In addition to resulting in the death of Osama bin Laden, the U.S. raid conducted by Navy SEALs also collected computer equipment and sensitive details that could be used to thwart al Qaeda, U.S. officials tell CNN.
Also tonight on AC360°, new details about the special forces operation ordered by the White House and how the administration confirmed that bin Laden had, in fact, been killed.
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We must demand visual proof. We need something to analyze other than the word of politicians. Anyone can claim they have killed bin Laden and did DNA tests.
The circumstances surrounding the event are shady. We have news leaks of the "failure" of profiling used to detain people at GITMO. Then we "kill" bin Laden only to bury him at sea within hours (I know, I know, Islamic law). We supposedly land 4 helicopters inside a compound where bin Laden is held up. Im no military expert, but this seems risky. You can hear a blackhawk for minutes before it is on you. Wouldn't be hard to hit with an RPG. There are plenty more fuzzy details but ill spare you.
If Obama does not release photos, no matter how graphic, there will always be skeptics. This euphoria that America is experiencing will eventually turn o skepticism and anger.
I just don't understand why no-one is demanding these pictures?
A friend is in special forces and he told us that this is true yesterday.
i feel the same.i want to know the full story!what was the role of Pakistan's millitary?They need to come out with the details of everything surrounding OBL's death
there is a lot of good karma in the air in the last week. I hope it keeps going and going and going. . .
When they put Bin Laden in the water, did they face him towards the Mecca or face down? Also, was it one shooter who shot him twice?
its standard spec ops shooting! called a double tap!!!! normaly both center mass shots though but close quarters permits a head shot
There is concern about AlQueda as a whole but more so the single persons or small cells working on their own
I heard that he put of a fight, fired shots and then seals shot him
Apparently he had a big gun that he was shooting at them with and used one of his wives as a human shield......so much for love there.....
This also changed. Later reports say it was not his wife and she was just in the line of fire. They did add that she made an aggressive move, or something like that.
Yes, They already shot his head twice.... Lori.
I am so proud of the soldiers and the president! But I think america needs to be on high alert!
I am so glad we finallly found Osama Bin Laden
Geranimo..EKIA.
Thank you Seal Team Six, CIA and all supporting cast members, where ever you are serving. Outstanding work!
I agree! And they better not reveal who those guys are! They're Special Ops for a reason! It's bad enough we know what state they're stationed in!
So glad that the 3,000 family member's from 911 can now have some kind of closure. Very proud of our military, special opts members and America. I'm sure that there are more details involved in this operation then we know or may ever know. I would also assume they had to have eye's and knew for sure who was living there. I question why at this time we somehow were able to run this opt with out Pakistan stopping us? I wonder if the past 3/4 months had worked out different in Egypt, would things have changed with the Pakistan military and our operation Sunday?
I don't need to see death pictures, they have DNA, it says Bin Laden....I believe
In the end, and from the "Godfather", Bin Laden swims with the fishes now
As we rejoice as a Nation at the news of Bin Laden demise, take a moment and reflect. Over ten thousand have died as a result of 9/11. Many more first responders are still struggling with the physical and emotioanal scars, I know bexause I am one of them. Bin Laden's death is cause to rejoice and be proud to be an American, but it does not ease the pain or bring back those whom have paid the price of his very existance. God bless America, rest in peace those who have been casualties of terrorism!
Are people really not believing this too and require more DNA proof? Gosh, they really need the long form Death Certificate!!!
is anyone watching this guy talking to ac right now? is he kidding????? help releive egypts debt??????? is he on drugs??? what about the us debt that is in the trillions!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Good night Emily, Mike, Starr, Nicole, Nancy in Oregon, Casey, and Megan.
I think he means by letting debts they owe us go, by saying "hey, you know all that money you us? Don't worry about repaying it. We're good." The other stuff he was saying, I agreed with.
Does anyone think it's a little too convenient that 400 prisoners escape Afghani prison and they capture Bin Laden within a week? The media has said a courier was how they found Bin Laden. Am I just letting my conspiracy side get the better of me? If it took releasing 400 prisoners to catch Bin Laden, so be it – I think it was worth the trade.
I think it probably is a contributing factor.
