they saw the time as right to sell him…
or else they would have just had a mysterious fortified mansion in the middle of one of their pristine military town. living in it a murderous rich prick living there for years to come, something to miss? i hardly doubt it.
so when the time came, some of the betraying pak/isi members that knew of his whereabouts informed us “to check out a suspected house in this part of the city of abbotabad”
it could have also have been that some of the pak/isi had some conscience and would not let him get away for his vicious crimes against humanity, someone is perhaps sleeping better at night instead of sleeping next to a mass murderer for years to come…
we will never know, everything is speculation…
Well that’s the first time I’ve read about the terrorist training camps located at either Najim Jihad or Tarnak Farms, the two places Osama bin Doubletapped lived during his last stay in Afghanistan, regarded as “mansions.”
Although Najim Jihad reputedly did have running water and internal plumbing, I suppose that is mansion-like in some parts of the world…
We still don’t know where he was between the time he vacated Tora Bora in 2001, merely a brief way point on the run from Afghanistan, to the time in 2006 when he arrived at his final place of residence in Abbottabad.
But we do know that 2006 is also the year that the Taliban began their resurgence, from inside Pakistan.
And as Mr. Roggio can attest, some of us have been adamant that Osama bin Doubletapped was not in a cave for any great length of time (the brief layover at Tora Bora), he was not up in the hills with the wild people, he was in a major Pakistani city, close to a major hospital.
I’m not a doctor but…
HE’S
DEAD
JIM,
R
Incredible job done!!!
The battle is far from over. Al Queda/ Haqqani./ Taliban/ JuD/LET are mere sub brands of ISI
( just like Ford has Focus / Taurus / F150).
Finally there is only one party with a running bank account and operations capability and that is Pak Govt/ Army/ ISI.
The men that we mostly discuss are brand ambassadors who can be replaced at any point in time. Their fighters are no more than a visible handful.
Rest of the burden is borne by Pak Army wearing Islamic dresses.
That creates enormous flexibility to become invisible suddenly and to hide weapon stocks. Deception is fundamental strategy called Taqquiyah in Islam. The Taliban in contrast are not well trained warriors and have no deep pockets.
Just Think – If Musharraf could do so much bluffing on daily basis – there must be strong roots .
Who is the real don in Pakistan? After successfully killing Zia Ul Haq – his then deputy Hamid Gul now calls the shots. Benazir also openly suspected him and was duly killed by him.( check that on youtube)
And who funds and arms them the most knowing the ground reality – it is sadly – the US tax payer…
The US media is taking full advantage of it, as is their president. After all he has the most to gain with the upcoming presidential elections.
The question is: the recent Osama killing by US forces in Abbottabad has opened a new can of worms. The first question that comes to mind is whether this entire episode was true or a drama created by US in connivance with Pakistan’s leaders for public consumption?