cavman
NBA Starter
- Joined
- Jul 14, 2009
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Latest comprehensive article on the OBL raid:
http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2011/08/08/110808fa_fact_schmidle?currentPage=all
What I got from this-
- Pakistan's air defenses were mostly turned east toward India, their most immediate enemy
- The 2 blackhawk choppers were specially modded to cover heat, noise, and movement
- The team that took him out had 10-12 previous missions into Pakistani airspace
- 4 Chinooks (heavier troop transport choppers) were involved, 2 stayed at Afgh/Pak border, 2 further inside Pakistan
- 1 Chinook had to go to OBL compound to rescue the downed Blackhawk crew
- The other Chinook inside Pakistan refueled the surviving Blackhawk on its way back
- A dog was on the team to sniff for false walls/hidden doors
- CIA had earlier staged an immunization drive (shots) for kids in Abbotabad to hopefully get OBL's kids' DNA. Unsuccessful, and doc later arrested by Pakistan
- 4 Command Centers were in on the raid- White House, Pentagon, CIA Headquarters Afghanistan (prob Bagram Air Force base N of Kabul), and American Embassy Islamabad (holy crap, risk of intel being intercepted by Pakistani ISI)
- Overhead drone at 15,000 ft provided live feed of operation (that's what they're watching in the White House photo)
- Blackhawk1 likely crashed because of absorbed heat from the compound wall, they had trained using chainlink fence, after crash sent distress call to the 2 Chinooks idling inside Pakistani border, 1 of which came as the rescue chopper, also was the one to take OBL away
- they found the gold threaded robes OBL used for his video addresses
- Noises neighbors would've heard if they were awake- Chopper crashing on wall, 4 seperate C4 explosions, sporadic gunfire. Later blew up downed Blackhawk critical systems with C4, thermo grenades
- had an interpreter dressed as plainclothes Pakistani policeman to ward off curious neighbors, backed up by 4 SEALs around perimeter, plus the dog
- DNA- Took 2 bone marrow samples from OBL, 1 on each chopper, numerous swabs (cheek I guess) taken
- OBL was flown to Bagram AFB before the sea burial
- 1 cell phone found at compound contained #s of a mujadeen group closely associated with ISI (Pakistani intel). This is the only concrete evidence so far of Pakistan actively protecting OBL. See Post 583 above though, where we've purposely fed Pakistani intelligence information about targets, only to see the baddies pack up and leave hours before Pakistan police or military get there.
I don't trust articles from the future, that's witchcraft.