Burial at sea? Now that's convenient. Do you really think the US Government would spend 10 years, a Gazllion dollars and then throw the one brain that contains much of the info they need to achieve their long-range goals to fight terrorism into the ocean? I don't think so. But it makes a nice ending for a story. A story that a lot of people, and maybe a whole country, desperately needed an ending for.
The "brain" was dead. What could they have done with it? They have all of the document they seized from his compound though.
yup seems like a story and not reality. Do you remember that videos and presentations were shown by Colin Powel in UN about the WMD in Iraq which later proved to be push carts – hahahhhaha
I believe OBL was Pakistans 'gold egg laying goose'. As long as we couldn't find him, Pakistan would keep receiving billions of our dollars. They (Pakistan) put him up next to a military base to defer suspicion. Hmmm....
Well we just killed that goose so it is time to cut ties with Pakistan.
Terrorism dod not start with 911 and did not end with OBL death.
Sensible nations have been resisting terrorism for decades within nornal legal sonstraints and human rights.,
Hopefuily those will be the bookends of the US overreation in their so called "war".
That money may have gone straight to bin Laden for all we know.
The death of Osama Bin Laden, will only cause more violence. Now Al Qaeda will only want blood shed, and retaliation.
Why hasn't the Muslim community in the US voiced its approval of what has happened to bin Laden? They have been pretty silent about this.
Indeed very well planned and executed by all concerned.True leadership by President Obama, who needs to be commended. He has more than enough hurled at him during his term in office. My heart goes out to the 3300 families,
I imagine there are mixed feelings. I do not subscribe to "closure", as I do not know that it actually exists, particularly under such gruesome circumstances. Bin Laden, the leader is dead, however Al Zawahari is not and al-Qaeda still exists, as does the Taliban and other terrorists. So I still see no end in sight. Tragic.
Thank you to the brave NavySeals and all our millatary, for there unselfish acts they do every day to keep us safe,I am very dissapointed however, that the president would choose to allow binlarden ,a tradisional islamic buriel, when its no secret that the islamic nations hate americans. that has been proved time after time ,but none more disgusting then when 9-11 happened, and the islamic people were cheering in the streets after the sensless killing of over 3 thousand americans .i find this to be in very poor taste he should have been brought back to this country ,and his dead body put on dis[play for all americans to see .there are alot of people who just dont believe that some dna is true proof that he is really gone. i think it would have been better if he had not been allowed a tradisional buriel.
I love that! bin Ladin-ism!
I heard a funny joke today and thought I'd repeat it
Osama Bin Laden is dead. Donald Trump is asking for a long form death certificate
Ha!!! Good one!
They were probably prepared to do the DNA sample on a Navy ship. Part of the plan I bet. All the details were very well thought out and important to the end result.
Exactly.
Maybe the DNA was tested at Bagram. That was pretty close.
why was his body buried so fast? they should have at least shown it to the world before burying.
You might be interested to read some of the threads below on people's thoughts about this.
According to Islamic tradition, bodies must be buried within 24 hours.
I respect Muslim tradition but I believe they had plenty of time to show the body to the world and then bury.24 hrs is a hell lot of time
according to tradition they should also be buried in the ground, not at sea.
o ya!! absolutey. was only half the rituals followed??
I couldn't have said it any better!
It's Muslim tradition that the body is buried right away, but also no country was willing to hold it
I was wondering about the accuracy of the DNA testing...
WHY did we dump his body in the ocean!!????
Good question......... The law have their tradiation to drop the sea, I have heard they have to their tradition as well, Because they don't want to buried the ground instead the sea.
The don't want a shrine build for him. Want to make sure his body is not dug up by followers. Burial at sea is the best option.
Exactly. He was wrapped in a white, weighted sheet and dropped in the ocean. The Navy knows how to do burials at sea, I'm sure they didn't take any chances that he could float back up.
i feel the same thing! i mean why in the sea.NO country accepted the body..that's nonsense. what all countries were approached?
I'm happy right now, I'm enjoying this moment, and our Pres. got another historic accomplishment, thank you again Sir..
I would like to see a picture of bin Laden dead. Not that I don't believe he's dead, because I do. It's just that a picture would take away the surrealness of this event.
Cindy,
We can not show pictures as welll That will be graphic picture......... Their rules any networks.
Are all the captives left behind being detained by the Pakistani government? If so, where? Are we involved in this?
Yes or no........
They were involved, but not ours invovled as well.
