Clues and Unanswered Questions From Choice of Words at Osama bin Laden Briefing

By Jeralyn, Section War on Terror
Posted on Mon May 02, 2011 at 02:09:33 PM EST
Tags: Osama bin Laden (all tags)

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The headlines will probably appear en masse that Osama bin Laden was a coward who used his wife as a human shield. That's not what John Brennan said.

John Brennan said, "when she fought back and there was an opportunity to get bin laden, she was positioned in a way that indicated she was being used" as a shield. He stated he doesn't know whether she placed herself there, whether the son placed her there, or whether Osama put her there. He only knows she was used as a shield (by someone to protect Osama.)

Earlier in the conference he said a female was in the line of fire that reportedly was used as a human shield to shield Osama "from the incoming fire." So they were firing in. He said he did not know whether Osama got his hands on a weapon or whether he fired during the "firefight."[More...]

Unasked and unanswered: How she "fought back." Was she armed? Did she fire a weapon?

Why did no one ask what was done with the couriers' bodies or Osama's wife and son's bodies? Doesn't Muslim law also require their burials within 24 hours? Were they also buried at sea? If not, will autopsies be done which might shed some light on their positions when killed?

And are any tests going to be done on weapons recovered at the scene to determine whether they were fired and by whom?

< White House Press Briefing on Osama Bin Laden | 50 Funny Internet Reactions to Osama bin Laden's Death >

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Clues and Unanswered Questions From Choice of Words at Osama bin Laden Briefing | 30 comments (30 topical)

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I imagine (5.00 / 1) (#1)
by Capt Howdy on Mon May 02, 2011 at 02:17:53 PM EST

who did the tests would be important.

Man liveblogs Osama raid (5.00 / 1) (#2)
by Harry Saxon on Mon May 02, 2011 at 02:38:55 PM EST

unknowingly:

A computer programmer, startled by a helicopter clattering above his quiet Pakistani town in the early hours of the morning Monday, did what any social-media addict would do: he began sending messages to the social networking site Twitter.

SF Chronicle Link

No celebration. (5.00 / 1) (#16)
by Mr Natural on Mon May 02, 2011 at 04:16:38 PM EST

Just a mild exhalation of relief and in sotto voce, "Good riddance."

Truth? (5.00 / 3) (#27)
by mmc9431 on Mon May 02, 2011 at 06:21:10 PM EST

It's sad but I've become so cynical of the media and government that I find it hard to believe much of what I'm told.

It makes great headlines here to portray OBL as a wimping coward using his wife as a shield. I'm not sure we'll ever know the truth.

I guess I'll have to wait for the movie with Stallone leading the charge.

Stallone? lol. Is he gonna charge in (5.00 / 1) (#29)
by Joan in VA on Mon May 02, 2011 at 07:47:37 PM EST

on a Medicare-approved motorized scooter? I'm thinking Matt Damon would be a better choice for the role-intelligent yet ripped-and no toupee needed.


: He still thinks (none / 0) (#30)
by mmc9431 on Mon May 02, 2011 at 07:58:51 PM EST

He's Rocky!

This was not (4.00 / 4) (#5)
by cal1942 on Mon May 02, 2011 at 03:06:50 PM EST

like a domestic crime scene.

This was a military operation.

Puhleeze. Every weapon should be fingerprinted, (none / 0) (#6)
by sarcastic unnamed one on Mon May 02, 2011 at 03:11:49 PM EST

every drop of blood should be DNA'd, every spent shell should accounted for.

You know, like it was OJ's house.


Pakistan is not the 51st state in (5.00 / 1) (#9)
by tigercourse on Mon May 02, 2011 at 03:16:54 PM EST

America. It's kind of hard to hang around and conduct a forensic investigation.


I was hoping my comment was dripping (5.00 / 1) (#11)
by sarcastic unnamed one on Mon May 02, 2011 at 03:21:01 PM EST

in enough sarcasm that I didn't have to explain that I was being sarcastic...


: sarcastic (none / 0) (#15)
by cal1942 on Mon May 02, 2011 at 03:33:45 PM EST

I got it if no one else did. Enjoyed your comment.

: Your name should have been my (none / 0) (#23)
by tigercourse on Mon May 02, 2011 at 05:01:12 PM EST

first clue!

sure (none / 0) (#8)
by Capt Howdy on Mon May 02, 2011 at 03:13:57 PM EST

but I think cals approach is more likely.


: I assume that you got that my comment was (none / 0) (#13)
by sarcastic unnamed one on Mon May 02, 2011 at 03:22:13 PM EST

facetious and were responding in kind...

ABC (none / 0) (#3)
by Ga6thDem on Mon May 02, 2011 at 02:51:56 PM EST

news had photos of the compound. I hope we find out more details as they days go by.

