Al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden, a mastermind of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks on New York and Washington D.C., was shot and killed by U.S. Special Operations troops early Monday.
The raid on a walled compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan which was carried out by special operations troops from the U.S. Navy’s elite Special Warfare Development Group, commonly known as SEAL Team 6, lasted about 40 minutes. The roughly two dozen SEALs who carried out the raid were ferried to Abbottabad aboard Blackhawk helicopters from the Army’s 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment. There were no U.S. casualties, but Osama Bin Laden and four others were killed:
Three adult males were also killed in the raid, including one of bin Laden’s sons, whom officials did not name. One of bin Laden’s sons, Hamza, is a senior member of al-Qaida. U.S. officials also said one woman was killed when she was used as a shield by a male combatant, and two other women were injured.
Bin Laden was reportedly buried at sea… There’s not much else to say here, other than I hope Mr. Bin Laden spending eternity someplace very, very warm and if any of the SEALs, chopper pilots or OGA operatives who helped bring about his demise are ever in my neck of the woods… The first, and second round is on me! Bravo Zulu gentlemen!
Edit: I should note, the intelligence critical to finding Bin Laden came from detainees captured after 9/11:
Based on statements given by U.S. detainees since the 9/11 attacks, they said, intelligence officials have long known that bin Laden trusted one al-Qaida courier in particular, and they believed he might be living with him in hiding.
Four years ago, the United States learned the man’s identity, which officials did not disclose, and then about two years later, they identified areas of Pakistan where he operated. Last August, the man’s residence was found, officials said.
“Intelligence analysis concluded that this compound was custom built in 2005 to hide someone of significance,” with walls as high as 18 feet and topped by barbed wire, according to one official. Despite the compound’s estimated $1 million cost and two security gates, it had no phone or Internet running into the house.
Update: The U.S. Navy has released a statement detailing bin Laden’s burial at sea… Apparently he was buried at sea because no country would accept his remains.
Related
- U.S. team’s mission was to kill bin Laden, not capture – Reuters
- U.S. Forces Kill Osama bin Laden – Wall Street Journal
- Osama bin Laden: it took years to find him but just minutes to kill him – The Guardian
- U.S. Forces Unsure Bin Laden in Compound Until Face to Face – Bloomberg News
- Pakistan’s Musharraf: Bin Laden death “positive step” – Reuters
- How Bin Laden Was Found and Killed – Wall Street Journal
- Some White Knuckle Moments for Elite Navy SEALs Team – ABC News
- Intelligence break led to bin Laden’s hide-out – The Washington Times
- Did latest WikiLeaks revelations force U.S. to take out Bin Laden? – Daily Mail