Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

The Secret Team That Killed bin Laden (Not so secret now)
The National Journal ^ | Monday, May 2, 2011 | Marc Ambinder

Posted on 05/02/2011 8:30:14 AM PDT by kristinn

From Ghazi Air Base in Pakistan, the modified MH-60 helicopters made their way to the garrison suburb of Abbottabad, about 30 miles from the center of Islamabad. Aboard were Navy SEALs, flown across the border from Afghanistan, along with tactical signals, intelligence collectors, and navigators using highly classified hyperspectral imagers.

After bursts of fire over 40 minutes, 22 people were killed or captured. One of the dead was Osama bin Laden, done in by a double tap -- boom, boom -- to the left side of his face. His body was aboard the choppers that made the trip back. One had experienced mechanical failure and was destroyed by U.S. forces, military and White House officials tell National Journal.

Were it not for this high-value target, it might have been a routine mission for the specially trained and highly mythologized SEAL Team Six, officially called the Naval Special Warfare Development Group, but known even to the locals at their home base Dam Neck in Virginia as just DevGru.

This HVT was special, and the raids required practice, so they replicated the one-acre compound at Camp Alpha, a segregated section of Bagram Air Base. Trial runs were held in early April.

DevGru belongs to the Joint Special Operations Command, an extraordinary and unusual collection of classified standing task forces and special-missions units. They report to the president and operate worldwide based on the legal (or extra-legal) premises of classified presidential directives. Though the general public knows about the special SEALs and their brothers in Delta Force, most JSOC missions never leak.

(Excerpt) Read more at nationaljournal.com ...


TOPICS: Foreign Affairs; News/Current Events; US: Virginia; War on Terror
KEYWORDS: bagram; binladen; damneck; devgru; jsoc; osamabinladen; sealteam6; sealteamsix; specialforces; st6; usnavy; virginia
Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-2021-4041-6061-77 next last
To: ctdonath2
got to suck for someone

Don't fret. The dust kicked up by having multi helicopters in a small space leads to this type of mechanical difficulty. Setting it down and getting everyone relocated and then securing it is, in itself a part of this successful mission.

41 posted on 05/02/2011 9:14:00 AM PDT by amom
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 35 | View Replies]

To: WayneS

Nope. Va Bch. Right off General Beach Blvd on Dam Neck.


42 posted on 05/02/2011 9:17:06 AM PDT by Mathews (Ambition, absent a moral compass, is naked destruction.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 5 | View Replies]

To: outpostinmass2

Yup, Osama Been Leaded.


43 posted on 05/02/2011 9:17:53 AM PDT by Free Vulcan (Vote Republican! You can vote Democrat when you're dead.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 7 | View Replies]

To: Grunthor

My first action this morning was to send a congratulatory text to a friend who used to be on the teams.


44 posted on 05/02/2011 9:22:02 AM PDT by cyclotic (Boy Scouts-Developing Leaders in a World of Followers.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 2 | View Replies]

To: Mathews

General Booth Blvd?

When I was a kid, SEAL Team 2 was stationed at the Amphibious Base, which is also in Virginia Beach.

Do you know when the SEAls moved to Dam Neck? Or is it just the ‘secret’ SEAL team that’s based there?


45 posted on 05/02/2011 9:26:57 AM PDT by WayneS (Enlightened statesmen will not always be at the helm. -- James Madison)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 42 | View Replies]

To: amom

I’m thinking more in terms of the military school it crashed at.

“We are the best place to learn how to stop enemy attacks!”
“Dude, a US helicopter just crashed on your parade grounds and OBL was just killed down the street. WTF?”


46 posted on 05/02/2011 9:28:18 AM PDT by ctdonath2 (Great children's books - http://www.UsborneBooksGA.com)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 41 | View Replies]

To: Pecos

The bad guys can just check Wikileaks.


47 posted on 05/02/2011 9:28:48 AM PDT by ilovesarah2012
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 9 | View Replies]

To: kristinn
Why is it that during the time all this training and so called careful consideration Obama was giving to this mission he was at the same time threatening to veto a republican bill to keep the Navy SEALS paid?

Now the Ahole and his buddies are claiming credit for the mission's brilliance.

48 posted on 05/02/2011 9:31:55 AM PDT by DainBramage
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: OrioleFan

Anonymous sources - no mention of when Obama didn’t approve the raid. I like more trustworthy information before making any comments.


49 posted on 05/02/2011 9:38:27 AM PDT by ilovesarah2012
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 37 | View Replies]

To: AngelesCrestHighway

Fox News said Ben Laden’s body was dumped in the Ocean from the USS Carl Vinson! Talk about a vessel joining the History books! USS Constitution, USS Missouri, USS Arizona, USS Hornet, USS Yorktown, USS Enterprise, USS Intrepid, USS Nautilus, USS Indianapolis and USS Carl Vinson! BZUSA!


50 posted on 05/02/2011 9:44:50 AM PDT by higgmeister ( In the Shadow of The Big Chicken!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 19 | View Replies]

To: kristinn

So 22 were captured ...

I kinda doubt we evac’d 22 detainees on the remaining operational helos The numbers don’t work in my head.

Did we have that many spare seats in the op plan?

Just askin’


51 posted on 05/02/2011 9:44:59 AM PDT by Blueflag (Res ipsa loquitur)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: kristinn

Dead Laden was not available for comment.


52 posted on 05/02/2011 9:51:19 AM PDT by savedbygrace (But God.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Pecos

they won’t know anything we don’t want them to ‘know’


53 posted on 05/02/2011 10:01:33 AM PDT by paul51 (11 September 2001 - Never forget)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 9 | View Replies]

To: Sacajaweau
"..eartlier. Great minds think alike!!"

Eartlier??

Great mind indeed.

54 posted on 05/02/2011 10:06:32 AM PDT by diogenes ghost
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 21 | View Replies]

To: Georgia Girl 2

misted - I like it.


55 posted on 05/02/2011 10:21:50 AM PDT by GOPJ (Osama bin SEALed - http://www.citizenwarrior.com/2009/05/terrifying-brilliance-of-islam.html)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 29 | View Replies]

To: TigersEye

Yes, it is & thanks!


56 posted on 05/02/2011 10:33:49 AM PDT by pandoraou812 (You can discover what your enemy fears most by observing the means he uses to frighten you.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 36 | View Replies]

To: ctdonath2

I see! Yes very good. Very good indeed.


57 posted on 05/02/2011 10:40:05 AM PDT by amom
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 46 | View Replies]

To: Blueflag

So 22 were captured ...
I kinda doubt we evac’d 22 detainees on the remaining operational helos The numbers don’t work in my head.
Did we have that many spare seats in the op plan?
Just askin’
______________________________________
Well, the numbers could work. As I recall, a full load on a Chinook 46 chopper was 28-31 fully battle geared marines. So 40 SEALS and 22 captured could fit into 2 choppers, if as they say one bird was lost leaving two for the extraction.


58 posted on 05/02/2011 10:46:22 AM PDT by AlphaOneAlpha
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 51 | View Replies]

To: AlphaOneAlpha

22 killed or captured


59 posted on 05/02/2011 10:52:15 AM PDT by AppyPappy (If you aren't part of the solution, there is good money to be made prolonging the problem.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 58 | View Replies]



Just standing around, soaking up the sunshine?
Give a little to Free Republic to keep the light coming


Sponsoring FReepers leapfrog0202 and another person will contribute $10
Each time a new monthly donor signs up!
Get more bang for your buck
Sign up today

60 posted on 05/02/2011 10:52:43 AM PDT by TheOldLady
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | View Replies]


Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-2021-4041-6061-77 next last

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson