There seems to be a lot of confusion among sources how the raid went down, like some are reporting over 20 causalties (seems high for a small place trying to be low key) but the report osama had only 2 guards seems low. Also the lack of photo or video. Hopefully itrs sorted out, put to rest the speculation.

Why? Saddam Hussein only had a few bodyguards when we captured him in his little rathole. Having a huge security entourage is a bad idea if your goal is to remain hidden and not attract attention.

Plus, if Bin Laden did have the allegiance of ISI operatives up to the very end, he probably figured that they would be able to alert him if our SF were about to drop in on him. In which case, he would have been able to escape without having a personal army of bodyguards keep the enemy busy while he slipped out.

Its more the reports of how many people were there, and the amount of people who would be able to maintain the grounds. you'd expect more than 2 armed security. Hell somebody needs to maintain the place, bin ladens a sickly old dude. initial news reports were there was a lot of people in the compound, the fact only 4 fired shgots is weird.

I just heard osama was hit by a round fired by hickock45 from his porch in tennessee (from my reputable source that is not glocktalk.)

i think this is the intelligence gathering?

http://forum.imfdb.org/attachment.ph...9&d=1304378625

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That's another thing. Obama said during his address that OBL was identified with DNA testing, but now they're saying DNA testing is underway and that he was identified with facial recognition.

Believe me, I hope that's all it is.

Yeah, I didn't think of it that way and I can see that being valid reasoning behind such a quick and quiet disposal.

Thing is, there was live footage of the raid. We get....nothing. Bin laden;s body was in custody for hours and....nothing. Its just weird.

One imagines after the whole wikileaks thing they're going through any footage with a fine tooth comb before they release it so there's absolutely no way anyone can identify the men in the team that killed him. Because if they can, someone will, even though they might as well paint a target on those men, their friends, their families...

I can understand holding footage but i doubt well ever see it. Pics on the other hand no reason to hold back.

The news now is that OBL was unarmed, but "resisted." Part of me knows that we're safer with him dead and not an inviting target for some rescue mission, but another part of me wonders if could've gotten him alive and gotten more intel out of him if the SEALs had responded with a taser or rifle butt instead of a double-tap to the noggin.

I dont think they ever planned to take him alive, and i still think its 50/50 if it was seal killing him or if he had a bodyguard end his miserable life so he wouldnt be taken alive. Hes dead though and thats all i care about.

I can't really see AQ executing any kind of daring assault on Gitmo or whatever military base he ended up imprisoned on. ;)

I hope aq comes out of the woodwork looking for revenge, if you can see it you can kill it.

Think about it...

(1.) Bin Laden was chronically ill (which is why I personally had always believed he might be dead before now) and almost surely not physically capable of planning any day-to-day operations within the Al-Qaeda leadership or broader network. Even if he was physically able to continue his work, it would be too risky for other Al-Qaeda members to work with him due to his most-wanted status. His role in Al-Qaeda since Tora Bora has almost surely been as a symbol, not much more. Therefore, what useful intel could he provide that any of his subordinates could not?

(2.) His death has greater political significance than his capture ever could: Obama always said that we would leave Afghanistan when we were sure Al-Qaeda was destroyed and Bin Laden killed. There was always an implication that when the latter happened, the former would be accomplished (obviously, this is not true in reality, but symbolically, such a claim has resonance in the U.S.). Obama obviously would prefer we left Afghanistan given that we're never going to defeat the Taliban and the war is a drain on our resources. Now that Bin Laden is dead, he can claim we "won" in Afghanistan.

(3.) If Bin Laden had been captured, what do you think Al-Qaeda would do to get him out? Obviously, there is still a (perfectly legitimate) fear that they'll retaliate for his death, but isn't it still preferable that we not have to be put in a position where we have to choose between releasing Bin Laden and sacrificing lives?

Sorry, but I think Obama made the right call this time. Maybe I'm giving him too much credit, but I would expect that he and his staff carefully considered the value of Bin Laden alive vs. Bin Laden dead before they made the decision. Besides, considering Obama's reputation, did you really expect him to greenlight this kind of operation? That's what's so beautiful about it - the most liberal President we've ever had has just authorized the killing (without due process) of the world's most evil terrorist. Obama may talk naive bullshit on foreign policy and terrorism, but Carter, he ain't. Good for him.

I had an "Executive Decision" scenario in mind.

And if that ever happened, we would call on Kurt Russell?

