"60 Minutes": Death of Bin Laden

By Jeralyn, Section War on Terror
Posted on Sun Sep 09, 2012 at 08:15:38 PM EST
Tags: Osama bin Laden, Hamza bin Laden (all tags)

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The former Seal who goes by the name Mark Owen was on 60 minutes tonight. He said the raid on the Osama bin Laden compound was not a kill mission.

He then describes how they were going up the stairs and had been told to expect one of bin Laden's sons to be there. They saw a figure disappear behind a door. They didn't know who it was. A Seal, on a hunch, whispers "Khalid." The figure peeks around the corner. The Seal shoots him dead. It was Khalid bin Laden.

Owen: “Curiosity killed the cat. I guess Khalid, too.”

But this was not a kill mission.

On the initial confusion of which son was killed -- more here.

So where is Osama's other son, Hamza bin Laden? In May, he was reported to be in Pakistan. He never was at the compound, he was in Pershawar. The source: Bin Laden himself, in a letter written a month before the raid, a copy of which was on the computer disks seized during the raid and published by the Combatting Terror Center at West Point. The part about Hamza begins on page 8. On page 9, he says Hamza is in Pershewar and he wants someone to tell him to go stay with his mother and postpone his training.

So, if there are still communications, it would be good that one of the brothers calls him from one of the places that are safe to call from, and informs Muhammad that Hamzah is telling him that his father wants him to go with his mother and siblings to Qatar ASAP, and to live there until the situation is resolved soon, Allah willing.

I wonder if Hamza took his father's advice And where he is now.

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"60 Minutes": Death of Bin Laden | 17 comments (17 topical)

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Hamza is on Obama's kill list (none / 0) (#1)
by Payaso on Sun Sep 09, 2012 at 08:27:37 PM EST

: you're probably right (5.00 / 1) (#2)
by Jeralyn on Sun Sep 09, 2012 at 09:33:41 PM EST

Maybe he'll be the October surprise.
Maybe the book and 60 minutes piece were done with the blessing of the White House to remind us of the successful kill mission before the election and the supposed concern of the Pentagon is a cover.
It never ends with conspiracy theories, one's imagination is the limit.
But nothing in the 60 minutes piece convinced me this was anything but a targeted kill mission.

Thanks (none / 0) (#3)
by Ga6thDem on Sun Sep 09, 2012 at 09:42:56 PM EST

for putting this up. It reminded me of what I had wanted to watch and I watched it online. Fascinating story and many details that I did not know and some I did. At the end he talks about Osama being laid out in the hanger. So i'm guessing the burial at sea story was not true. Also it was interesting that soon after the raid we pretty much got the whole story.

I haven't watched it yet (none / 0) (#4)
by Militarytracy on Sun Sep 09, 2012 at 09:58:51 PM EST

That will not go over well with Muslims though if he was not buried before sunset and buried how we claimed. They themselves are not always able to bury before sunset, but they do their best. We held all the cards, in their eyes we took his life, there were no outside stressors and we owed him a burial before sunset. If this guy says different he's a dumba$$.


It is my understanding that ... (none / 0) (#7)
by Donald from Hawaii on Sun Sep 09, 2012 at 10:02:59 PM EST

... once the mission was concluded at the compound, the SEALs flew Bin Laden's body from Pakistan back to their base in Afghanistan first, which makes sense given that they were in helicopters and hundreds of miles from the coast. So, that would account for the body being laid out in a hanger. From there, they then reportedly flew it by plane to an aircraft carrier in the Indian Ocean.

Because of the 6-hour time difference between Hawaii and the eastern U.S., tonight's 60 Minutes episode in question has yet to be broadcast out here (it's only 5:00 p.m.), so I haven't seen it yet.


: That (none / 0) (#9)
by Ga6thDem on Mon Sep 10, 2012 at 06:04:46 AM EST

makes sense.

Count me surprised it was not a kill (none / 0) (#5)
by Militarytracy on Sun Sep 09, 2012 at 10:01:15 PM EST

mission, and kudos to Mr MT who initially said that going in like that is never a kill mission. They are all worth much much more in important life saving information alive.

: Can you imagine hoping to get out of (none / 0) (#6)
by Militarytracy on Sun Sep 09, 2012 at 10:02:18 PM EST

Pakistan with a living Osama bin Laden though? I'd be crapping myself.

SITE VIOLATOR!!!! (none / 0) (#10)
by ruffian on Mon Sep 10, 2012 at 06:46:14 AM EST

in the saturday open thread too

: yeah this peter11 is everywhere... (none / 0) (#13)
by fishcamp on Mon Sep 10, 2012 at 08:17:05 AM EST

How Did They Know? (none / 0) (#11)
by RickyJim on Mon Sep 10, 2012 at 07:29:39 AM EST

Intel told them that Khalid lived on the second floor and Osama on the third floor of the main house. Pretty good intel. I wonder how they figured that out.

kill missions - How to identify 101 (none / 0) (#12)
by Mr Natural on Mon Sep 10, 2012 at 08:11:55 AM EST

First clue: the actors carry nothing but guns.

That said, their behavior in many ways resembles that of modern Amerikan police departments' enlightened techniques of serving warrants.

if this was not a kill mission (none / 0) (#14)
by TeresaInPa on Mon Sep 10, 2012 at 08:47:08 AM EST

what went wrong and did they lie about it so as to preserve the myth that these guys are invincible?

Because of the hostility of the whole (5.00 / 1) (#15)
by Militarytracy on Mon Sep 10, 2012 at 12:39:19 PM EST

compound. I watched the interview and his explanation, and the first two exchanges of any kind of initial communication were gun fire. He says Osama took a shot to the head peeking around the corner just as his armed son did. SEALs are supposed to stay alive, not sacrifice themselves for Osama bin Laden. Enough people already did that.


Yes (none / 0) (#16)
by cal1942 on Mon Sep 10, 2012 at 05:27:37 PM EST

If the targets lay down and wave a white flag then a live capture would be realistic, but any resistance (including flight) in such a circumstance should dismiss any thought of capture.

No one should be asked to die on that hill.


oh hell no (none / 0) (#17)
by TeresaInPa on Mon Sep 10, 2012 at 06:21:02 PM EST

which is why I wonder they ever wanted it to be anything but a kill mission to begin with. Kill the bastard and get out.


: The goal (5.00 / 1) (#18)
by Ga6thDem on Mon Sep 10, 2012 at 06:56:31 PM EST

is IF possible to get them alive because they are much more valuable alive for information's sake. However, you cannot predict what is going to happen and since the courier starting shooting, everything else went from the standpoint that they were dealing with hostile enemies. In the interview he said even the women were hostile which is unusual apparently.