Bin Laden Wont be down for breakfast

[Drache]

FACTS released:

• The operation was carried out by members of the United States Navy SEAL Team Six
  
• The raid was carried out by 20 to 25 helicopter-borne United States Navy SEALs
  
• to The New York Times, "79 commandos and a dog were involved."
  
• The 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment, a U.S. Army airborne special operations unit nicknamed the "Night Stalkers," provided four modified Black Hawk helicopters, two of which were intended to be backups
  
• One of the helicopters stalled, in a vortex created by its own prop wash and the high compound walls, and was forced to make an emergency landing in the compound.
  
• The SEALs neutralized the compound's guards, then cleared the main building room-to-room
  
• Fighting occurred on the first floor, where two adult males lived, and on the second and third floors, where bin Laden lived with his family; the second and third floors were the last section of the compound to be cleared
  
• Osama bin Laden was encountered on the third floor of the residence in the last 5 or 10 minutes of the battle
  
• Bin Laden resisted but had no weapon when he was shot
  
• Bin Laden's 12 year old daughter watched her father when he was shot
  
• Sources seem to generally agree that bin Laden was killed by at least one and possibly two or more American bullets, one of which struck him in left side of the head, but the exact location of the bullet wounds is the subject of contradictory media reports. Some state that bin Laden shot once in the head, and once in the chest but National Journal reported that he was "done in by a double tap—boom, boom—to the left side of his face."
  
• The New York Times states that he was "shot above the left eye."
  
• Three other men present at the compound were also reportedly killed in the operation, including bin Laden's adult son, the courier and the courier's brother
  
• Also killed was a woman, identified by some reports bin Laden's fourth wife, Amal al Ahmed Sadah while other sources claim this to be incorrect
  
• According to the New York Times, during the firefight one of the men in the compound "held an unidentified woman living there as a shield while firing at the Americans. Both were killed"
  
• Two other women were injured
  
• A U.S. official told the Associated Press that in addition to the five adults who were killed during the operation, 23 children and nine women were in the compound
  
• The raid was intended to take 30 minutes. All told, the time between the team's entry in and exit from the compound was 38 minutes.
  
• U.S. personnel removed computer hard drives, documents, DVDs, thumb drives and "electronic equipment" from the compound for later analysis.[
  
• The helicopter that had made the emergency landing was damaged and could not fly the team out. It was consequently destroyed to safeguard its classified equipment
  
• According to BBC's Owen Bennett-Jones in Islamabad, reporting two days after the raid, ISI informed him after questioning survivors of the raid that there were 17 to 18 people in the compound at the time of the attack and that the Americans took away one person still alive, possibly a Bin Laden son.
  

[Arthu®]

When you look at international law there are just so many aspects screwed up, while you would think that if you would want to hit someone as important as him you would want it to be done clean. As far as I know the Pakistani were not informed of the mission and it was an action against civilians, it could have been seen as an act of war...

If the Pakistanis had been warned we were coming then UBL would probably not have been there when we arrived.  

IMHO it's hard to draw any other conclusion from this incident.   Obama is extremely sensitive about how imperialistic he appears on the international stage compared to Bush#43.  That, coupled with the circumstances & location that UBL was living in, Pakistan's history on the matter, etc.   

Again understood and it would have been a huge risk, but that doesn't change the law. In any case this incident is great food for conspiracy theorist.

[Mr.Woolery]

Here's a pic of the guy who dumped OBL's body into the ocean:

[Drache]

[RallyeMike]

FACTS released:

I'm already sick of the ever changing, ever clarifying "facts". Now supposedly OBL wasn't even armed. The reporters won't be satisfied until they are down to asking mundane questions like "what color nail polish did his wife had on", and follow ups like "was that RUBY red, or ROSE red?".

Screw the changing details - let the media vultures wet themselves over every juicy morsel, and when it's all sorted out we can read the book.

The job is done. Pats on the back for everyone. Beer all around. Reload, rent another chopper, and lets get onto #2 on the list.