And kill Steven Seagal before he can do anything?

I'd go with Option 1A, capture him, but tell the world he's dead and buried, and then interrogate him for all he's worth.

We've been hearing about the ill health thing since like 2003. Was it kidneys or something? If he can order men to fly planes into buildings, I don't think he'd be above ordering men to give him their organs.

If you were the world's most wanted man, you'd probably be more than a little nervous about letting anyone with a scalpel near you.

Yeah, I suppose that's a little more realistic concern. But what is there to prevent any attempts like that even with him dead? Hell, what prevented it with him safe and sound in Pakistan (*glares at the ISI*)? Nothing.

I mean, how is all this talk of possible retaliation by AQ any different from the last 9-1/2 years? Any attack they might carry out in response to his death would be just as likely as any attack they might carry out if he were alive and well. It's pretty much a "damned if you do, damned if you don't" type of situation.

And Halle Berry to help land the plane.

Is Karen Black not available? (Airport `75? Anyone?)

Halle just fell to second choice. lol

So... what the hell was down during OBL raid? They´re talking about a stealth Blackhawk on the web:

http://cencio4.files.wordpress.com/2011/05/mh-x2wm.jpg


http://sobchak.files.wordpress.com/2011/05/4.jpg
http://sobchak.files.wordpress.com/2011/05/5.jpg
http://sobchak.files.wordpress.com/2011/05/6.jpg

More:

http://sobchak.files.wordpress.com/2011/05/1.jpg
http://sobchak.files.wordpress.com/2011/05/2.jpg
http://sobchak.files.wordpress.com/2011/05/3.jpg

:confused:

That is the weirdest-looking wreckage I've ever seen and it definitely doesn't look like any MH-60 variant I've ever seen. That tail rotor housing looks pretty damn close to the main rotor housing on the Comanche, though.

http://www.heliport.de/fileadmin/tem...Comanche-0.jpg

It is a bit curious why they felt the need to destroy the wreckage of a downed H-60 in the middle of a Pakistani suburb. In the middle of nowhere in Afghanistan, sure, but in a town full of Pakistani military? Maybe they just did it out of habit. But that IS weird looking wreckage.

I can see them modifying the rotors to make them stealthier, but as for the other features, like retractable landing gear, it'd make more sense to start from a clean sheet rather than modifying an existing design.

All we're seeing is the remains of the tail rotor, though. We can't judge from that alone if it's a completely different helicopter or just a modified Black Hawk. But if the theories of it being a new stealth helicopter should prove accurate, it would explain how the SEALs managed to slip into Pakistan, conduct a 40 minute raid, and get out before the Pakistani military even managed to mobilize. And it would explain why they demoed it almost beyond recognition.

So no photo to be released, apparently the bad guys will get mad if we show it, but then probably not any madder than they already are that their leader was SHOT IN THE EYE.

Maybe if Donald Trump makes enough noise about it, he can get them to release it.

I hope trump screws up and fails out of any presidential hope, i will not have him be our candidate.

Between his stances on universal healthcare as outlined by his earlier books, and his role in the birth certificate issue, I think he's secretly working for the Democrats to make the president look good and discredit the GOP.

He's such a joke, I'm going to be seriously disappointed in this country if he becomes president.

He's reached the lowest, most disgusting level of being a media attention whore and apparantly thinks he's somewhere close to being suitable to run this country.

If he ever becomes president (God forbid), then it please, smother me with a pillow.

I'm a bit relieved because I'm fairly certain that he's just bluffing. If he does run, it won't be serious, because I think he'll have qualms about releasing his financial records.

Hes given serious money to a lot of big name liberals and has used imminent domain, a disusting practive quite often.

Getting back on topic...it sounds like Bin Laden really wasn't that unhealthy after all (no dialysis machines were found in the compound), so that wouldn't have really stopped him from being in charge of Al-Qaeda. But his status as the CIA's highest priority certainly would have.

Like I said, do you think he's above just taking someone's kidneys?

Do you think the president is squandering the political capital he got with OBL's death by refusing to show photos? His reasoning seems to be a bit off. We got photos of the Hussein brothers, after all. And as for gloating, we've spent billions of dollars and almost a decade looking for this guy, I think we're entitled to a little gloating.

I dont see how shpowing the pic of a body is worse than shooting them in the face, who knows maybe its a slight cover up (like real pick may show a bullet path more akin to suicide, etc.)