The head of the CIA admitted yesterday: ” that there was no live video footage of the raid on Osama bin Laden’s compound”…….. as further doubts emerged about the US version of events.
Then what were they watching?????
The White House released this photo of the security team watching the raid on the Osama compound in Abbottabad. Now we know the feed was not working.
The Telegraph.co.uk
Leon Panetta, director of the CIA, revealed there was a 25 minute blackout during which the live feed from cameras mounted on the helmets of the US special forces was cut off.
A photograph released by the White House appeared to show the President and his aides in the situation room watching the action as it unfolded. In fact they had little knowledge of what was happening in the compound.
Mr Panetta said: “Once those teams went into the compound I can tell you that there was a time period of almost 20 or 25 minutes where we really didn’t know just exactly what was going on. And there were some very tense moments as we were waiting for information.
“We had some observation of the approach there, but we did not have direct flow of information as to the actual conduct of the operation itself as they were going through the compound.”
Mr Panetta also told the network that the US Navy Seals made the final decision to kill bin Laden rather than the president.
He said: “The authority here was to kill bin Laden. And obviously, under the rules of engagement, if he had in fact thrown up his hands, surrendered and didn’t appear to be representing any kind of threat, then they were to capture him. But they had full authority to kill him.
“To be frank, I don’t think he had a lot of time to say anything. It was a firefight going up that compound. And by the time they got to the third floor and found bin Laden, I think it – this was all split-second action on the part of the Seals.”
The President only knew the mission was successful after the Navy Seals commander heard the word “Geronimo” on the radio, a code word from commandos reporting that they had killed bin Laden.
The absence of footage of the raid has led to conflicting reports about what happened in the compound. According to Pakistani authorities one of bin Laden’s daughter’s, who was present during the raid, claimed that her father was captured alive before he was killed.
There was also growing doubt about the US claims that Pakistan’s intelligence agencies involved in the raid.
Lieutenant General Asad Durrani, former head of the ISI, Pakistan’s intelligence service, said it was “inconceivable” that his government was unaware of the US raid on Osama bin Laden’s compound.
He claimed his country was forced to deny any knowledge of the raid to avoid a domestic backlash. The ISI’s official line has been that bin Laden’s compound had “slipped off our radar” after it raided the building in 2003 while hunting for another senior al-Qaeda operative.The agency claims it was unaware that bin Laden was hiding there.
Lieutenant General Durrani, however, said that the denial was a “political” maneuver by the intelligence services to avoid claims that they were working too closely with the US.
He said: “It is more likely that they did know [about the raid]. It is not conceivable that it was done without the involvement of Pakistani security forces at some stage. They were involved and they were told they were in position.
“The army chief was in his office, the cordons had been thrown around that particular place. The Pakistani helicopters were also in the air so that indicates that it was involved.
“[There are] political implications back home. If you say that you are involved there is a large, vocal faction of Pakistani society that will get very upset because we are carrying out repeatedly these operations with the Americans.”
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The Obama Administration’s cloud of confusion explained
Bookworm Room
what do we have here:
1) There was a firefight.
2) There was no firefight.
3) Bin Laden was “resisting.”
4) Bin Laden wasn’t armed. (Makes the concept of “resisting” interesting.)
[4.a) And the newest one: the SEALS thought bin Laden was reaching for a weapon.]
5) He used his wife as a shield.
6) His wife was killed too.
7) He didn’t use his wife as a shield. She ran at a SEAL who shot her in the leg, but she’s fine.
8 ) Some other woman — the maid? — was used as a shield. By somebody. Downstairs.
9) That other woman — downstairs — was killed.
10) Maybe not. She was killed unless she wasn’t — and who was she, anyway?
11) Bin Laden’s son was killed.
12) Unless it was some other guy.
13) Bin Laden’s daughter saw him get killed. She’s undoubtedly traumatized, poor dear.
14) They were going to capture Bin Laden until the problem with the helicopter, which was:
A) It had mechanical trouble
B) It did a hard landing
C) It crashed
D) It clipped a wall with a tail rotor, effectively a crash
15.) They were never going to try to capture him; it was always a kill mission.
16.) No, it wasn’t.
17) The chopper blew up.
18) The SEALs blew it up.
19.) Panetta said yesterday the world needed proof and the photo would be released.
20.) Obama said today in an interview he taped with Steve Kroft for “60 Minutes” to be broadcast Sunday that it won’t be released. It’s too gruesome, would offend Muslim sensibilities (something he worries about a lot — I personally do not give a warm fart on a wet Wednesday about Muslim sensibilities), and how would Americans feel if Muslims released pictures of dead Americans?
21.) Kroft — who’s not a total idiot — pointed out that ever since “Black Hawk Down” days, Muslims have been doing precisely that, filming American bodies being dragged through the streets, filming Daniel Pearl’s head being cut off, filming any and everything.
22) Obama gets pissed at CBS, the tape gets cleaned up, that question disappears. (Inside info.)
23.) We got a “treasure trove” of stuff from hard drives, etc.
24.) There were no phone lines, and no internet access at the “mansion,” they didn’t even have TV — what “treasure trove?”
25.) There is obviously in the pictures of the place a large satellite dish. I guess they used it for making salads.
26.) And now, just today: apparently the idea was to capture him, but only if he was naked. There was a suspicion he might be wearing a suicide bomber type explosive vest, or belt. So if he’s not naked and you can’t see if he has a vest on or not – shoot him.
27.) video feed was not working ( so what were they watching so intensly????
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Maybe obama was playing video games.
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Wild Thing’s comment……..
Thank God that the Seals ran the actual operation. Their part in all of this is the only thing honest and heroes one and all.
This Administration is so intent on boosting the One’s sagging ratings, that they are issuing conflicting reports and accounts of the incident.
It is another example of how this Administration, from Obama on down, is filled with inexperienced people, all of whom are way in over their heads.
To take an event like this and attmpt to make political points, rather than show proofs and give credit to all of the people and agencies who have contributed over the past 10+ years, is not only an insult to those people who have been involved, it is an insult to the American public.
I, for one, have no doubt that, No Guts, Barry(It’s All About Me”) Sotero wanted absolutly no part of the decision making on this raid, , for the simple reason that it would reflect badly on him and his “Image”. Consequently, people like Panetta and yes, even Hillary,had to force his hand.
What should be a great moment in America’s War on Terror, has been turned into very bad Kabuki Political Theater, by the “Leader of the Free World”, and his associates.
obama is obsessed with public image because he is an extreme narcissist and image is what got him to the White House. He ran on promises that turned out to be lies(exceot for his commie wealth redistribution plans). He has done all he can, with MSM help, to hide his past. He has relied on teleprompters to get his self serving lies across. And he and wifey live for photo ops.
You can bet the mortgage that if this raid had failed that obama would have left Penetta’s and Gate’s asses hanging. Now the teachers unions are already preparing the texts and classroom plans to label obama as the greatest wartime president. Ain’t politics sweet!
He probably didn’t want anything to do with making this decision. And it shows. Except when he announced it. That was totally a subjective announcement, as if he had just gotten back from the compound after He himself had killed OBL. Thankfully, he ratings are still in the toilet, where by the way, they beling.
Osama Bin Laden´s Last Moments, Scared and Confused!!!
http://www.theblaze.com/stories/sources-describe-bin-ladens-cowardly-last-moments-in-compound/
Mr. Obama dithered 9 months since August, 2010, and a final 16 hours BEFORE his order to kill OBL.
Great input, thank you all soooooo much.
Anon, thank you for the link.