[Drache]

FACTS released:

I'm already sick of the ever changing, ever clarifying "facts". Now supposedly OBL wasn't even armed. The reporters won't be satisfied until they are down to asking mundane questions like "what color nail polish did his wife had on", and follow ups like "was that RUBY red, or ROSE red?".

Screw the changing details - let the media vultures wet themselves over every juicy morsel, and when it's all sorted out we can read the book.

The job is done. Pats on the back for everyone. Beer all around. Reload, rent another chopper, and lets get onto #2 on the list.

Here's the press release the US Government stated he was unarmed:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rskFwlCJ2x0

[firefighter3931]

Good riddance to the cockroach 


Ron

[70charginglizard]

Good riddance to the cockroach 


Ron

[Drache]

Good riddance to the cockroach 


Ron

I only wish you guys had did this 9 years ago to save you guys the money and heartache

[Old Moparz]

I was looking over the photos of the security compound & had some thoughts about it. Maybe it was designed with a certain level of security in mind, but I do see a good number of flaws. Never mind that the Navy landed helicopters inside, did a quick search, found him, then took him out, that type of facility has got to be a pizza delivery guy's worst nightmare, & probably no way Dominos can get there in 30 minutes or less.

First time drivers are guaranteed to arrive with cold food because the wall doesn't clearly guide you to the entrance. Then once you find the right gate, you can't see in to determine whether someone is coming after you ring the bell provided there is a bell. The long ass walk to a second gate, then through more openings just to get to the person who has the money sucks. There's no way you can get a decent tip at this place.

[learical1]

As my 15 year old son told me, " It's amazing what you can get done while PlayStation Network is down!"

[Ponch ®]

More importantly, this should send a message.

Fuck with us. You can run, you can hide, but we'll eventually get you.  

As far as to whether it was "fair" or "legal"...well, its kinda tough to play by the rules when the other guys don't.

Thanks to everyone who serves or has served in the Armed Forces.  

[bull]

I hope this is the last thing Osama saw.

[Tilar]

As far as to whether it was "fair" or "legal"...well, its kinda tough to play by the rules when the other guys don't.

Too bad all those idiots that think we always need to "take the high road" aren't smart enough to realise this. 

[Drache]

I hope this is the last thing Osama saw.

I'm pretty sure it was more like this.... sorry.....

[gtx6970]

And for the one who pulled the trigger,

[nh_mopar_fan]

Clint Eastwood said it best in Unforgiven, "Well, he should've armed himself".

[bull]

I hope this is the last thing Osama saw.

I'm pretty sure it was more like this.... sorry.....

Nah. Most likely they were using muzzle suppressors.

[twodko]

I hope this is the last thing Osama saw.

I've wondered about that flag patch. Why is the star field on the right?

[BananaDan]

I asked my father this question years ago, he was in the Army.  It goes back to the birth of our country, when there was a member of the battalion that was responsible for carrying the flag into battle.  The flag would fly behind the pole it was mounted on, meaning the star field would visually be heading towards the fight if you can imagine someone holding a flag on a pole and running with it.  They wear them on modern uniforms in honor of that.

Dan

[BananaDan]

And here it is explained a little better than me.

http://usmilitary.about.com/od/theorderlyroom/f/faqflag.htm

The rule dates back to the Army's early history, when both mounted cavalry and infantry units would designate a standard bearer, who carried the Colors into battle. As he charged, his forward momentum caused the flag to stream back. Since the Stars and Stripes are mounted with the canton closest to the pole, that section stayed to the right, while the stripes flew to the left.

[bull]

Of course that only works if it's displayed on the right shoulder.

[BananaDan]

Correct, in fact the flag must be worn on the right shoulder.  Here is two paragraphs previous to the one I posted.  It's all explained in the URL.

When approved for wear, the full-color U.S. flag cloth replica is sewn 1/2 inch below the right shoulder seam of the temperate, hot-weather, enhanced hot-weather, and desert BDU; the BDU field jacket; and the cold-weather uniform. The flag is worn on the right shoulder, because, in the military, the "place of honor" is to a military member's right.

[Richard Cranium]

[twodko]

Thanks for that Dan. As a vet I'm embarrassed I didn't know that. Live and learn.