We killed the 'queen bee', now we have the worker bees to contend with. Unfortunately he had alot of faithful followers and their group is like a military. Our military needs to get the rest of them to put a final end to Al Quaeda
Death does not kill terrorism. People with a belief system that expects evil
and entertains thoughts of fear make terrorism appear.
I totally agree, what I mean though is that if they want to end Al Quaeda then they need to capture the rest of the group. They have been asking how to end the group and that would be how to end it
Fascinating discussion on the U.S. forces' actions.
I have a question (I haven't had a chance to read all the posts yet so I apologize if this has been asked already). Did the CIA, in it's years of analysis, ever ask the hypothetical question, "If Pakistan were giving safe haven to Bin Laden, where might they be allowing him to hide?" It seems logical (granted, hindsight is 20/20) that safe haven would be in the shadow of the Pakistani Military Academy and many retired military people. I'd love to hear this question asked to one of the military or Intelligence Analysts for CNN.
Most people thought he would be in the "tribal" areas, in rural mountains or countryside. Recently though, due to our predator drone strikes, that thinking had been changing.
Oh I am sure CIA have asked that question many times over, and I am sure Pakistan knew. And that only makes it all the more impressive that the special forces accomplished the mission so flawlessly in such, if not hostile, certainly unfriendly situation. And I am too sure why the helicopter "crashed" either.
The former head of the CIA just stated that the Pakistanis can not be trusted and they have lied to us. Are we being vigilant enough with the Pakistanis in this country, OUR country?
YES! You're right, Bob!
I would like to know what our foreign policy is with Pakistan. How much money are we giving them? I certainly don't think of Pakistan in the same light as I did Saturday this week. Lots of questions need to be answered.
Janis, we have been giving them 1 billion per year since 9/11.
The photo's should be released to the public, as gruesome as they maybe, it can not be any more gruesome then on that morning in September 2001 that we seen airliners crashing into building, and people jumping to there deaths,and knowing the fate of all that served as the first responders.
i so glad they got that evil man Osama bin Laden god got him for what he cause on 9/11 it was my mom and dads advistiy
Bin Laden dead!! GREAT NEWS!!!
Of course Pakistan government knew about bin Laden. They have been harboring terrorists even before bin Laden crossed the Khyber pass from Afgahnistan. The head of Jaish-E-Mohammed (The terrorists who hijacked flight IC914) has been spotted in Pakistan. Everyone knows they harbor terrorists but seekers of justice have to keep appeasing this nation just so that Pakistan does not become another Vietnam, Afghanistan, Iraq.
Just get to all these terrorists and bring them to justice!!!!
Good point!!!!!!! I agree with you, Rohan.
How could Pakistani officials have not known that Bin Laden was hiding in the mansion next to the military base? I find that very hard to believe. The Pakistani Prime Minister just delivered a speech at the military base about three weeks ago.
I so agree with you, Nina. Pakistan has questions to answer.
Excellent question Nina, I was just thinking of that.
Good point question, Nina..... I agree....... I hope that Pakistan were not answering us, They amused that they didn't know where is he!!!!!!!!
Would killing bin laden have been possible without all the things president Bush put in place to collect the intelligence needed to locate bin laden? I commend president Obama for having the courage to order such a mission. God Bless the USAz!
True. It has been clearly stated that the detainees offered good information to help lead us to bin Laden.
Fascinating ....the navy Seal operation
Has Al Qaeda come out and made any kind of threat to get revenge yet or even to release a statement about OBL's death? I wonder how strong his ties were to Al Qaeda even though he'd been secluded while in hiding for so long.
Was this revenge? Eye for Eye. Death for Death? Christian vs Islam?
Just plain Justice.
Were there any survivors? or any captures?
Follow the red, white, and blue road
Ding Dong, Bin Laden is dead
This was not on the President watch; this was on the USA watch! "One set it up, and the other knock it down!"
I don't know if this was said earlier or I just missed it but I would like to know when the actual event was happening, wasn't there Pakistani news crew nearby filming ? Were the police called in?
Thank you.
Such a bold and masterful move by President Obama...must have been so difficult for him
I proud of our Armed Forces. God Bless America. Since Bin Laden sat and watch Americans Die and suffer. I think America has a rigth to see Photos of his death, and to seehis evil Corpse bieng dumped into the Ocean. It would definately be healing and closure for The People of the United Stated of America.