Do we know where the courier (none / 0) (#4)
by KeysDan on Mon May 02, 2011 at 02:53:31 PM EST

was getting all the money to support Osama and his entourage? Saudi Arabia?

One of the Soldiers had a Video Camera... (none / 0) (#7)
by ScottW714 on Mon May 02, 2011 at 03:13:03 PM EST

... attached to his helmet. Maybe it will be released. I would assume they went in at night and used NVG's so there was probably mass confusion.

The released pics, from a phone camera, show lots of blood in the bedroom, so they didn't make it far.

I have seen a couple of animations depicting the raid, but only the outside actions. One would think they will make something like this for the entire raid.

Plus one of the helicopters crashed, yet no one was hurt. They did some sort of destruction to the chopper to ensure no intelligence could be gathered.

: MSNBC (5.00 / 1) (#10)
by ScottW714 on Mon May 02, 2011 at 03:19:43 PM EST

Two moments during the raid were particularly "heartstopping," according to one official.
The first was when the operation's helicopters first arrived at the scene. The plan was for the choppers to hover and lower 12 Seals to the ground rather than land. But one of the choppers stopped working due to a lack of air within the high compound walls.
It made a soft landing (not a crash) on the ground and the raid went forward. At that point a third "emergency" chopper on standby came to the scene.
As the team returned with bin Laden's body, they blew up the broken chopper, which resulted in a "massive explosion." The team exited in two helicopters.
The other tense moment came when the choppers were leaving the country but remained within Pakistani airspace. The Pakistanis, seeing the choppers and not knowing if they were friendly or not, scrambled their fighter jets, causing white knuckles before the helicopters were able to leave.

Other's bodies (none / 0) (#12)
by gyrfalcon on Mon May 02, 2011 at 03:21:11 PM EST

were left at the compound and will be properly taken care of by the Pakistanis, according to several reports I read.

can you please repost this (none / 0) (#17)
by Jeralyn on Mon May 02, 2011 at 04:18:27 PM EST

on an open thread? I don't want the discussion to go off-topic. Thank you.

We'll never know (none / 0) (#18)
by SOS on Mon May 02, 2011 at 04:25:16 PM EST

will we. Unless they find his body during some deep sea diving expedition led by Sir Richard Branson Jr. in A Search for Gold or something like that.

I hope.... (none / 0) (#19)
by kdog on Mon May 02, 2011 at 04:54:33 PM EST

the Pakistani people will ask such questions, and by some miracle get answers.

I'd be pissed if some foreign force rolled up in my sovereign hood like that, I don't care who they're looking for on their most wanted list.

But I must admit this is better than guided missile strike or drone, if you're gonna roll like that.

I wouldn't be pissed if (5.00 / 3) (#20)
by jondee on Mon May 02, 2011 at 04:57:28 PM EST

some Chileans rolled up and grabbed Henry K., even if it did interrupt his 180th appearence on Charlie Rose.


: If I was in the studio... (none / 0) (#26)
by kdog on Mon May 02, 2011 at 05:40:23 PM EST

I'd appreciate a heads up, know what I'm sayin'.
I'm sure the cats getting the checks got no problem with it, and from what I've read its sounds like Osama's neighbors:) But what about the slobs in the servants quarters...?

Pakistani govt already (5.00 / 4) (#24)
by brodie on Mon May 02, 2011 at 05:04:00 PM EST

approved US limited "hot pursuit" missions into their territory.

And I'm sure they still enjoy all that major foreign aid we send their way every year as we've done for many yrs.


: A harsh reality negotiator? (none / 0) (#31)
by Militarytracy on Mon May 02, 2011 at 10:16:11 PM EST

Here at Talkleft? :)

There should be videotape (none / 0) (#21)
by MKS on Mon May 02, 2011 at 05:00:18 PM EST

and a live audio recording.....That could really help--as if this stuff would ever be declassified.

A soldier had on a helmut-cam, so they say....

Good job men! (none / 0) (#22)
by Gerald USN Ret on Mon May 02, 2011 at 05:01:07 PM EST

I usually never question tactics used while in a military engagement, but still I don't think that they should have trashed my ocean.

They could have achieved their burial goals by incinerating the body and dispersing the ashes at 30,000 or so feet above some desolate desert.

As for the burial mores of any given religion, they will have the opportunity to give any kind of memorial service they want, body or no body.

What's Osama now? (none / 0) (#25)
by Mr Natural on Mon May 02, 2011 at 05:30:06 PM EST

- two or three trillion dollars worth of crab food


: Yep, I figure that now (none / 0) (#28)
by Towanda on Mon May 02, 2011 at 07:06:37 PM EST

the shark is jumping him.